Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!
Posted by You are wrong on your info. Experience is the answer. on 3/11/08

Not sure where you taught in GA, or where you got your "facts" but here is
the accurate information for Gwinnett:

- We received a 30% pay raise coming from a strong union state in the
Midwest.

- Our benefits are the same with the exception of our kids ortho is paid
here, and prescriptions ar $30/month for non-generics.

- My former district, in our union state, prided itself on the fact that it
hadn't built a new elementary school in over 100 years (Just additions).
Gwinnett has built 32 in the last four years. (So much for the better
resources.) How do you think these schools, and the new 1600 teachers every
year, are paid for if you don't have the resources?

-Gwinnett over hired by 200 teachers mainly due to the economy and housing
slump. Fortunately, all 200 were still employed by the district as they had
signed contracts, and will be given the opportunitty to sign again this year.

-Our taxes in the Midwest were $4,000. On a more expensive house in GA our
taxes are $1700.

-Thanks to the Hope Scholarship, we will save over $100,000 sending our
three kids to college tuition free. Again, so much for the better resources.

- Finally, you have little or no knowledge of working within union
leadership. I have worked with both with the Teamsters (UPS), and NEA
during my 20+ year career. I have seen things 99% of the general membership
has never seen, and I am disgusted with myself for being part of that. The
last straw was allowing a self-admitted pedophile keep his job and
eventually become union president. This was just one of hundreds of deals
we made that I am not proud of. This is not isolated union activity, it is
stnadard operating procedure. We moved to Georgia following that incident.


As with every state, there are good and bad places to teach. Making
sterotypical statements about an area or it's residents, especially when you
are short on facts, does not enhance your professional status. It does make
you seem small,and ignorant.


