NOT TO WORRY - 20 % Teacher Tax?

This almost slid by. Teacher's paying a tax on "annualized" income! Do you spread your checks over the full year? You may want to change it. NOW!

Or at least file the correct paperwork.

Click here.

Just in:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT IRS 'ANNUALIZED INCOME' CODE:

*UPDATE: I found out some preliminary information tonight and will post more as I get it. Hillsborough County Teachers do not need to worry about this new code. We hold out taxes unlike some school districts. This code applies to teachers in districts that do not withhold taxes. Again, there is no need to worry based on what I have been told. I will post specific information later, but I thought this was important and wanted to ease concerns as soon as I found something out.

April Griffin

EXAMS AFTER BREAK?

What better time to ask this question than now?

April Griffin is asking, you can ...Be Heard . This is an opportunity to show your creativity and logic.

Personally I'm looking forward to a lively discussion.

Hope everyone had the Thanksgiving they wanted!

TIME OUT?

It's Sunday night and I'm seriously considering NOT going in tomorrow.

Again there weren't enough subs to go around this week. Some of us worked 7 for 7 a couple of days. Half hour for lunch and no time for anything else. I came real close to being "unprofessional" with a parent who just made the mistake of making a stray comment.

It's becoming more and more apparent that not enough people ( board members, district staff, administration, fellow teachers, and parents) really give a crap. Funny, because I wasn't allowed enough time to take one. I guess walking into my Principal's office and needing to sign out because "I crapped my pants" is becoming closer and closer to reality. Before that happens and everyone involved is embarrassed I'm looking at my other "options".

Too many teachers don't look up from their work when we talk.

My spouse said I need some "time out".

Perhaps WE ALL need some "time out".

Care to take 2 - 3 days off together sometime?

IT AIN'T "MEATLOAF"!

You'll have to write to "carla" for the map.

Suzie... can you please post this as a main topic so all can see? I received this email and think all teachers should come out and show their support!

Dear Fred Burns supporters,


I would like to invite you to the Burns for the Board Tailgate Party & Fundraiser at USF's homecoming game against Cincinnati on Sat. Nov. 3rd. Bring family and friends to support Fred Burns and the USF Bulls! Food, Fun, and Fred Burns will be provided! We will be meeting prior to the game in Lot 3 (the North side of the Raymond James stadium; you'll need to enter through Lot 1. Please see attached map for exact locations). You will need to order your USF game tickets asap since they are going fast. Game time is still TBA. An update will be sent to you providing the tailgate time.

Contributions can be made by check or cash at the tailgate party. All contribution amounts are welcomed.

Please RSVP to carlacrabapple@yahoo.com with the approximate number of people who will be in your party by October 31st. Please feel free to forward this email to all interested parties and post on available blogs.

Looking forward to partying with you!

ExSqueeze Me? Is That My Arse Draggin'?

The Trib carried a front page story on the effects of the additional period and schedule change. The cyber-side contains comments from readers. Its quite an array of opinions. I still can't believe some folks think we get paid for our summer vacation. It's as though high school never ends: there is always that percentage of people who are always "behind" and sometimes my patience with them wears thin. For the record: Hillsborough teachers get paid for 201 days of work. We are effectively laid off and must plan for it.

I have a friend who regularly uses this inflation calculator to see how he's doing. Try it but be warned that it may be the "straw".

Anyone who has read The Wall and followed the links to other blogs KNOWS that everything mentioned in the story was expected. Anyone who watched or attended the board meetings knows that everything in the story was expected. In fact these results were spelled out in a thorough and professional manner by high caliber teachers.

Anyone who watched or attended the board meetings knew that everything mentioned in the story was also ignored.

I have been so totally exhausted trying to keep up that The Wall has suffered. I'm also running full throttle and urinated. It is April in October and I see no relief.

I'm ready to do something.

I am including a comment from the cyber-article by a first year teacher (cheerfulstorm) that mirrors what was said by a veteran teacher at one of the board meetings.

As a first year teacher, I have to say, I'm dragging. Not only because of the 6 classes (I don't know any different), but because I don't have a classroom, I often don't have the materials I need, the few kids who are more than disrespectful, the parents who think that I should spend an hour more time a day with their one kid out of my 160, and the six classes of papers I have to grade.

So say I have one essay a week for my kids...at six minutes a piece, I spend approx 15 hours grading only 1 assignment. Plus it takes about 2 hours a week to plan, and I lose my planning period to running around the school signing papers or answering the 50 emails in my inbox from parents and administrators or even to the kid who needs some extra help or make up an assignment.

Yes, we work 40 hours a week - 7am to 3 pm - with a paid lunch because most of us have to perform a 15 minute duty for the school during that time. So that's 18-20 hours of MY OWN TIME not spent in front of the kids every week. Not to mention, when the kids have the day off, the teachers are generally working. I'll be attending a mandatory professional development day on Friday while the kids are sleeping in.

In addition, I'm working toward my own Masters' degree to be able to teach my students even better. So...60 hours a week, and a salary that tops out at $65K if you've been teaching for 30 years.

Gotta say, I'm moving to a state with a stronger union once I finish my degree, because no one but teachers can really look out for teachers. Everyone else takes a crap on them, looks like. And people wonder why 50% of new teachers don't make it past year 3. Good thing I like the kids and want them to succeed, or I'd be joining them.

-from eloguentmind

MYTH 1: Teachers only work 300 minutes a day.

