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Oh, yeah, I forgot. Do you have drive-by alarms at your place of employment? See, if there's a car that's doing a "drive-by" (you know, where they shoot out the car window at stuff/people on the street...you've probably seen lots of them), anyway, if they do that, there's a bell, and we all lay flat on the ground, whether we're outside or in. I'm sure you've done that lots of times at your work. There's another special alarm that says we all lock our doors and not open them for anyone, because someone dangerous is on campus. If the kids need to use the restroom before the all-clear, I get to make a tent out of jackets so they can pee in the trash can. I'm sure you've all peed in the trash can at your work because you were worried about someone killing you or the small, frightened children around you. Hey, how is that different from any other job? Teachers should just quit whining.

There are also the cases like my neighbors, who work in a very conservative upper middle class neighborhood. They live in the same town, but they send their daughter to private school. The wife is a school counsleor, who hates kids. The husband is a vice principal for a charter school. They have three kids. One has speech problems , one has serious health problem, one was just born. They both have huge , brand new SUV s and they have a brand new house on the golf course. They all wear designer clothes and never hand down anything. They have a fulltime babysitter who works , even when they are home and family to run all of their errands.

They leave at 7:45 and get home between 2:30 and 4:00 EVERYDAY. Wife has 6 months off due to maternity leave, husband has to put in about 10 hours a week durring summer. Wife is always shopping at Talbots and getting hair done, husband goes golfing every weekend.

WE are in PA they get paid highly. Wife jokes that she spends her day instructing kids how to organize their books and which should go on top of which. She loves to buy all of the goodies in educational magazines and organize them, because she loves to organize. They are both under 30. I am stay at home Mom with husband who travels alot. I hear stories about how unfair it is that this couple has no time for vacation. and that they have to take classes once a year to keep up. I hear about how unfair it is that they make the same about as my husband with an MBA from USC and Cornell undergrad. They graduated with teaching degrees BA from the local small college. They have better health benefits and get their auto insurance paid for. I see them outside all weekend sun bathing in the summer. I was friendly with these people for two years until they found out I homeschool. I was told that I am "taking money out of the public schools( See previous note about daughter in private school, and that I am wrong for homeschooling without a teaching degree."

The way I see it no one else can afford so rich a life style as this teaching couple.

YOu make valid points, but there is a reason there is much scorn for teachers. They are not all like you and you even admit it. I was a social worker , so I understand being upset with the sterotype. But you have to admit that where there is a sterotype, there is a bit of truth.

I do hope your working conditions improve, I don't think anyone should have to work like that.

You can defend yourself all you want--NO TEACHER is worth 50K a year, well maybe a few, but they are tried and true and have proven their worth.

As for pay and not wanted underpaid teachers to teach your children--well fine, you dig deeper in your pocket and pay your teacher what you think he or she is worth, stop robbing and taking from my children to do it. I must make the point though that you are wrong. Some of the very best teachers I ever had were when teachers were only making 19k a year. They were marvelous and had a passion for children that I am hard pressed to find in most modern day teachers. The people who were interested in making a buck were free to pass up the profession and move on to more lucrative deals. Now I fear that many teachers put up with kids just because the deal is lucrative and that is NOT what I want for my kids.