Deserve to be paid

I am writing in regard to the letter by Jamie Pelletier (Nov. 1), "Lacking in integrity," having to do with the teachers protesting outside Auburn Middle School.

What a great opportunity to help teach children about fair wages for people who work hard to educate them.

Many teachers spend money from their own pockets to make sure that all children have the supplies they need to do well in school. They are not reimbursed for this, as most schools do not have the funds. They do this because they do have integrity.

Teachers are no different from the rest of us. They have a mortgage to pay, heating oil to buy, food to purchase to feed their families and so forth, and to do that, they need an income that makes that possible.

It is easy to sit on the sidelines and shake our heads at them as they pretty much beg for money but, really, don't they deserve to be compensated for their work? I do not know of a teacher today that isn't just as dedicated as teachers from yesteryear.

They do it for the love of children and education, not for the money, but they do deserve to get paid.

Heather Hawkes, Brunswick

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Displaying comments, from newest to oldest

candiceanne's picture

I have been blessed with the

I have been blessed with the privelege of being able to provide my children with an education in the State of Florida. Most teachers point to Florida and critisize that we spend among the least per student of all 50 states without looking at why our per pupil costs are so low and if any of those factors could be put to work here. I would like to add that my children received wonderful educations that got them accepted at the schools of their choice including schools top in their desired field of study and qualified them for many thousands of dollars per year in academic competitiveness grants in addition to the standard pell grants because of the offerings and advantages of their Florida education.

In Florida, as with most states, schools are operated on a county level which greatly reduces administrative costs. Resently Maine school organization underwent another major transformation in the consolidation of small units into RSUs, the greater area that can be covered, especially given Maine's very low population density, the lower the administrative cost per pupil will be.

In Florida we fill every class. There are no pre-calculus classes with 5 students. When you have 5 students in a class you divide the teachers salary and the facility overhead by 5; change that to 20 students in the class and you cut the per pupil cost of that clas to 1/4. In Florida we have large populations close to the school that make this easy in Maine you have no choice but to bus to more centralized schools. You already bus vertually every student which is an unavoidable expense that we in Florida do not have (we do bus to every high school for magnet school purposes) but the additional transportation would be greatly offset by reduced facilities costs, facilities administraction, cafeteria services and so on. You would also greatly reduce the number of teachers since you would not have 4 teachers each teaching 5 students say pre-calculus but one teacher for 20 and could pay that teach

Sinbad's picture

I think there is a moron in

I think there is a moron in Scotty_0's life, but it's not his wife (the teacher)...

Scotty_O's picture

Are we related? if so, I've

Are we related? if so, I've found the moron your talking about. You must truly be "THE" Sinbad, becasue your attempt at humor was as funny as a bad case of the shingles......

Scotty_O's picture

How do you get a teacher to

How do you get a teacher to earn more money...have less teachers. It's easy to be a teacher, any moron can be one. I know, I saw UMF pumping them out like the U.S. prints money. Good teachers are born, not taught. Now, before you wage a Jihad with me, just keep in mind that I have been married to one for 15 years, and I know their pay sucks, believe me I work two jobs! Raise teacher pay too much and the UMF meat machine will just pump out more. Make it harder, not easier to become a teacher, that's the key to making more money.

news4u's picture

In a previous post you

In a previous post you mentioned that your wife is a teacher. In this post you stated "It's easy to be a teacher, any moron can be one." Is this the respect that you show your wife? How sad.

Why the negativity towards UMF? UMF is known for its excellent Education programs. Many of the students attending UMF are majoring in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education, Secondary / Middle Education, or Special Education. They not only need to pass their college classes, but they must pass their PRAXIS exam before they will become certified teachers in the state of Maine. This exam is used as part of their teacher licensure and certification process.

"Good teachers are born, not taught."
While you may have the passion to teach you still need the required education to reach this goal. Just as you wouldn't allow a surgeon to operate on you who had not gone to medical school, neither would you want a classroom teacher who had no formal education teaching your child.

Scotty_O's picture

I respect my wife because

I respect my wife because she's an excellent teacher and mother. Don't analyze my life, your not Dr. Phil, so shove up your balloon knot.

news4u's picture

Sounds like I touched a

Sounds like I touched a nerve!

"Don't analyze my life, your not Dr. Phil,"
P.S. The above sentence should be written "Don't analyze my life, you're not Dr. Phil".

Scotty_O's picture

Sorry about my gramatical

Sorry about my gramatical error, I guess it was my poor ej-a-ma-cation, uh yuh!

Rinoblast's picture

"It's easy to be a teacher,

"It's easy to be a teacher, any moron can be one."

Poor choice of words. Teaching takes great skill, not to mention patience. Sitting at the front of the room, handing out worksheets, and babysitting kids is something any moron can do. As a graduate of UMF, I can attest that they encourage the former, but also agree that the standards are not high enough to prevent the latter from occurring.

verified

We do not have to wage a

We do not have to wage a Jihad with you Scotty you seem to do a pretty good job of it yourself with how you feel toward teachers and unions all at the same time. Do not raise teacher pay, keep them paid to the lowest possible commons that you can, and make it a much harder world while you analyze from the sidelines? Not just any moron can be one we are being taught the oaths which European teachers take as well. Keep in mind you are saying in the same statements keep your own wife's pay to the same bare minimum while justifying what you see coming out of college. Good luck on that Jihad against teachers do you tell your wife you want to lower her pay with a straight face?

