Silly post- its obvious what you are trying to do.

Comment about some of the other things we talked about previously. Dont go off on a tangent to try to send the topic off topic and into something not really directly relevant!

A lot of teachers could do with some extra training during these months. Perhaps some sort of additional life lessons could be an idea... Seeing as these people have more influence over our children than we imagine.

No wonder we turned into greedy twunts!

Limerick Lad, I agree. I taught adults, in a technical training environment. It was enjoyable, and obviously adults are different teaching material than kids or adolescents.

Daydreaming was NOT on the cards for me, but sometimes the students did, nothing to do with my ability mind.... just that they could, sending an adult to the bold corner was not an option here!

I would not be a teacher of pre adults for all the tea in China.

You are right - it is all about the children. I don't resent the hours teachers work and the pay they get. It is important to get good people to work with our children and to get good people you need to pay them well and in the absence of enormous wages great holidays helps attract good people also. But the whinging about stress on teachers does tend to get on peoples nerves. I think if normal working practices were accepted by teachers vis a vis probation periods and work performance people would be more positive. As it stands each and everyone of us has experienced the impact of poor teachers on our children and we can do absolutely nothing about it.

__________________
"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." - Chapman Cohen.

Are you sick of high paid teachers? Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - baby sit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That’s right. Let’s give them €3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be €19.50 a day (8:45 to 4:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan — that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay €19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit
their children.

Now how many do they teach in day…maybe 30? So that’s €19.50 x 30 = €585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any holidays. LET’S SEE…. That’s €585 X 180= €105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master’s degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage (€7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to €8.00 an hour. That would be €8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = €280,800 per year. Wait a minute — there’s something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher’s salary (nation wide) is €50,000. €50,000/180 days = €277.77/per day/30 students=€9.25/6.5 hours = €1.42 per hour per student–a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!)

WHAT A DEAL!!!!

How come irish children have some of the lowest classroom hours in Europe. I don't know of any European country that gives as many weeks summer holidays.

Methinks it has more to do with teachers unions than the needs of children.

Who do we campaign against, the teachers unions or the Gov? We better start the campaign soon before they're all off on their hols.

__________________
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there there is no river. - Nikita Khrushchev

The most common complaint given here and elsewhere with regard to teachers generally seems to be about their shorter working day and the longer holidays they have compared to the rest of us, so I don't see how pointing out that teaching hours and school holidays are based on what is deemed best for school children is irrelevant.

so you equate teaching to babysitting ?

What ridiculous figures you have put forward ! ! . . . . Really ... very very poor.

the fact is we all know teachers who barely deserve 5 euro an hour, , , we also know teachers who probably dererve 200 euro per hour !

But the fact is they earn between 30 - 60 euro per hour and are virtually un-sackable (when permanent)

So they should put up, shut up ,,,,,, or just start working harder !

7 hours a day is definitely the average amount worked. (max)

thats 1169 hours per year

(ps - as for PLANNING ! don't make me laugh ! )

__________________
My nearest neighbor is 40,075.16 kilometers away
*************************************

Welcome To Ireland
Steal a little and - We'll put you in Jail
Steal a lot and - You'll get a payoff and pension.

Teaching is all about the children. I agree

This topic is nothing to do with the children. It is to do with the OP's gripe about teachers being especially hit in hard times. If teachers are not happy with their circumstances then their emotions will pass on to the children and making them suffer their teachers self-pitty and sorrow. This is detrimental to our children.

You achieved your tanget. Well done!

Teachers do not have it tough, when you make it relative to the rest of society it comes in even less tough. This is the point. I fear for our children based on this thread.

This whole debate has arisen from the need to save public expenditure, when it comes to schools and education and saving money it boils down to two choices, less teachers and larger class sizes or a longer school day giving gains in productivity with consequent longer school hours for children.

LoC you must be very gullible, this is a joke.

I'm a teacher who spent 17 years working in financial services. This is the single most enjoyable and rewarding career I can possibly think of. I earn less now that I ever did in the private sector, work harder that I ever did in the private sector, and have a much happier life. Yes, it's hard. And it's not getting any easier. I spend most of my spare time planning for the classes that I teach, it doesn't just happen. Don't tar every teacher with the same brush, I know there are some people out there who you wouldn't put in charge of a deck of cards, but that's much the same in a lot of professions.

Try it yourself sometime, do voluntary work with adult literacy, come back then and tell us about working harder.....