[xkaydet65]

The problem teachers have with the term professional is not usually reserved for pay. It's about treatment and double standards on the part of districts and supervisors.They may ask you and expect you to take home more work, use your home phone to contact parents, take a working lunch.They will almost universally couch these requests as being what a professional would do. However, if you ask them for a personal day to take care of some business, which is a professional courtesy, you get the runaround.

I had a math teacher come to me once and complain the prin. would not let her take a professional day to see her son who was rotating to a temp assg't in Iowa from Iraq.He was an Lt in 101 and was on his second tour.He'd een seconded to some training assg't for six weeks and then back to Iraq. I talked to the boss who was adamant.She'd dock her pay. I said I'd make a call.She said call the union,they can't do anything.Told her I was calling Sean Hannity with the school name, her name, and the NYC Dept of Ed phone number. My math teacher friend got her day. But that's what professionalism meams to most of us.

[NEMDF]

What I do not understand is why she would take a “professional day” to see her son instead of a “personal day” or “vacation day”. Anywhere I have ever worked, we did not get paid days off to see our relatives, no matter what the situation was. I, as a taxpayer, do not think we should pay teachers or any other public employees for time off that is not part of their normal vacation/sick pay package.