Any teachers on summer vacation?

[xavi84]

I just finished my first year of teaching and started my summer vacation 2 weeks ago. Since then my bench time has been at an all time high. I mean like 8 to 12 hours a day at the bench. It's pretty amazing considering during the school year I'm lucky if I can get an 2 hours in a week.

Are there any other teachers taking advantage of this time?

Also, sorry if it seems like I'm bragging.

[dekon70]

I start my vacation on Friday the 19th; and yes, the bench time increases dramatically.

[oortiz10]

xavi84,

Congrats on finishing your first year! I'm not on vacation until next Friday, the 19th. Thurs the 18th is my last day with the students, then I need to move my things to a new school and room that Fri. Once that's done, I'm lookng forward to doing what you're doing...spending time at my bench!

Enjoy your summer ARC teachers!

Cheers,

-O

[Darren Roberts]

I've been on vacation since May 21st. Of course I go back August 6th. :wacko: I just finished up my 22nd year of teaching elementary school (8 years 1st grade, 12 years 2nd grade, 2 years 4th grade). I love how much bench time I get, although a lot of it is going towards casting for Steel Beach for the Nationals in July. Congrats on finishing up your first year. Teaching isn't what it used to be. I still have 20 years before I retire, and I kind of worry about the direction education is headed.

[Fishwelding]

I teach in higher ed, but have a "day job" on campus, too, so I only get a little more time on nights and weekends during the summer. (And so far, that's eaten by chores. My lawnmower was much happier after an oil, air filter, and sparkplug change today).

Among full time faculty teaching history, I know of none who really have a true summer vacation, because they're still teaching, developing new courses, catching up on administrative work, or doing research and writing. I can't speak for other fields, though. Generally, about the best that can be said around here is that summer is quieter, so most people on campus take their vacation time now.

[Don]

I finished up two weeks ago. However my break is short. The last few summers I have taken on summer teaching duties and this summer is no different. Its nowhere near as time consuming as during the school year though so my bench time still increases. Prior to that I spent my summers upgrading my credentials. Now that I think about, I haven't really taken a summer completely off in a long time...maybe next summer :D .

Darren I agree with your last sentiment btw.

Happy modeling all!

Regards,

Don

[is it windy yet?]

Mine starts June 25th.

[Jennings]

I'm a full time student with classes all summer! I'm jealous :)

[dekon70]

Darren, I also agree with your last statement. I've been teaching middle school for 20 years and it is a totally different ball game now from when I started.

[Ryan34]

Finished my 25th year this year. I have literally taught everything from kindergarten to seniors in high school. I really prefer 4th through 6th grade. Like you Darren I am very concerned about the direction education is headed. So I am going back to school to be a reference librarian at the university level. My bench time increases somewhat but with summer but is limited by working on yards and gardens (I have an acre to deal with). I am finishing several Hornets for my local club's group build and then I am going to tackle a Wingnut wings SE.5a Hisso.

Frank

[DutyCat]

Today is my first official day off. We were actually done last Tuesday, but I had to attend an education conference in Ocala for three days after that.

So, yes, the build rate goes up a lot during the summer.

[DutyCat]

... and I kind of worry about the direction education is headed.

Ain't that the truth.

[ALF18]

I just finished my 4th year of teaching at an aviation college. My last class was 1 May; I had a few meetings and other things in May, and am officially off from now until mid August.

For a pre-retirement job, it's a pretty decent option. Teaching young adults who are motivated to become pilots is probably a whole lot easier than teaching teens who don't want to be in school.

ALF

[TaiidanTomcat]

Ok teachers my curiosity is pe@ked. Spill you're konserns

[Darren Roberts]

Ok teachers my curiosity is pe@ked. Spill you're konserns

Curriculum

It used to be that effective teachers were left alone to do their jobs. I could shut my door and teach how I wanted as long as I was teaching the set curriculum. I'm all for accountability, but the intrusion by outside "educators" is getting ridiculous. I'm now being told not only what to teach, but how to teach it. The curriculum is now being driven by Common Core. While CC has some very good aspects to it, the people who came up with it don't have a clue about child development. I used "educators" in quotes because they haven't seen the inside of a classroom for 30 years, yet they know what the "best" teaching methods are. Ha! Elementary school kids are now doing things that used to be taught in middle school. Kindergartners are now expected to read going into 1st grade. No longer is school about developing the whole person, it's become an assembly line for businesses.