Most work a 12 month yr. in 10 months.
My average weekday:
5:30- wake
6:45- work
7:15- Pay Day/School Begins
10:23-12:03- planning/conference/meetings/grading/duty/lunch
3:00- School Day Ends tutoring/grading/meetings/phone calls/emails/paperwork/test make up/letters of recommendation/trainings (Pay Day Ends)
4:45- Leave
6:00-9:00- Grade essays, projects, homework, data entry, emails, planning, website
I work a 13-14 hour day. I work ¾ of my Sunday. That’s about 70 hrs. a week. I’m not the only one. 38 wks x 70 hrs = 2660 hrs, whereas in the “real world” 52 wks x 50 hrs is 2600 hrs, and vacation time is often paid. We may work as much as, if not more than, the “real worlders”.

MYTH 2: Teachers don’t want to work, but they want to get raises.

I work harder than many people. I am also the yearbook advisor and tutor two week nights, on the weekends, and all summer in order to make up for the salary. Our “8% raise” was not a raise. Some teachers only received a 6% increase or less. Our day was increased by 20 min., 2 holidays were removed from the schedule, and one must factor in about 2 % for inflation. Doing the math, one learns that the “raise” is actually JUST compensation for the extended days.

MYTH 3: Teachers only work when they are with students.

In the “real world” most people sit behind a desk the majority of their day. They call this work. Do they not? If so, then please tell me what it is called when a teacher does the same thing? I’m a high school English Honors teacher. I have 150 students. When I assign a small paper, of 500 words on Civil Rights and Martin Luther King’s influences on our social consciousness, it takes me about 10 min. to grade, assess, and comment on each paper. 10 min. x 150 papers is 1500 min. My paid planning time is only 50 min. It takes me 30 planning periods, or 6 weeks of school, to properly grade one high school English assignment. I have at least 150 papers of various length and content to grade a day.

I would have NO PROBLEM working the way I do if the community, school officials, parents, and students treated my craft/profession with dignity and respect. An earlier writer said that teachers are raising the students because many parents are not, and they are exactly right. I have been pushed, hit, cursed at, threatened, etc. But, I stay because I LOVE the craft of what I do. I hold onto the hope that America will open its eyes and see that we need to make a change in our cultural values. We are the wealthiest nation, yet our public school system ranks 20th in the world. I can’t give up on what I was called to do just yet. Give us less students with more support and respect, and I promise you, you will have a happy teacher, which results in happy students! Our children deserve it.

"What we're seeing is what we expected," said David Steele, the district's general director for secondary education.

Let's see how that comment plays when the FCAT scores come in. Copy and paste it somewhere. I'm thinking a T shirt design.

Later. My arse is draggin'.

LEGAL THINGS TO HELP YOU COPE

I started this a while back and just recently rediscovered it.

VOTE "NO" ON THE CONTRACT. (yeah, I know: too late)
SCHEDULE YOUR DOCTOR VISITS or MEDICAL TESTS on a THURSDAY during school hours.
APPLY FOR A YEAR LONG SABBATICAL.
POLITELY DECLINE ALL EXTRA ACTIVITIES.
LEAVE ON TIME.
DO ALL SCHOOL WORK AT SCHOOL.
VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENT - except April - jury is still out on "Salsa". Go to "Burns For The Board" link.
WEAR DIAPERS - (actually thought about this one since going to the bathroom has become a scheduled activity)
DO NOT EAT BRAN or FIBER and LIMIT YOUR COFFEE (see above)

Dedicate the first 10 - 15 minutes of every class to subject-specific current event silent reading. Randomly give +/- marking to those who brought something that they read-see your Reading Coach, Specialist for newspapers or other materials. Pick one student (or allow volunteers) each day to give an oral summary of what they read and how it relates to the subject they are in. That student receives an "EXTRA credit grade" based on a simple rubric you designed.

Find a subject relevant video to show while you correct papers or do grades.
(see other teachers who teach the same level and coordinate show times and subject matter- bribe your media specialist - chocolate is universal)

The WALL is now open for creative suggestions. Please consider humor, educational acceptance, and curriculum relevance in your postings. You get bonus points for FCAT related skills and reading related activities.

RANDOM THOUGHTS 9-6 Board Meeting

Candy Olson is preparing to seek a way to prevent current employees from running for the School Board?

I hope I misunderstood. If she wants to wall off Candyland to employees who are teachers AND a sitting Board member, I can sort of see what she's trying to do. If she is seeking to wall off Candyland to any current employee from RUNNING for School Board while being employed, then you can see her intent quite clearly. THIS SHOULD NOT BE. No one should have to quit their job to run for the Board. It clearly limits competition. Speaking of competition:

Susan Valdes wants every employee to get MAP.

My God Mrs. Valdes did you NOT understand when one of the Assistant Superintendents said: By statute the legislature created a competition? By definition, competition results in a limited reward. In other words ma'am, your request that every teacher receive MAP is a contradiction in terms. How'd you miss THAT?
If you want every teacher to get more money, may I suggest you just PAY US MORE?!

Everyone needs to watch the meeting via Stream n Scream.

Start about 1 hour into the video and pay close attention to that MAP discussion. Do this before you "pre-test" your kids.

Thanks to all for the comments on the previous post. I heard it got passed around a lot. While blogs are mentioned again at the meeting I have to wonder if the board members can read the comments when they are logged on to the network at ROSSAC. I can't from my work site!