On 3/10/08, Marie wrote:
> taught in GA for 12 years, probably longer than you've lived there.
> Unions states have better pay, benefits, resources and working
> conditions. This is something you cannot dispute, they are facts. I've
> never taught in Gwinnett County like Missing MI has but things are better
> here as far as benefits and working conditions. Just because you built a
> bunch of new schools doesn't mean you have a good district it just means
> you have an influx of people coming to that area, that's all it means.
> And didn't Gwinnett lay off teachers because they hired too many? I'd
> rather be living in GA right now but you cannot dispute that working
> conditions are better here. And not every county pays what your county
> pays. You could teach in other worse places, like the Carolina's but if
> you are comparing GA to MI, there is no comparison, working here is better
> than working there. The only bad thing, you have to pay a lot of $$ in
> union dues. But you have job security so there ya go.
>
>
>
>
>
> On 3/10/08, Try again to get it right please. wrote:
>> I'll ask the same question again that you seem to avoid.
>> Exactly how many years have you taught in Georgia/South since you are
>> such a fountain of knowledge on the subject???
>>
>> Yes, that is what I thought, you haven't. Let me help dispel your
>> ignorance. Stupidity is not a positive attribute.
>>
>> -We hired 1600 teachers in our district last year due to increasing
>> enrollments(6,000 new students/year, guess a lot of families like it
>> here). Our teacher retention rate exceeds 94 percent. I would hazard a
>> guess our DISTRICT hired more techers than the STATE of Michigan last
>> year.
>>
>> -We've built 32 new schools in our district in the last four years. All
>> were paid for prior to construction, no bonds, referendums, etc.
>>
>> -You have the option to join unions here in Georgia including the NEA.
>>
>> -Newsweek ranked the top 500 high schools in the nation. Our district
>> had 6 on the list. That was more than the STATE of Michigan.
>>
>> -My son's three AP courses are taught by three Phd's. His high school
>> has over a dozen. How many do you have???
>>
>> -Our pay scale is $40,000 to $85,000, and the cost of living is half of
>> what it is in Michigan.
>>
>> -CNN, Fortune Magazine, and Better Living Magazine, ranked this area as
>> number four on it's "Top Ten Best Places to live in the U.S."
>>
>> -No snow, beautiful islands on the coast,mountains, history, etc.
>>
>> Yes,it was a terrible mistake for the hundreds of Michigan teachers who
>> have to suffer under these conditions. Now don't you feel kind of
>> silly?? That's ok, we have room for you too!! That's part of the
>> Southern Hospitality!!
>>
>> Oops, Did I forget mention that ALL Georgia graduating seniors with a
>> 3.00 gpa can go college tuition free??
>>
>> What a terrible place to live.lol
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 3/09/08, ticked off in Michigan wrote:
>>> On 3/09/08, trey wrote:
>>>> Your defense of Missing
>>>> Michigan, who has been asked to stay off the Michigan and Georgia
>>>> boards by her peers, with your small-minded, angry, disjointed,
>>>> ramblings, only makes you appear very much like her.
>>>
>>> Again, since you've quoted my post at the end of yours, you obviously
>>> can't be bothered to look at the name. I'm not "Missing Michigan."
>>>
>>> I am a teacher in Michigan who doesn't like the "southernization" of
>> his
>>> state's tenure and union laws. I don't care anything about Georgia,
>>> except that some are trying to bring Georgia's mistreatment of teachers
>>> to my part of the country. And, I despise the "do it for the children"
>>> argument some, usually ineffective teachers make when we try to gain
>> the
>>> benefits, pay, and treatment we deserve. As I pointed out, students
>>> benefit when they have professional teachers who feel valued with good
>>> compensation. The usually do not benefit when they have gushing
>>> charity-work-types teaching them because while they mean well, they
>>> can't teach very well!
>>>
>>> If this "Missing MI" moved from Michigan to Georgia, he/she made a BAD
>>> choice, and it sounds like they know it. However, with the MI economy
>>> how it is, they were probably laid-off and had no chance of getting
>>> another job in MI, so they made the best of a bad situation. Missing MI
>>> might try some of the other areas that treat teachers a bit better.
>> New
>>> England, NY, and Illinois all have good or decent pay, tenure, etc. I
>>> have some friends out there in each of these areas. They aren't "hot to
>>> hire" like they are in Georgia, because they can hold onto their
>>> teachers and people WANT to teach there, not just settle. However,
>>> these areas, for the most part, are better than MI economically and
>>> there are SOME jobs, though not enough.
>>>
>>>
>>>> On 3/09/08, i will defend missing mi wrote:
>>>>> I agree with almost everything Missing MI says....Teachers are made
>>>>> to feel that if they are paycheck to paycheck, lunch
>>>>> babysitters "that they got what they asked for" by getting into
>>>>> this profession. Teachers down South are rarely treated with
>>>>> respect. I work at a charter school in MI and mommies don't come
>>>>> into help, we have to eat with our kids. I'm sorry but that
>>>>> doesn't benefit the kids to have a teacher that hasn't had any
>>>>> relief time. Teachers need a break, ask someone "How do you feel
>>>>> about having 25 five year olds from 8-3 everyday?" They will get a
>>>>> priceless look on their face and probably say "No thanks" so while
>>>>> Missing MI complains she has some good points that some people just
>>>>> don't understand. We are professionals and why some of you have
>>>>> lowered your standards I don't know. To Missing MI: you have valid
>>>>> points and I agree whole heartedly with you, but my suggestion,
>>>>> when people get on here, don't say "move out of michigan" that
>>>>> seems to be your answer for everything, i guess just don't be rude
>>>>> and be a little more sensitive to other people's situations.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 3/09/08, Ticked off PROFESSIONAL wrote:
>>>>>> On 3/08/08, Teacher wrote:
>>>>>>> We can talk about how teachers are
>>>>>>> not paid like professionals and all the stuff we have to put up
>>>>>>> with all night long....but the reason we choose this job is
>>>>>>> because we want to make a difference in the lives of kids.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I absolutely hate this arguement. Its so flawed and full of crap!
>>>>>> How dare you presume to know why I, or anyone else, went into
>>>>>> teaching.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In no profession is there a universal reason why everyone went
>>>>>> into the profession. This includes teaching. Some cops, for
>>>>>> instance, went into their field because they had an intrinsic,
>>>>>> altruistic motivation to help people and fight crime. Others went
>>>>>> in because they like uniforms and think carrying a gun is cool.
>>>>>> Now that doesn't mean that the uniform/gun guy isn't a great cop,
>>>>>> and that the "help people" guy is off the force in a year.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Its the same thing in our field. Some went in for all the
>>>>>> intrinsic, "save-the-world" stuff, and some like me wanted a
>>>>>> steady job with decent pay, benefits, retirement, and summers off.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now guess what?? I'm a freaking great teacher! I've never had
>>>>>> anything under an "Excellent" evaluation, even on my first year.
>>>>>> I teach sped and have taken kids who at 15 can't read, can't even
>>>>>> start the Gates-MacGinitie, and taken them to reading at the 8th
>>>>>> grade level by the time they're 18. I've had parents cry in my
>>>>>> office in gratitude. Yeah, I've had my failures, but I'd take my
>>>>>> 8 years of teaching, stack it up against everyone else, and
>>>>>> guarantee you I'm well above average in the "making a difference"
>>>>>> catagory.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Guess what? Many of the people who started with me who were going
>>>>>> to help every child and save the world are not teaching anymore!
>>>>>> They realized they can't save the world in a high school, and that
>>>>>> they can't impact every single kid, so they got frustrated and
>>>>>> left!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Don't you dare say teachers who have the backbone to demand decent
>>>>>> treatment and wages aren't good at their job! Not wanting to
>>>>>> watch kids at lunch doesn't make us bad teachers! It makes us bad
>>>>>> cafeteria employees, but certainly not bad teachers! My not
>>>>>> wanting to watch kids throw fries at each other, FOR NO PAY, does
>>>>>> not make me uncaring. It just means I have some self respect for
>>>>>> myself and my profession.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In my experience, the bleeding hearts are crying in the teaching
>>>>>> lounge because some kid told him/her to F-off, while the more
>>>>>> pragmatic of us would brush that off and teach. When people feel
>>>>>> valued as professionals, they put forth a good effort and expect
>>>>>> fair treatment and compensation back. Thats a good system! When
>>>>>> people feel like they're doing charity work, they loose their
>>>>>> enthusiasm when they realize the streets aren't paved with gold
>>>>>> and eventually quit. You want volunteers teaching kids? People
>>>>>> pure of heart? Then have a bunch of mommies come in to donate
>>>>>> their time and see how well they teach. See how long they keep
>>>>>> coming in too!
>>>>>>