Support

More and more, teachers are being hung out to dry. While most parents are very supportive of teachers, there are those who intentionally set out to undermine teachers. I know of a teacher in my school that has had parents literally start a subversive campaign with other parents against her, all because she was tough on their child and expected his best. Meanwhile, the administration caved to the parents. The teacher wasn't even invited to the meeting with the parents to explain or defend her actions. On the payscale front, funding is getting harder and harder to come by. I've had one raise in 6 years. Now, I realize it's tough everywhere, but we have steps that we move down each year of service. Some of the steps don't have a payraise, but eventually, you hit a step that does. With the loss of those 6 years, it will take me 5 years more to get a raise. For instance, I should be at Step 22 (for 22 years of service) and at step 25, I would recieve a small increase in pay. However, with the freeze, instead of getting the raise in 3 years, I'm "officially" at step 17, so I have to wait 8 years to get that raise.

No Power

If kids really knew what little power teachers have, they would run all over us. We can't spank, we can't reprimand, we really can't even send them to principal if they didn't do something egregious. We can't even take recess away anymore! If work isn't done, we have to give them to the end of the quarter to finish it until we take off points. We are at the mercy of parents, as most of the time our word is subjegated to the word of the parents and even the students. Respect is becoming a real issue.

I realize these are very broad issues, and there are many, many people who appreciate what teachers do. But it's getting harder and harder each year to do our jobs with more and more pressure being put on us. There is literally no accountability for kids or parents. Work not finished? It's the teachers fault. Kid misbehaving in the class? Teachers fault. The best example I can give is a student who didn't qualify for Pre-Algebra. The parents complained and an exemption was granted. He then proceeded to completely bomb Pre-Algebra. The parents complained to the principal, who told the teacher that she needed to create a special plan so he could succeed. HE DIDN"T EVEN BELONG THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Sorry, I'll stop yelling.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. Remember, you did ask what our concerns were. :D

[dekon70]

Curriculum

It used to be that effective teachers were left alone to do their jobs. I could shut my door and teach how I wanted as long as I was teaching the set curriculum. I'm all for accountability, but the intrusion by outside "educators" is getting ridiculous. I'm now being told not only what to teach, but how to teach it. The curriculum is now being driven by Common Core. While CC has some very good aspects to it, the people who came up with it don't have a clue about child development. I used "educators" in quotes because they haven't seen the inside of a classroom for 30 years, yet they know what the "best" teaching methods are. Ha! Elementary school kids are now doing things that used to be taught in middle school. Kindergartners are now expected to read going into 1st grade. No longer is school about developing the whole person, it's become an assembly line for businesses.

Support

More and more, teachers are being hung out to dry. While most parents are very supportive of teachers, there are those who intentionally set out to undermine teachers. I know of a teacher in my school that has had parents literally start a subversive campaign with other parents against her, all because she was tough on their child and expected his best. Meanwhile, the administration caved to the parents. The teacher wasn't even invited to the meeting with the parents to explain or defend her actions. On the payscale front, funding is getting harder and harder to come by. I've had one raise in 6 years. Now, I realize it's tough everywhere, but we have steps that we move down each year of service. Some of the steps don't have a payraise, but eventually, you hit a step that does. With the loss of those 6 years, it will take me 5 years more to get a raise. For instance, I should be at Step 22 (for 22 years of service) and at step 25, I would recieve a small increase in pay. However, with the freeze, instead of getting the raise in 3 years, I'm "officially" at step 17, so I have to wait 8 years to get that raise.

No Power

If kids really knew what little power teachers have, they would run all over us. We can't spank, we can't reprimand, we really can't even send them to principal if they didn't do something egregious. We can't even take recess away anymore! If work isn't done, we have to give them to the end of the quarter to finish it until we take off points. We are at the mercy of parents, as most of the time our word is subjegated to the word of the parents and even the students. Respect is becoming a real issue.

