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TEACHER TRUTHS...
.by Amanda Krempa Schripsema on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at
6:13am.Blame the fact that I am looney these days. Maybe the lack of
sleep or the amount of stress I'm under is forcing my fingers to strike
the keys of this computer right now. Whatever it is that is making me
do this, there is a desperate fire in my heart that needs to be
released. Right here. Right now. I, Amanda Jeanette Schripsema, am
about to go political.

I am as moderate as they get. Every "political" test I have taken
places me smack-dab in the center of the chaos. I have voted for
people, not parties. With that in mind as my little disclaimer, I am
ready to unleash...

I have compiled a list of "myths" that I have seen floating around the
media lately, and I am noticing these myths gaining popularity and
support on Facebook. These myths must be exposed for what they are:
lies. I am a fan of celebrating positive myths like unicorns, fairies,
and toy-loving-elves...but not this negative garbage:

1. "Teaching is a part-time job." If you say that to me, be prepared
for me to let you have it. When it comes to planning, grading,
meetings, curriculum mapping, all of it: I am at the school from 7a.m.
to 5 every single day. I could stay much longer. I always have to leave
when I still have a million more things to do. I work weekends. I go
into my class and start setting up and preparing in July (school is out
mid-June). As soon as school is out in June, I begin taking classes to
keep my certification updated. I pay for these classes out of my
salary. Let's not forget what we take home every single day. This does
not only include paperwork, this includes students who weigh heavy on
our hearts and minds. When one of my students was taken away from her
parents and put into foster care, I legitimately and desperately tried
to find a way to adopt her. We love our students with an unconditional
heart. Part-time? Hardly.

2. "Teachers have PAID summers!" People! Here is the truth: We have a
salary. That amount is the fixed payment alloted for the school year.
If we choose, we can get paid that amount while school is in session,
or we can choose to get it spread out all year long (throughout the
summer). We are paid workers with a salary. There are no "paid
vacations." Ugh.

3. "If we get rid of teaching bargaining rights, the students will
benefit and we'll see improvements in their test scores." Hmmmm...
Let's look at the facts on that one, shall we? There are only 5 states
in the country that do not have collective bargaining rights for
teachers. Below are their ranking based on ACT/SAT performance:

44. Virginia

47. Texas

48. Georgia

49. North Carolina

50. South Carolina

Thanks to my elementary music teacher, I know that there are "Fifty,
Nifty United States..." So, those numbers do not portray how this will
"help" our students. Looks to me, on this stat alone, it actually is
hurting them.

4. "We should pay teachers based on performance." This is the most
horrible idea I have ever heard. Texas does this (47th in
ranking...hmmm...). If we want our children to grow to be adults who
only know how to answer in multiple choice fashion, deplete their brain
cells, and not have other NEEDED skills such as debate, problem
solving, collaboration with peers (to name a few), we will crumble.
Where does music fit in? Art? Ingenuity? Weren't we the country founded
on principles of discovery and technological advances? These ideals
will be gone as teachers will be forced to "teach to the test" in order
to get paid. Where do lab studies/experiments in science fit in?
Teachers will covet "advanced" students while those who struggle will
be left in the dust. Differentiating the classroom to teach to the
specific needs of a child will be abandoned. I could go on forever
about why this is an awful idea.

5. "Teacher Unions are for whiney teachers who demand more, more, more!
They never put students first." There is a common misconception that
unions only bargain for pay. This is not true. Bargaining is involved
with class size, calendar dates, sick days, etc. So, if a union is
bargaining for lower class sizes in order to better reach each
individual child, how is this NOT putting students first? Also, there
is not one teacher who goes into the profession for pay. Period. Let's
lay that one to rest. If you even try to call teachers "glorified
babysitters," please be prepared to hear how that pay would be much
heftier if we were paid even 3 dollars an hour per student (less than
any babysitter I've ever hired). In essence, that is just plain
ignorant... Unfortunately, I have seen that several times in "status
updates" and I feel ill from it every time.

6. "Teachers work for ME! I'm the taxpayer!" Ahem. I am also a tax
payer and a teacher... Hmmm, this one is a brain-drainer that just
circles itself, isn't it?

7. "Teachers are paid much more than the majority of the public
sector." This one is quoted on certain news programs quite often. If
this quote is unsheathed for what it is, it comes down to this: They
are comparing teachers pay with the entire public, most of those
without a college education. After four years of college, teachers
begin teaching in Michigan for a starting pay of about 35,000 a year.
It takes awhile to start earning 50,000. I would like to hear the logic
behind the fact that it is unfair for a teacher to be making more than
someone without a degree. Oh, yeah. There is no logic.

8. "Collective bargaining doesn't really help individual teachers, it
just takes away from everyone's pay. They really aren't concerned with
individual matters, so teachers shouldn't pay dues to the union." Okay,
this is the one, I think, that has caused me to pen this rant in the
first place. I have never been overly pro-union before, I will admit.
Nine years ago, as a first year teacher, I would look longingly at that
amount of money that was "wasted" towards my dues when I just wanted to
pay my bills. Now, I will tell you something the union has done for me:
it has enabled me to stay home with my son as soon as he was diagnosed
with cancer. Did the school lose money? No. Actually, the teachers
"bargained" to allow other employees to donate their sick days to me. A
teacher in Wisconsin is NO LONGER able to bargain with sick
days/vacation days...nothing. Those rights have now been officially
stripped. If I were a teacher in Wisconsin, I would have had to go back
to work or go bankrupt from medical bills. Am I willing to pay the
union now? Absolutely and enthusiastically. It saved my son's life, I
am convinced. I am case in point in how the Union helps the "little
guy" -- more accurately, a little fuzzy-headed three-year-old.

I am not saying that this is a battle between parties: Democrat versus
Republican. I am saying that having a voice in our working environment
is essential in keeping a Democratic country. Employers aren't always
voluntarily generous. There are exceptions, like in the case of my
employers at Mattawan, but I realize how rare they are and how most
employers focus more on the bottom line (and who can blame them?). Why
do we have a five-day work week? Why is the workday capped at
eight-hours? Why is there a minimum wage? Why are there children labor
laws? Why are we able to have pension funds? It's all because of labor
unions.

Please don't simply drink the Kool-aid just because of your political
party affiliation (or the news program you choose to watch). Educate
yourself...or, you could have a teacher help you.

#politics