I am not that experienced, I've only been in the game 3 years. Our teachers get paid about $30-$40k per year, I hear. I know as aides get start out at about $7.00 and sub aides get $5.99 per hour.
Our teachers were pretty much told by the principal they should be at the meetings. I would rather see them there willing myself. They often put in 13+ hours inside the building, not including what they do at home. They have monthly faculty meetings, parent meetings, IEP meetings, and inservices, and many of them are still continuing their education, plus they too have families at home. At first it bothered me they were less than enthusiastic but now I understand.
As president I valued the teachers opinions and ideas. They do the games at our festivals and the night activies for PTO functions. This is how they qualify for the money they receive from the PTO. I feel they do enough. This year the principal has forced a few on committees that they would've otherwise not have volunteered for. All in all I feel my kids school is blessed with a great staff, I always wonder what I can do to be more supportive for them.
Our situations are not very similiar kmamom, I live in a very rural county, we have less than 2,000 students county wide. The school system is our largest "industry" since we have no factories, so I am sure I look at it in a different angle than you, but that is how the "T" gets put in our PTO.
Perhaps you can come up with incentives to make them want to be more involved. Have a door prize at your meetings just for teachers and one just for parents. I had a supply basket for the teachers with the most parents attending. They got fired up for a little while. I wanted to use gift certifs or money, but my principal didn't like that idea. We also tried having the PTO buying lunches for the classroom staff that won, but that was a headache.
Kathie--thanks! I'm praying mighty hard for one particular teacher next year. She's the ONLY teacher this year who has done ANY after school programs with the kids--and she was even nice enough to run the more popular ones for the first and second graders too! Our whole system is obviously in need of an overhaul. For too long people in town were complacent, and now that we have some new blood moving in, standards are suddenly becoming an issue.I feel so frustrated, and don't know how to handle the situation. I come from what was apparently a very priveleged school district in upstate New York. When I mention things I take for granted (like a junior high having a drama club, teachers WANTING to advise clubs/be coaches instead of having to hire outside help, things like instruments being available for most students in a grammer school music class, and cafeterias that actually make their own hot lunches instead of having to prepay for delivered ones), I get looks from parents from this area like I just grew a third eye! I want my children to have the same joys of school I had, but for the most part all we're getting is mediocrity. If my husband's line of work allowed for us to move back where we came from we would in a heartbeat!
I want to help change things for the better, but how is it done without antagonizing the BOE and teachers' unions?!
I've got to agree with Pottsville Mom. The curriculum at all our elementary schools is set by the curriculum cooridnator who is following a set of state standards. In Pennsylvania, a lot of that is dictated by the PSSA test given in 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th grades. The academic books are picked by the subject leader teachers, not the individual teachers. I've just looked at the state standards - THEY were set to follow the Federal No Child Left Behind Law. Common sense, creativity, and even the will to teach new and exciting material can easily be squashed by the demands of today's teacher.
I feel for you, Kmamom, and I don't have an answer except to offer enrichment through whatever PTO programs you can. We have an earth day in May where we do outside activities all day with the kids AND the teachers following curriculum guidelines of course. And pray for a better teacher next year. Kathie
Don't get me wrong--I fully appreciate all the good teachers and the work they do--but teachers need to remember that extra work is part of the job description. I've been there and done that. I also take umbridge with the curriculum director for obviously not doing his/her job. BUT (of course) how do we get teachers involved in the PTO other than handing in a wish list? How do we handle motivating the teacher who owes their job to tenure, or is just needing to retire already? Politically speaking, is it just a matter of organizing a separate group that presents itself to the BOE as just that--a group of concerned parents?
I can't believe that I am taking up for the teachers (anyone who know me will be so surprised), but I would like to say a few things.
First off, the curriculum is rarely the teacher's decision. Curriculum is usually decided at the school district level and if you want change that is where you should start. Some schools (like ours) actually has a curriculum director.
And for every parent you find that thinks a teacher is -insert adjective here-, you will find 5 other parents who disagree. My son had a second grade teacher who I thought was fabulous, and my friend thought she was the worst teacher in the world. There is another teacher who mine son will NEVER have, but another friend wouldn't think of her children having anyone else.
Imagine that you are asked to come back to work after you leave. You are not going to get paid for it and usually the meetings really have nothing to do with you. If you had the choice, would you come?
I will say we have good teacher (3-4) representation at our meetings, but these teachers are also parents. But what we can count on is their cooperation with collecting money, boxtops, sending notes and all those things that a PTO sometimes takes for granted. The MAIN reason our fundraiser is so successful is the enthuasiam the teachers put into it.
For YEARS, our PTO was the teachers. If not for them, there would not have been a PTO. Three years ago, we asked to help and they have been more than gracious for the help.
That's my experience. I have know some of these teachers 20+ years. While I don't think they are overpaid (duck), I do appreciate the tough job they do. People are so picky when it comes to their kids LOL.