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

Scotty_O's picture

Again, you take everything

Again, you take everything out of context. And I tell my wife she gets paid very little because she accepted her fate. And anyone thinking that they are going to graduate from college and make 100,000 dollars a year teaching 4th grade is as blind as you Joe. To all of you want to be teachers out there: you want to be a teacher beacuse of your passion, then get married to someone who makes alot of money. I live the life, and the consequences of being married to a teacher, I don't have to analyze from the sidelines, I'm directly in the battle.

news4u's picture

"And I tell my wife she gets

"And I tell my wife she gets paid very little because she accepted her fate"
She also accepted her fate when she married you. Poor lady! You don't sound like a very compassionate, supportive spouse.

"I live the life, and the consequences of being married to a teacher,..."
Once again, the disrespect that you have towards your wife is appalling. If you are so unsatisfied in the career choice made by your wife and the life you are living, then make a change.

"...anyone thinking that they are going to graduate from college and make 100,000 dollars a year teaching 4th grade is as blind as.."
Anyone who enters the field of public education realizes that they are not entering it to make megabucks, but instead enters it with hopes and dreams of making a difference in a child's life. As Tom Brokaw said: It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.

verified

Fate let me tell you about

Fate let me tell you about fate; may you live in interesting times. Gee, blind trying a little hard there are you not Scotty? You make it sound like a bad thing then again through psychological analysis what you mean is that you detest the realm of fate which you have been handed. As for being blind slowly going blind and losing parts and pieces of my vision in the process is not the nicest card to ever be dealt which is not comforting with macular degeneration. Here is a way to indirectly deal with the wife tell her that you are very sorry for labeling her fate as a poor one and that considering the consequences if you are not happily married and direct it as a consequence comparative with life then I feel very sorry for you. If we want a little bit this is not the world that requires us to put up with being called a moron. Then you know that I am directly in the battle as well if you want your wife to earn more and stop talking about consequences man up or shut up.

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

Scotty_O's picture

Spare me. If your going to

Spare me. If your going to take my metaphoric blind comment and spin it because you have macular degeneration, you are sadly mistaken if you have guilted me. As for mannning up, I have been working 6/7 day a week for many o' year to subsidize her low income. And to imply that I am not happy with my marriage, there again you are wrong. How this for manning up, I would like her to move on to something that pays a little better so I too can spend time with my children. OR Is that to effeminate for you? And did I say all teachers were morons? No. Any moron can get a business management degree, but will that make them a good manager? I simply used the law of economics to point out why teachers get what they do. If you can't figure that out, take down the picture of Regan, and slap up a picture of Marx.

verified

Six to seven days is nothing

Six to seven days is nothing you can usually wind up pulling twelve or thirteen as a teacher and let me explain that you for you, it comes from IEP/IFSP, improving grades, bringing in new topics, and covering newer materials daily. If you state a consequence then back it up; as for economics this is denying teachers and their spouses medical insurance. It also comes from wanting equal pay in the budgets for teachers. You do not tell me what to do compared to Reagan and Kemp your nothing but a mimic of Gorby on steroids without a brain.

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

Scotty_O's picture

What the hell are you

What the hell are you talking about twelve or thirteen? Are you/were you an educator? Did I mention that I get two weeks of a year, and usually work my other job on those two weeks when necessary? Give me a break. And teachers, as my wife will back me up, get an average of 13 weeks off a year, thats around 10 in the summer, 1 in april, 1 in feb, and over 1 in christmas (oh, sorry to offend..."the holidays") . So take their salary and divide it up by 9 months, and that their true wage. Dont' forget to supplement with seasonal work in the summer! Seems like they get a pretty sweet deal. And no, you can't put a price on passion, but yes, if your willing to work for a certain salary, that's what their going to pay you...we call that ECONOMICS 101! Good luck putting that wall back up in Germany, Joe.

verified

IEP is Individual education

IEP is Individual education plan, IFSP is the same with family involvement, which usually keeps us on our toes in working with children, and keeping our psychological assessments up to date. I gave you a break and did you favor keep on digging with the shovel Scotty. So you have no real idea what your wife really works on in between when helping students and you micromanage her career and how you feel about those "consequences" pretty well stated. Considering your stating my ECONOMICS as it were closer to communism it is about equal pay and about insurance benefits. Why not take a look at Mali and what teachers make because on here it does not make sense to explain to you what teachers make. You restrict others like in your own life and favor your own teaching of love. Tell me as a Conservative does it make you sick to your stomach when you learned those Russian Conservative Kossacks favored the pogroms as did Hitler?

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

Scotty_O's picture

I know what IEP is, she has

I know what IEP is, she has developed many over the years for many students with special needs. You keep giving me crap to shovel, and I'll keep on shoveling it, cause' it's getting deep. And tell me as a liberal, does it tickle you pink that the Pakistani's are carrying out similar anti-catholic pogroms? Oh, and by the way, my grandfather fought against Hitler and his thugs... way to hurt my feelings and be insensative, that was a low blow and a card you should have kept in your deck......

verified

Then you also know that

Then you also know that IEP/IFSP take hours, weeks, months, and years to perform and can also include history mental illness for the child and what effect it will take in their affective growth within the classroom as well. You want deep stick to the facts I stuck to the card because it deserved to be played you can be so insensitive as to label it a consequence in being married to your wife maybe you should have been proud of her rather then listing it as living with it like a problem. As for the card I played it pretty well and to the bone square enough; are you proud of your wife?

Joseph Ziehm
Lewiston, ME
"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" Colossians 4: 1-2

the_poorman's picture

This situation is sadly

This situation is sadly familiar in Maine - people here simply do not understand that if you want services from your government YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!

The reason our tax burden is higher is not due to political malfeasance, but rather to a poor population that requires many services. If they can't pay into the system what they take out of it, we are left with situations like this, in which teachers must protest to be fairly compensated for doing some of the most important work in the community. Pathetic.

Any problem that can't be solved with taxcuts, republicans pretend doesn't exist.

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