So that letter you see below has been sent to the editorial department of the Patriot Ledger. I did make some minor revisions. A word here and there mostly. Although that part about having to go after master's degrees and licenses and how much that costs was put in after some colleagues suggested I put it there.
It's kind of long, but I hope the Ledger runs it in its entirety.
My target audience are all those people out there who have some notion that this job is a walk in the park because we get summers off, short work days, and stuff like that. In other words, the Richard Olsens of the world. If I can make just a few of them look at it differently than I'm happy.
But more than anything, I hope that my thing about paying for public education being an investment gets through to them. Any quality product is going to cost you some money. Why should a public school system be any different?
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Venting some anger
So this letter to the editor appeared in today's Patriot Ledger:
READER’S VIEW: Teachers have it pretty good already
By RICHARD OLSEN, Quincy
To the Quincy teachers, It is time to step up and pay your fair share of your health care. It is time to step out of the protective bubble of a publicly funded job. It is time to step into the reality of how people earn money in the real world.
I am self employed, which means I get NO benefits, but fortunately my wife’s job covers 75 percent of our health care costs. Do the math, teachers - we pay 25 percent of our health care.You’re saying you would get the equivalent of a pay cut if you had to pay more than 10 percent of your health care costs.
Through our taxes, we pay for your salaries and benefits. So instead, you want US to take a pay cut (e.g., pay higher taxes) so you don’t have to pay more for your benefits?
As Tony Soprano would say, ‘‘Fuggedaboudit!’’ We are tired of hearing you whine about what should be your fair share. You have a job with summers off. Make up the difference and get a job in the summer.
Oh, by the way, I was a teacher for 19 years and the day I began to work in the real world I quickly realized what a deal I had as a teacher.
You have a pretty good deal, but it’s time to face the same reality as the rest of Quincy taxpayers, and pay your fair share.
Copyright 2007 The Patriot LedgerTransmitted Tuesday, May 15, 2007
This guy really pissed me off. Here I was all comfortable on my couch, reading my newpaper before moving on to rereading The Catcher in the Rye in preparation for the make believe job he thinks I have. So I directed my anger to my Word screen and wrote a reply letter to the editor. Here's my reply:
To Mr. Richard Olsen of Quincy,
I read your letter to the editor on May 15, 2007 (“Teachers Have It Pretty Good Already”). And frankly, I’m disheartened that someone who spent 19 years in the teaching profession and left for apparently greener pastures in the harsh real world could be so completely off the mark in his assessment of what teachers do and how they live.
You talk proudly about “how people earn money in the real world.” In the apparently make-believe world of public school teaching, I earn money by working from about 7am to 4pm (although my contract states 7:40 to 2:35) Monday through Friday, with a 25-minute lunch break. Most of that time I spend teaching or attending to administrative tasks. But some part of it I spend as confidant, confessor, and counselor to your Quincy children. For a good number of students, I play the role of a person in their lives who shows some level of concern or attention that they don’t get at home or in the community. Some days after school and for a considerable part of my weekend, I read their homework, tests, and papers and plan how to best reach them in the classroom in upcoming lessons. Sometimes I go to their choir recitals, drama shows, science fairs, art exhibitions, and sporting events, not just because I enjoy them but because it is discouraging when few of their families go to support them.
In the fall I write, on average, about forty letters of recommendation for seniors who are trying to make themselves competitive in the college market. I help another fifty write, revise, and edit their personal statements before they send them off with their applications.
You’re absolutely correct that I have a job with summers off. However, I am not paid for the summer months, so I guess it’s fair I should get them off. And to “make up the difference” last year, I did work a summer job, and the summer before that, and the summer before that, and the eight summers before that. In fact, it’s not really a summer job since I keep it during the school year to help me pay my bills each month of the year.
I spent many of those summers in the classroom, pursuing master’s degrees and licenses that the state and federal governments mandate I attain. Of course a series of summers is not enough to accumulate all the credits that are required. So one or two courses per semester during the school year is never out of the question. To be honest, the degree and the licenses are nice, but I could never have made any “level” changes and received any significant pay increases without them. In fact, I have spent about $85,000 of my own money in order for my salary to jump from under $30,000 to around $60,000 in eight years.
You do indeed pay my salary and benefits through your taxes. And I understand that to ask you to continue to pay 90% of my health care in a time when costs in that department are out of control is a bit demanding. However, I would suggest that if you do want to increase my contribution level to 20%, you give me something somewhere else to sustain the blow. You say that in either case, I’m asking you and the rest of Quincy’s taxpayers to take a pay cut so that I don’t have to. That’s a perfectly rational point, from the perspective of a Quincy resident and taxpayer. But I would plead with you to not look at it as a pay cut. Call it an “investment.” Yes an investment in me, but more than that, an investment in your schools, in your community, and most important, in your children. When you “invest” in me, I give you everything I have and help to create a system you can be proud of.
