You want to know how much Teachers love their students? This Much:

[n2doc]

In a bankrupt Pa. school district, teachers plan to work for free


Employees of the Chester Upland School District in Pennsylvania will show up for work on the first day of school next Wednesday, but they don’t expect to get paid.

The district, which has been struggling with financial and academic problems for decades, is on the edge of insolvency and cannot make payroll, state and local officials have said.

So on Thursday, about 200 members of the local teachers union voted unanimously to work without pay as the new school year opens. They were joined by secretaries, school bus drivers, janitors and administrators.

“The thought of it is very scary,” said John Shelton, 60, dean of students at the district’s only middle school and a 23-year employee. “It’s mind-boggling because there’s truly uncertainty. But we are all in agreement that we will come to work, so that the children can get an education.”

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-a-bankrupt-pa-school-district-teachers-plan-to-work-for-free/2015/08/28/0332898e-4dba-11e5-84df-923b3ef1a64b_story.html

Next time some MF'ing right winger starts whining about teachers, hit them with this. How many private industry workers would work for free?

[Scuba]

1. K and effing R

[xfundy]

2. This could set a bad precedent.

They already want teachers to work for very little, but if they'll work for nothing, that could become the standard.

[mopinko]

3. my thoughts, too.

i hope they are assuming that they will be paid once the impasse is over. it's a very bad precedent. they should be picketing instead.

[Hoppy]

4. Not much to worry about that.

How long can they go without pay? They have their own expenses to cover.

It is a brave stand they are taking.

[malthaussen]

5. Noble, but probably dumb.

The rich GOPpers are smiling. They have no shame. They'd be happy if everybody worked for nothing... although where their wealth would come from then is kind of fuzzy.

-- Mal

[LWolf]

6. This is just an extension of what already happens every single summer.

My contractual year begins on Monday. My first paid day back. I've been at work every day for two weeks. Unpaid. Why?

Starting Monday, the vast majority of that paid time will be spent in meetings, workshops, and trainings. Very little of it will actually be available to prepare for the year.

So...last week, I went in, cleaned out and re-organized all of the shelves and cupboards, and my desk, and set up desks; I hounded the custodian to find the chairs and a couple of tables that mysteriously disappeared over the summer. I untangled the miles of cords and cables needed to rewire all the tech in the room and get it working. I unpacked all the stuff I had to pack up to get out of the way for the annual maintenance work and put all that stuff where it goes. I spent my supply budget, and called a student to work on a project for the first day of school...because she's had a traumatic summer and needs something positive to look forward to, and to feel some ownership for this safe space which will be hers.

This week I went through every email, negotiated schedules, put those schedules in documents, shared them with all who need to know when and where are students are at any point in the day, bought supplies that my school supply budget doesn't cover, started assigning lockers and making phone calls to some parents and students for next week's pre-first day leadership training, created a digital lesson plan template, started working on the team website, met the last-hired new staff members on tour, put things up on bulletin boards, planned out the first day of school, and began some tentative plans for the rest of that first week, began copying materials, met with office staff, principal, and counselor about students with problematic situations and special needs, and checked my 3 rosters for sped and ell students. Oh, and I contacted some volunteers, met with them, and organized what they are doing.

I also visited with many of my colleagues, who were in the building do all those same things. Unpaid.

This doesn't count the coursework I completed this summer as part of the on-going professional development needed to keep my license, or the 10 hours of videos and quizzes required by the district: mandatory trainings for everything from Integrated Pest Management to sexual harrassment, blood-born pathogens, etc..

It doesn't surprise me that teachers are doing this; we are very invested in our schools, classrooms, and students.

I'm concerned, though. People take all the unpaid time, and all of our own $$$ that we invest every year for granted already. We're convenient scapegoats.

I'd like to see teachers honored, not scapegoated or taken advantage of.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Wow!

Starting salary for all teachers everywhere should be $60,000 and should go up by at least $5,000 every year. With full benefits and a hefty retirement. I can hear it now, "But they'd be at $100,000 by the 7th year!" Yeah, so? Besides parenting there is no more important job than being a teacher. And I'd love one of these critics to teach for ONE DAY. Within the first 1/2 hour they'd be overwhelmed. And you guys do this every day!

[LWolf]

10. Every day, and I love it.

I also know that you are right. Those critics wouldn't last a day, because reality is a whole lot different from the inside.

Thanks.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Many school districts are already there

or darn close. New teachers in Houston ISD get almost $52K per year. Raises are biggest the first few years to attract new teachers to the profession.

I wish I had been able to stay with it, but 9 years back in the 80s was enough for me. But with all the high stakes testing now, it's made a difficult job even more stressful. The politics and lack of support were bad enough when I left in 1990.

[AwakeAtLast]

14. I've been teaching for 18 years

I'm just now making 46 K. I went 5 years with no pay raise and higher insurance, so my paychecks went down. On top of that my student load went from 750 to 1500. Text scores weigh in our pay raise now. As a Music Teacher, I have no control over the tests that will determine my pay. Talk about insanity!

[Starry Messenger]

7. I predict this thread will be empty

of all of the posters who have, over the years, accused union teachers of being money-grubbing child haters.

[LWolf]

9. Yes. nt

[Starry Messenger]

12. Yep, still *crickets*

What a surprise!

[Kurska]

13. Teachers really are amazing

They pay for their own supplies, they work outside of normal hours to help students, they generally go above and beyond.

I don't let the plutocrats stories of a few bad apples shape my opinion on teachers. I have far to many great experiences with wonderful teachers to let their idiocy influence me.

[Syzygy321]

15. K and R for teachers everywhere.