I realize these are very broad issues, and there are many, many people who appreciate what teachers do. But it's getting harder and harder each year to do our jobs with more and more pressure being put on us. There is literally no accountability for kids or parents. Work not finished? It's the teachers fault. Kid misbehaving in the class? Teachers fault. The best example I can give is a student who didn't qualify for Pre-Algebra. The parents complained and an exemption was granted. He then proceeded to completely bomb Pre-Algebra. The parents complained to the principal, who told the teacher that she needed to create a special plan so he could succeed. HE DIDN"T EVEN BELONG THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Sorry, I'll stop yelling. :soapbox:/>

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. Remember, you did ask what our concerns were. :D/>

Wow couldn't have said it better myself Darren. So, I see that it is just not my state where this occurs. I am so tired of getting beat up by the media and public about what we do. If I hear one more time that we make to much, have summers off and holidays off I am going to lose my mind. I like to tell people when I hear this, if it is so great, why aren't you a teacher. Their response usually is "Me, I could never work with kids!". Then don't tell me it is such a great job.

[fulcrum1]

So we spend more on education than ever, but we're getting an inferior product? Why not roll back the hands of time to figure out how "they" did it an emulate? I recently watched this recently and it really made me take a step back and think...

Edited June 17, 2015 by fulcrum1

[Don]

Curriculum

It used to be that effective teachers were left alone to do their jobs. I could shut my door and teach how I wanted as long as I was teaching the set curriculum. I'm all for accountability, but the intrusion by outside "educators" is getting ridiculous. I'm now being told not only what to teach, but how to teach it. The curriculum is now being driven by Common Core. While CC has some very good aspects to it, the people who came up with it don't have a clue about child development. I used "educators" in quotes because they haven't seen the inside of a classroom for 30 years, yet they know what the "best" teaching methods are. Ha! Elementary school kids are now doing things that used to be taught in middle school. Kindergartners are now expected to read going into 1st grade. No longer is school about developing the whole person, it's become an assembly line for businesses.

Support

More and more, teachers are being hung out to dry. While most parents are very supportive of teachers, there are those who intentionally set out to undermine teachers. I know of a teacher in my school that has had parents literally start a subversive campaign with other parents against her, all because she was tough on their child and expected his best. Meanwhile, the administration caved to the parents. The teacher wasn't even invited to the meeting with the parents to explain or defend her actions. On the payscale front, funding is getting harder and harder to come by. I've had one raise in 6 years. Now, I realize it's tough everywhere, but we have steps that we move down each year of service. Some of the steps don't have a payraise, but eventually, you hit a step that does. With the loss of those 6 years, it will take me 5 years more to get a raise. For instance, I should be at Step 22 (for 22 years of service) and at step 25, I would recieve a small increase in pay. However, with the freeze, instead of getting the raise in 3 years, I'm "officially" at step 17, so I have to wait 8 years to get that raise.

No Power

If kids really knew what little power teachers have, they would run all over us. We can't spank, we can't reprimand, we really can't even send them to principal if they didn't do something egregious. We can't even take recess away anymore! If work isn't done, we have to give them to the end of the quarter to finish it until we take off points. We are at the mercy of parents, as most of the time our word is subjegated to the word of the parents and even the students. Respect is becoming a real issue.

I realize these are very broad issues, and there are many, many people who appreciate what teachers do. But it's getting harder and harder each year to do our jobs with more and more pressure being put on us. There is literally no accountability for kids or parents. Work not finished? It's the teachers fault. Kid misbehaving in the class? Teachers fault. The best example I can give is a student who didn't qualify for Pre-Algebra. The parents complained and an exemption was granted. He then proceeded to completely bomb Pre-Algebra. The parents complained to the principal, who told the teacher that she needed to create a special plan so he could succeed. HE DIDN"T EVEN BELONG THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Sorry, I'll stop yelling. :soapbox:/>

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. Remember, you did ask what our concerns were. :D/>

Bravo!!

[Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy]

We were out May 25th, although I'm teaching summer school now. That lets out at the end of this week.

Amazingly, the first day back for teachers for the new school year is July 24th...and the students start back July 30th!!!

[Darren Roberts]

So we spend more on education than ever, but we're getting an inferior product? Why not roll back the hands of time to figure out how "they" did it an emulate? I recently watched this recently and it really made me take a step back and think...