One other thing you’re absolutely right about … I do have a “good deal” as a teacher. I wake up every morning excited about going to my job, looking forward to the work that I will do there. I work with some of the most talented administrators and teachers you’re going to find. Best of all, I get to work with the most intelligent, kind-hearted, and hard working children in the world. Everyday I get to meet with them to read and discuss some of my favorite literature and the best books ever written. I get to help them grow as learners and communicators. And , my favorite, I get to watch them take pride in themselves when they excel and go beyond the boundaries they always thought were there.
So Mr. Olsen, yes, it’s quite a “deal.” One that I’m more than happy to enjoy. But don’t fool yourself for one second by believing that I don’t work hard or pay my “fair share.”
And be careful whom you quote. In one of my favorite episodes, Tony Soprano said “I won’t pay … I know too much about extortion.”
Robert Shaw
Hingham
So I didn't send it yet. I'll take it to work tomorrow to be looked at by some trusted colleagues. But I wanted it here if only to be out there somewhere, especially if I end up not sending it or they don't print it.
READER’S VIEW: Teachers have it pretty good already
By RICHARD OLSEN, Quincy
To the Quincy teachers, It is time to step up and pay your fair share of your health care. It is time to step out of the protective bubble of a publicly funded job. It is time to step into the reality of how people earn money in the real world.
I am self employed, which means I get NO benefits, but fortunately my wife’s job covers 75 percent of our health care costs. Do the math, teachers - we pay 25 percent of our health care.You’re saying you would get the equivalent of a pay cut if you had to pay more than 10 percent of your health care costs.
Through our taxes, we pay for your salaries and benefits. So instead, you want US to take a pay cut (e.g., pay higher taxes) so you don’t have to pay more for your benefits?
As Tony Soprano would say, ‘‘Fuggedaboudit!’’ We are tired of hearing you whine about what should be your fair share. You have a job with summers off. Make up the difference and get a job in the summer.
Oh, by the way, I was a teacher for 19 years and the day I began to work in the real world I quickly realized what a deal I had as a teacher.
You have a pretty good deal, but it’s time to face the same reality as the rest of Quincy taxpayers, and pay your fair share.
Copyright 2007 The Patriot LedgerTransmitted Tuesday, May 15, 2007
This guy really pissed me off. Here I was all comfortable on my couch, reading my newpaper before moving on to rereading The Catcher in the Rye in preparation for the make believe job he thinks I have. So I directed my anger to my Word screen and wrote a reply letter to the editor. Here's my reply:
To Mr. Richard Olsen of Quincy,
I read your letter to the editor on May 15, 2007 (“Teachers Have It Pretty Good Already”). And frankly, I’m disheartened that someone who spent 19 years in the teaching profession and left for apparently greener pastures in the harsh real world could be so completely off the mark in his assessment of what teachers do and how they live.
You talk proudly about “how people earn money in the real world.” In the apparently make-believe world of public school teaching, I earn money by working from about 7am to 4pm (although my contract states 7:40 to 2:35) Monday through Friday, with a 25-minute lunch break. Most of that time I spend teaching or attending to administrative tasks. But some part of it I spend as confidant, confessor, and counselor to your Quincy children. For a good number of students, I play the role of a person in their lives who shows some level of concern or attention that they don’t get at home or in the community. Some days after school and for a considerable part of my weekend, I read their homework, tests, and papers and plan how to best reach them in the classroom in upcoming lessons. Sometimes I go to their choir recitals, drama shows, science fairs, art exhibitions, and sporting events, not just because I enjoy them but because it is discouraging when few of their families go to support them.
In the fall I write, on average, about forty letters of recommendation for seniors who are trying to make themselves competitive in the college market. I help another fifty write, revise, and edit their personal statements before they send them off with their applications.
You’re absolutely correct that I have a job with summers off. However, I am not paid for the summer months, so I guess it’s fair I should get them off. And to “make up the difference” last year, I did work a summer job, and the summer before that, and the summer before that, and the eight summers before that. In fact, it’s not really a summer job since I keep it during the school year to help me pay my bills each month of the year.
I spent many of those summers in the classroom, pursuing master’s degrees and licenses that the state and federal governments mandate I attain. Of course a series of summers is not enough to accumulate all the credits that are required. So one or two courses per semester during the school year is never out of the question. To be honest, the degree and the licenses are nice, but I could never have made any “level” changes and received any significant pay increases without them. In fact, I have spent about $85,000 of my own money in order for my salary to jump from under $30,000 to around $60,000 in eight years.