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Leaving Michigan, 3/07/08, by Northern Grad.
• Re: Leaving Michigan, 3/07/08, by Chicagomark.
• Re: Leaving Michigan, 3/07/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Grand Rapids?, 3/08/08, by Torn.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/08/08, by Teacher.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/08/08, by In Defense.
• Re: Grand Rapids?, 3/08/08, by Grand rapids public has not settled contract yet.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/08/08, by You have some shallow standards..
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/08/08, by CJC.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/09/08, by Ticked off PROFESSIONAL.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/09/08, by i will defend missing mi.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/09/08, by trey.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/09/08, by Marie.
• Re: Missing Michigan, 3/09/08, by Ticked off....
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/09/08, by ticked off in Michigan.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/10/08, by Try again to get it right please..
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/10/08, by Actually I can compare...
• Re: to TICKED OFF!, 3/10/08, by Teacher.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/10/08, by Marie.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/10/08, by Ticked off!!!.
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/11/08, by You are wrong on your info. Experience is the answer..
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/11/08, by Ticked off.
• Re: Ticked off, 3/11/08, by Blake T..
• Re: Your sterotypes make you look very small!, 3/13/08, by goldy.
• Re: The guy from GA is a pain!!, 3/13/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: I love you, Ticked Off!!, 3/13/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/14/08, by Older Teacher.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/16/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/16/08, by You Win.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/17/08, by ....
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/18/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/18/08, by ....
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/18/08, by Mark.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/18/08, by Missing MI.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/19/08, by ....
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/19/08, by Mark.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/19/08, by Me.
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/20/08, by ....
• Re: Another Perspective, 3/20/08, by mark.
• Re: Leaving Michigan, 5/06/08, by Michelle.

 
 
 

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