Him: So, when are you going to retire?
Me: I'm not ready. I still enjoy what I do.
Him: You teachers have it made. You only work half a year and get paid over a hundred grand. I would keep working too if my job was as easy as yours is.
Luckily, a friend who is married to a teacher jumped in and let him have it or I would be calling my Principal from behind bars instead of typing this post.
4 comments:
How many times have I heard and participated in that conversation!
And now we are complaining about charter schools to boot. What is wrong with us?
My usual comment to people like that is "really, how many classes have YOU ever taught?"
-as
I had a neighbor who installed carpets for a living. I never hacked into him about how easy his job was, because I know it's tough--hard on the knees and late night assignments and last-minute jobs and so on. However, I also know that he takes cruise vacations at least once a year and has paid off his mortgage already.
When he got started on how easy teaching was one day, I just asked him to give me a phone call when he was done his work for the day and that I would do the same thing for him. And we'd see who woke up whom. He never took me up on it, obviously.
If the government really wanted to help, they'd pass a law that requires ALL parents to substitute teach a variety of grades for at least 1 week. Only, treat them like new teachers and let them "figure out" the lesson planning, lesson plan documentation, daily routines, deal with angry or unreasonable parents, etc. After their week is up - IF they make it through the week - make those same comments to them and I bet they'd be thinking differently.
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