You do indeed pay my salary and benefits through your taxes. And I understand that to ask you to continue to pay 90% of my health care in a time when costs in that department are out of control is a bit demanding. However, I would suggest that if you do want to increase my contribution level to 20%, you give me something somewhere else to sustain the blow. You say that in either case, I’m asking you and the rest of Quincy’s taxpayers to take a pay cut so that I don’t have to. That’s a perfectly rational point, from the perspective of a Quincy resident and taxpayer. But I would plead with you to not look at it as a pay cut. Call it an “investment.” Yes an investment in me, but more than that, an investment in your schools, in your community, and most important, in your children. When you “invest” in me, I give you everything I have and help to create a system you can be proud of.
One other thing you’re absolutely right about … I do have a “good deal” as a teacher. I wake up every morning excited about going to my job, looking forward to the work that I will do there. I work with some of the most talented administrators and teachers you’re going to find. Best of all, I get to work with the most intelligent, kind-hearted, and hard working children in the world. Everyday I get to meet with them to read and discuss some of my favorite literature and the best books ever written. I get to help them grow as learners and communicators. And , my favorite, I get to watch them take pride in themselves when they excel and go beyond the boundaries they always thought were there.
So Mr. Olsen, yes, it’s quite a “deal.” One that I’m more than happy to enjoy. But don’t fool yourself for one second by believing that I don’t work hard or pay my “fair share.”
And be careful whom you quote. In one of my favorite episodes, Tony Soprano said “I won’t pay … I know too much about extortion.”
Robert Shaw
Hingham
So I didn't send it yet. I'll take it to work tomorrow to be looked at by some trusted colleagues. But I wanted it here if only to be out there somewhere, especially if I end up not sending it or they don't print it.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Two Month Check-Up
It's been just over two months since my last post. I guess it's time to check in. Needless to say, this spring has been busy.
So the Red Sox are off to a terrific start. If we can keep this rolling through the summer, then the fall promises to be most exciting.
My man Obama has climbed up in the polls, but I fear he may have plateaued. I think he's banking on a significant Hillary misstep. Meanwhile, on the GOP side I fear the rise of Mitt Romney. McCain can't get his act moving, Rudy is slipping by the week, and no one else has a name anyone knows. Mitt is on the ascent and I'm not feeling too good about it.
On a recent trek to New York I saw some of the more recent additions to the theater season. Legally Blonde - entirely missable. Deuce - ditto, unless you just feel like seeing a legend like Angela Lansbury. Inherit the Wind - a classic done well and in good hands with Christopher Plummer in the lead. Curtains - not too bad, and on the whole, very entertaining, but about 30 minutes too long. Frost/Nixon - a master class in fine acting from Frank Langella and a compelling script.
Off to London at the end of the month to catch Equus, The Lady from Dubuque, and Lord of the Rings. And making a return visit to Billy Elliot. Looking forward to each, for different reasons.
Because these things always go this way, I'm missing a chance to see Keane in Boston during the time I'm in England. Oh well, next time around. Is it me or is "Nothing in My Way" totally addictive?
Spent nine days in Italy over April vacation. Over the course of the nine days, we enjoyed virtually cloudless skies and flawless weather. Started in Venice, which I found full of personality and charm. When I stepped on to a pedestrian foot bridge and caught my first glimpse of the Rialto and Grand Canal, I had one of those "moments." It was like something out of a storybook. Verona was quaint, as was Padua. Florence was everything they say it is. Michelangelo's David was another of those moments. It's so much bigger than I expected. Assisi was impressive. We finished in Rome. Had a papal audience, which even for a virtual non-believer like me, was quite thrilling and impressive. Vatican City was breathtaking, as was the Coliseum. Took the journey to Pompeii, which was totally cool. Walking through those ruins is like stepping back 2000 years. Caught a good glimpse of Napoli on the way. And of course, got a good look at the looming Mount Vesuvius.
As if that wasn't enough, I'm going back to Italy just after school gets out, this time for a 14 day tour. This takes a more southerly route. We start in the Mediterranean with a few days on the island of Lipari. Then to Sorrento for a few days, including a brief visit to Capri. Then up to Rome for a few, which will give me a chance to catch some of the things I missed last month. I know I will return to the Vatican for a longer and more detailed look.
Work is good. We're in the midst of some labor strife because our contract expired in August and the negotations have gone nowhere in the ten months since. The haggling point is employee health insurance contributions and it's been ugly for some time. I get the sense that we're headed for a strike, even if only for a single day, which is regrettable, but sadly, perhaps necessary. Even then, I'm not sure we will gain what we want from it.
