Busted: Seven Myths About Teachers
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Think you know all about teachers? Think again.
Here are seven myths about teachers that don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Myth Number One: Teachers get three months off each summer
This used to be kind of true 20 years ago, but is now false. School starts the first week of September and now ends closer to the end of June than the beginning, so right there we are at a couple weeks less than three months.
Now include trainings that teachers are expected to attend each summer (I had two weeks of them this summer) and that brings it to two months. Subtract the week before school starts because of meetings and a couple days right when school gets out to grade finals and get the classroom in order for community use and now we’re less than two months.
Additionally, every teacher I know works throughout the summer on lesson plans for the following year.
Myth Number Two: Teachers get three months paid vacation
Not true at all. Teachers get paid on a contract that stipulates how many days we work. For example, I get paid for 180 days of work. The time in the summer or on weekends, which doesn’t fall under my 180 days, is free. We do receive paychecks over 12 months but I suspect that’s more to help us manage our finances than to pay us for a long vacation -- which isn’t even that long (see myth No. 1).
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Myth Number Three: At least teachers never have their pay cut
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Wrong. There are many ways to receive a loss of income and teachers have been subjected to most.
Personally, here are the ways my earnings have been cut in the last few years.
A) The contract has become shorter. Teachers used to have paid days prior to the start of school and after school gets out for a 185-day contract, with 180 school days. No more.
B) Another way to hit teachers is through benefits. It used to be that my family was covered by my medical plan, but that isn’t the case any more. It costs me $1,100 a month to have my wife and daughter on my medical plan. Considering that I bring home about $3,000 per month, that’s a fairly big chunk.
C) Yearly cost-of-living adjustments haven’t happened in six years. That’s not technically a cut, but it’s not like things are getting cheaper at Safeway or New Seasons.
Myth Number Four: Teachers have a lot of autonomy
Again, this used to be true. Now teachers have federally-mandated standards (Common Core) that we have to teach to that are written by non-teachers. Conveniently, most of the “people” who wrote these standards work for educational testing services and will gladly sell lessons to school districts to help them get their students over the finish line. Teachers will be expected to use those lessons.
Even beyond those expensive packaged lessons, people not in the classroom more and more tell teachers what to teach and how to teach it.
Myth Number Five: People go into teaching because they don’t know what else to do
I can’t answer for every teacher, but this is unequivocally wrong for me and my cadre of teacher friends. I knew since I was 18 that I wanted to teach high school English and every class I took in college affirmed my decision. I believe that most effective teachers are in the classroom because they choose to be, they want to be, and they are supposed to be there.
The teachers who enter the profession because they didn’t know what else to do are typically not teaching for more than a year or two.
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Myth Number Six: Teachers don’t have favorites
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This is wrong. Of course teachers have their favorites. How could we not? We spend 180 days with a bunch of kids and some are just nicer than others. Would you prefer the person who showed up every day with a smile on their face and an eagerness to be there or a person who skulked in late every day and told you that you are mean and should die?
The part teachers have to play is not letting our feelings impact our teaching. We still have to teach every student fairly and passionately, even the ones who drive us crazy. Personally, I like the students who are a little rough around the edges. They generally need my help a little more than the others.
Myth Number Seven: Teachers don’t have lives outside of the classroom
Remember the first time you ever saw a teacher of yours outside of school? Maybe at a grocery store or park? It’s kind of shocking.
Whenever I accidentally see students in real life, it amazes me how surprised they are.
Invariably they ask, “What are you doing here?” when all I’m doing is shopping or eating dinner or walking. It’s an out-of-context thing. Even wealthy, independent, long-term vacationers have to go grocery shopping, after all.
Ben Jatos is in his 21st year of teaching secondary English. His opinions are his own and in no way represent the views of his school district. He is passionate about his family, the Portland Trail Blazers, the writing of Raymond Carver, and educating young people. For more of his opinions and reviews of literature for the classroom, check out his blog at www.benjatos.com
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