Teachers sound off on schedule change

Hillsborough teachers now can sound off about this year's controversial requirement that they teach an extra class period each day.

Teachers are being asked to fill out a survey to give hard numbers on the impact of teaching six out of seven classes in high schools and magnet middle schools. The survey was sent out through district email accounts Tuesday night. Instructors have until midnight on April 16 to answer.

The survey is designed to take 10-minutes or less to fill out. Teachers can state how strongly they feel about statements asking whether the quality of their instruction is as good this year compared to last. Do they have enough time to plan lessons? Are they giving more multiple-choice tests, or assigning more seat work than last year?

The survey even seeks to assess whether the scheduling change has made teachers more likely to move to another grade level, or go into another profession.

"We tweaked and tweaked it to make it really valid. We want it to be credible," said Jean Clements, president of the Hillsborough teachers union. "We've been expressing great concern about this scheduling and teaching model for over a year now. The district wouldn't just take our word for it."

She said the release of the survey was carefully timed. It wasn't conducted first semester, because the results could have been skewed the adjustment period, or during FCAT testing earlier this spring.

Teachers can forward a link to the survey to their homes and reply over Spring Break next week. Many already have answered the call. By this morning, about 40 percent of the 4,105 instructors surveyed had sent in responses, Clements said.

So what happens to this information? It will probably take a few weeks to sift through and analyze. In today's budget environment, Clements acknowledged that no one is expecting the district immediately to back off a scheduling change that let Hillsborough hire fewer teachers. But she is hoping that teacher opinions, coupled with data at the end of the year on performance and attendance, will force discussion.

"They need to seriously be willing to consider some changes in the near future," Clements said. "Even if we are not able to change the scheduling model right away, there might be other changes that the district would be willing to make to enable teachers to do their jobs better."

Comments

[ACP Advocate]

Dear "No Whining's Neighbor":
I am tired of people ridiculing ACP teachers as "corporate losers" who need to get with the program and complain about teacher pay and benefits. You were probably one of those who couldn't hack a real major and had to play the Ed game in order to get a diploma! And without your precious representation, that is "in bed" with management, you probably would have been fired years ago for failing to meet corporate goals!
If you did the math you would realize that a Level 3 teacher makes $38,256, plus $3,393 (8.86%) in retirement contributions, plus $5K for health insurance. If you had any real-life experience you would know that retirement and health insurance is NOT paid by the employer. At best, there may be matching funds for a 401K plan and a 50% contribution toward health insurance. So, let's do the math: $24.03/hr * 8hrs/day * 5days/wk * 52wks = $49,982 annually, minus $4428 (8.86%) for retirement and $2471 for health insurance equals $43,083 before taxes. Or, figuring the other way, $24.03/hr * 8hrs/day * 199 days = $38,256, plus $3389 (8.86%) for retirement and $4942 for health insurance = $46,587 for 61 less work days than my corporate counterpart. I figure I make $234/day vice $202/day, and I can spend my entire summer with my kids and I have the time to maintain my corporate skills. I would want a $60K/yr job with at least 4 wks vacation to lure me away.
It's a matter of choices, not necessity, that many people choose to teach rather than play the corporate game.
Get off your pedestal and get some real world experience. But, you wouldn't make it 5 years because you wouldn't be protected by tenure!

[No Whining's Neighbor]

No Whining sounds like a plant or just a foolish tool.

This is the kind of "support" that Elia counts on. Corporate losers who seek shelter in the school system.

I teach with a lot of these ACP clowns who think "anyone" can teach. They appear successful and energetic in the classroom but the stresses of the occupation show up in about 3 years.

After that they become disillussioned and are just like everyone else except more bitter. They can not return to the corporate world where they have less worker rights because they have no association that has secured these rights through negotiation.

Ms. Elia never even considered the double session alternative because it was easier to cram the extra period down our throats by dictate rather than face the community.

[No whining]

I teach. Teaching is my 2nd career. I am tired- but guess what? I was tired in corporate, too. Mrs. Elia had a choice- give teachers another class AND a raise (OK, not much of one, but it is better than a sharp stick in the eye) or employee hundreds of new teachers and never give us a raise again. SDHC has a finite amount of money- where do we get the money to hire new teachers when the money is not there (A big thanks to all the counties that voted YES on Amendment 1). Mrs. Elia made the best business decision she could and I for one will take the extra class, and all that goes with it, for some extra money. Teachers have the option to stay in the field or leave- and for those of you who have never worked in corporate, you will have a rude awakening.
Lastly, teachers union? Are you serious? FLA is a right to work state. This so called union has NO power to negotiate anything. PLEASE. I took survey, let's see what exactly what the union does with the information.

[John]

Yes, I am tired. I know it sounds "easy," to make 6 presentations a day. But, those 6 presentations that must be prepared with each child in mind are made to individual students, must be presented to a mixed group of learners, must be evaluated both on the effectiveness of the presentation and the learning accomplished by the students. I know it is "just another 50 minutes" but it is enough to convince me that selling A car to A customer for a bigger payoff is a better way of making a living.