Meanwhile, another school year races to its conclusion. The seniors are down to single digits in terms of days left. On the warm days, it gets disgustingly humid and uncomfortable in the building and no one wants to do a thing.
My new role as department chair requires me to work with the graduation speaker. We've selected the speaker, she completed a draft, and now begins my work of helping her to edit and revise her work by the end of the week. Next week we'll put her before a small audience and coach her on delivery.
I'm also in the midst of 2007-2008 scheduling, which means creating and revising a master schedule for the entire department. That's 16 teachers at 5 classes each, plus my own two. All while trying to keep classes at reasonable sizes. Next week, I get to compete with other department heads as we fight over periods and such.
And there's the decisions to be made about the rehiring (or not) of two third-year teachers (whose rehires would earn them each tenure) and two first-years.
Hence ... the busy spring. A villa on Lipari can't come fast enough.
So the Red Sox are off to a terrific start. If we can keep this rolling through the summer, then the fall promises to be most exciting.
My man Obama has climbed up in the polls, but I fear he may have plateaued. I think he's banking on a significant Hillary misstep. Meanwhile, on the GOP side I fear the rise of Mitt Romney. McCain can't get his act moving, Rudy is slipping by the week, and no one else has a name anyone knows. Mitt is on the ascent and I'm not feeling too good about it.
On a recent trek to New York I saw some of the more recent additions to the theater season. Legally Blonde - entirely missable. Deuce - ditto, unless you just feel like seeing a legend like Angela Lansbury. Inherit the Wind - a classic done well and in good hands with Christopher Plummer in the lead. Curtains - not too bad, and on the whole, very entertaining, but about 30 minutes too long. Frost/Nixon - a master class in fine acting from Frank Langella and a compelling script.
Off to London at the end of the month to catch Equus, The Lady from Dubuque, and Lord of the Rings. And making a return visit to Billy Elliot. Looking forward to each, for different reasons.
Because these things always go this way, I'm missing a chance to see Keane in Boston during the time I'm in England. Oh well, next time around. Is it me or is "Nothing in My Way" totally addictive?
Spent nine days in Italy over April vacation. Over the course of the nine days, we enjoyed virtually cloudless skies and flawless weather. Started in Venice, which I found full of personality and charm. When I stepped on to a pedestrian foot bridge and caught my first glimpse of the Rialto and Grand Canal, I had one of those "moments." It was like something out of a storybook. Verona was quaint, as was Padua. Florence was everything they say it is. Michelangelo's David was another of those moments. It's so much bigger than I expected. Assisi was impressive. We finished in Rome. Had a papal audience, which even for a virtual non-believer like me, was quite thrilling and impressive. Vatican City was breathtaking, as was the Coliseum. Took the journey to Pompeii, which was totally cool. Walking through those ruins is like stepping back 2000 years. Caught a good glimpse of Napoli on the way. And of course, got a good look at the looming Mount Vesuvius.
As if that wasn't enough, I'm going back to Italy just after school gets out, this time for a 14 day tour. This takes a more southerly route. We start in the Mediterranean with a few days on the island of Lipari. Then to Sorrento for a few days, including a brief visit to Capri. Then up to Rome for a few, which will give me a chance to catch some of the things I missed last month. I know I will return to the Vatican for a longer and more detailed look.
Work is good. We're in the midst of some labor strife because our contract expired in August and the negotations have gone nowhere in the ten months since. The haggling point is employee health insurance contributions and it's been ugly for some time. I get the sense that we're headed for a strike, even if only for a single day, which is regrettable, but sadly, perhaps necessary. Even then, I'm not sure we will gain what we want from it.
Meanwhile, another school year races to its conclusion. The seniors are down to single digits in terms of days left. On the warm days, it gets disgustingly humid and uncomfortable in the building and no one wants to do a thing.
My new role as department chair requires me to work with the graduation speaker. We've selected the speaker, she completed a draft, and now begins my work of helping her to edit and revise her work by the end of the week. Next week we'll put her before a small audience and coach her on delivery.
I'm also in the midst of 2007-2008 scheduling, which means creating and revising a master schedule for the entire department. That's 16 teachers at 5 classes each, plus my own two. All while trying to keep classes at reasonable sizes. Next week, I get to compete with other department heads as we fight over periods and such.
And there's the decisions to be made about the rehiring (or not) of two third-year teachers (whose rehires would earn them each tenure) and two first-years.
Hence ... the busy spring. A villa on Lipari can't come fast enough.
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