Re: Greg
Bierbaum’s letter, “Lawmakers leave teachers disrespected – again” of May 20, 2019
It’s my experience that people who are “angry”
and/or “extremely upset” with their compensation package do not “love” their jobs. People who expect a year’s compensation for 9
months work are…what…greedy or foolish. What profession pays a full time wage for part
time work?
As far as “externships,” most serious vocations
require professional development in the field.
Mechanics, for instance, require periodic instruction to be kept abreast
of the constant changes in automotive care.
Is automotive care less challenging or demanding than managing a modern
classroom?
For his next internship, I’d encourage Bierbaum
to ruck up move out and draw fire with an infantry platoon in Iraq. Most are making far less money for their life
threatening duty than teachers. If Bierbaum
man’s up, this can be done “part time” with National Guard or a local reserve
unit. It’ll be easy for Bierbaum to bond
with these men, because like him most have other jobs.
Why does all of this fall on the General
Assembly’s shoulders? I thought that teachers
were well represented by a Teacher’s Union.
What does the union have to say?
Why isn’t Bierbaum’s anger directed at the union leadership? These are not rhetorical questions. I don’t know.
I do know I wouldn’t want a child of mine required
to sit in a classroom instructed by an “angry” and “upset” man. Chill dude.
The year’s nearly over. It may be
time to consider a career change or an internship at an anger management seminar.
Lawmakers leave
teachers disrespected – again
To be or not to be ...
angry?
In the last General
Assembly session, House Enrolled Act 1002 was passed. It states that 15 hours
of professional growth experience will be required for renewal of a
license to be a teacher. This can come one of three ways, but can be shortened
to two methods – an externship at a business or professional development
partnered with a business to highlight the needs of the community.
Most teachers,
including me, love our job. However, like most teachers, I have other jobs in
the summer to supplement my income to make ends meet. It is the complete lack
of comprehension, trust and value of us as people, let alone our jobs, for this
measure to be passed. When are we supposed to do this? In the summer when we
are working on next year's material? Or do we take winter or spring break to do
that as well and tell our families, “Sorry, mom/dad has to go do stuff for work
instead of being a family member.”
I would like to hear
from a legislator to give me an example of another profession that makes its
employees seek other professions/professionals to shadow for their own job – to
supposedly make them better at it. I will even go one step further and invite
each and every state legislator to come and have an externship with a teacher
for a week, but keep in mind it has to be on your own time, not when you're
supposed to be working. By your own ideas, that should make you better at your
job, right?
It makes me extremely
upset to see our profession disrespected in this manner.
On the other hand,
thank you for giving me a chance to seek out other professions that are
respected by lawmakers much more than teaching. Maybe this is a way for all of
us teachers to take a stand against legislators so they respect us more. What
would happen if we all found a different job that treated us with more respect
than politicians do? We already have a teacher shortage, do they also want a
mass exodus of teachers as well? They sure are making it easier and tempting to
leave/retire.
So again, I ask – to
be or not to be...angry?
Greg Bierbaum
Fort Wayne
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