More money may be spent on "education", but that money rarely, if ever, gets seen in the classroom. If it were going to keep class sizes low by hiring more teachers, I'd be more inclined to overlook a lack of pay raise. But when Kindergarten classes are at 25-27, and intermediate classes are pushing 30, that becomes a real problem.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Darren Roberts

[Ryan34]

Very good replies all--here in Texas it is the same we have everyone who knows how to do our job and we are just stupid people. I currently hold a master's degree in history and can't teach it due to only coaches getting those jobs. I have nothing against coaches but some of them don't know anything about teaching history. So I am moving up to the university level to be a research librarian. Everything Darren has said is true and then some, many parents don't help and many flat out hinder you. Not to mention security on tests that rivals that of the most top-secret military installation. Well so much for my soap box--anybody have experience putting together Wingnut Wings biplanes. BTW Darren I need to PM you about some instructions for some Steel Beach stuff I bought from a member here.

Frank

[Darren Roberts]

Very good replies all--here in Texas it is the same we have everyone who knows how to do our job and we are just stupid people. I currently hold a master's degree in history and can't teach it due to only coaches getting those jobs. I have nothing against coaches but some of them don't know anything about teaching history. So I am moving up to the university level to be a research librarian. Everything Darren has said is true and then some, many parents don't help and many flat out hinder you. Not to mention security on tests that rivals that of the most top-secret military installation. Well so much for my soap box--anybody have experience putting together Wingnut Wings biplanes. BTW Darren I need to PM you about some instructions for some Steel Beach stuff I bought from a member here.

Frank

Let me know what I can do to help on the SB items. In regards to your post about teaching history, I can relate to that. I got my degree at Baylor University, and originally was planning on teaching higher level American history. When I met with my advisor, she asked me what sport I coached. I looked at her kind of funny and said I didn't coach. In that wonderful Texas drawl, she replied, "Honey, if you don't coach, you might want to think about doing something else." It was at that moment I switched to elementary education.

[DutyCat]

A lot has been written and continues to be written about the state of public education in America. The general public really has no clue other than at the most basic level. Much of the current public school disaster is deeply rooted in social progressive politics, which dominates public education culture and bureaucracy. All of the primary mission compromising PC stuff you see going on on society now....white privilege/race politics/immigration/cultural sensitivity/budget/religion...all the stuff we are wrestling with as a society..indeed as a civilization, are all in play in public schools.

Edited June 18, 2015 by DutyCat

[ajd3530]

I'm 27, so i have been out of the public school system for about a decade, so I'll share my (limited) view on things.

To keep it as un-political as i can, it seems the more progressive push is hurting the overall education. Everyone is "special," everyone is "equal." Well thats just total BS. Kids are not equal. Some kids are just smarter. And some kids just don't get it. And parents get all butt hurt that their little Einstein can't figure out fractions. And its the teacher's fault that their kid just isnt smart enough. Some kids are just smarter than others. And thats OK! Not everyone is cut to be a rocket scientist.

But it seems the education system now is forced to cater to the kids that just don't get it, and that takes away from the smarter kids. (Again this is just my .02 worth.)

In my opinion, college is being pushed WAY to hard. College isn't for everyone. And I would hate to see just how many 20-somethings like me are wondering around with a degree but no prospect for jobs in their field of study.

If I had it to do again, I wish I would have pursued a VOCATION instead of a degree, before I got into family life. College just wasn't for me. I wish I would have learned a trade like carpentry. And thats where I believe the system is failing the kids that just aren't book smart. College is pushed upon them, even though they have no realistic chance of being accepted, or even wanting to be accepted.

Perfect example is my father-in-law. Dropped out of school when he was 15. Hated school. Book learning is just not his thing (although he is killer at arithmetic.) But today, he is a master plumber, one of the best in the area. Now transport him to this day and age, and how would the modern education system react to a 15 year old Larry Powell wanting to drop out of school to learn a trade?

I could go on and on and on, but I think I have madr my point. And again, this is just MY opinion based on my limited knowledge of the situation. If you think everything I have said is the dumbest thing ever typed out, well more power to ya.

[Ryan34]

Yes it is a shame that those who love history aren't allowed to teach it. It is also a shame that college is pushed so much that I am afraid a college education (basic) my become watered down to the point that it doesn't matter much any more. I still like teaching but I hate all the other "fluff" that goes along with it. I guess that happens in any job you get into.

Frank