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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is of the opinion that teachers don’t work hard for the money, but the New Jersey Education Association argues the facts say otherwise.
The governor claimed in a forum at the University of Notre Dame on Nov. 18 that teachers only work 180 days — or just half the year — and make around $60,000.
Well, the NJEA would give Christie a big fat F for failing to prove his statement.
“It’s a bit like saying that the governor is only working on days when he signs bills,” NJEA spokesman Steve Baker said. “In other words, wrong, and intentionally misleading."
As was reported in the Star-Ledger’s PolitiFact column, 180 days is the minimum number of schools days in New Jersey — as it is in at least 30 other states. And the NJEA noted that many of the Garden State’s school districts exceed that number.
But to think public school teachers are only working when they are in their classroom in front of students is a huge fallacy, Baker said.
“Most — indeed, nearly all — teachers spend many additional days setting up their classrooms, preparing lesson plans, attending professional development events, taking classes and otherwise engaged in additional work outside the contracted school day and school year,” Baker said. “You can imagine the amount of work that goes into preparing to teach 180 days of student classes.”
He said that Christie’s comment is “a common tactic that critics of public education use to denigrate the work of teachers, to make it sound as if they really don’t work that hard.”
Christie has often been critical of public school teachers and their union, but his claim is the furthest thing from the truth, other experts said.
“It’s really a misrepresentation of the vast majority of teachers who are dedicated to their work," said William Gaudelli, an associate professor of social studies and education, the social studies program coordinator at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a member of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education.
And Michael W. Smith, a professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology in Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, told NJ.com that teachers often work at home or outside the classroom preparing lessons, reviewing students’ work and providing feedback, meeting with students outside class, staying abreast of educational technology, meeting continuing education requirements and much more. Smith was the chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching at Rutgers University New Brunswick from 1992 to 2005.
Christie also underestimated teachers’ average salaries. Actually, the NJEA said, the average is just over $65,000 in the state — the fourth highest behind New York, Massachusetts and California.
But that doesn’t take into account the teachers’ job-related expenses, including some $500 of their own money they put toward supplies each year.
—JOE GREENE, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
They are not paid for all the after school, week-end, and unpaid vacation time they work.
Their in-school preparation time is disappearing as schools cut art, music, and P.E. faculty and classes when the students would be in those classes instead and freeing their regular classroom teacher for lesson prep and grading papers.
Parents must work 2-3 jobs to earn a middle class wage but that deprives them of time to be involved in their children's school activities or to even be home with them. Is it any wonder that this war on middle class wages and sensible hours for teachers and parents are causing students to feel like adults don't have real time to connect with and care for them?
Corporate greed is sowing the seeds of our own destruction. It's anti-famiily and anti-teacher, and Gov. Christie is cheering for it. How truly sad and how short-sighted.
The 180 day academic year is determined by the state. Shame on you Governor Christie for unfair attacks on the dedicated teachers.
Teachers do not get overtime pay and they certainly have tons of hours beyond the school day.
Teacher bashing is old and tired Governor Christie.
Governor Christie should inspire teachers in his state. Their academic year and work days are determined by elected officials.
I used to be one of those people that looked down at the teaching profession for the same reasons our Governor does, but I tell you, you could not pay me enough to be a teacher.
Please tell me what jobs are out there that a worker has to submit a written comprehensive schedule describing approximately every 45 minutes of every workday with the details of what they will be doing and why?
When in the world do you believe a person is going to write such a plan if not during a different time from the scheduled contact hours with the students?
And the 180 days part of his speech was only a passing remark - not at all a significant comment.
Why not mention his comment that "you have a lot of affordable housing" in NJ? Or that we don't need Mt. Laurel because we have a housing glut in answer to an audience member's question asking if more affordable housing in areas with good schools could be a solution? I'd say those are both interesting comments.
Do your homework, and stop just reacting to NJEA nonsense.
July and August = 62
Winter break: 15 (?)
Sick leave: 10 days (?)
Spring break: 5 days
Holidays: 9 days
total off = 21
days per year: 365
days worked: 160
So 70% is the baseline.
But what about federal holidays - add 10 days.
And the standard 2 weeks paid vacation? - add 10 days
200/260 = 77%
And add PD days and set-up/take down days - 8 days ?
208/260 = 80%
So Governor - you choose any number between 70% and 80% - but don;t open your mouth before you do some simple division.
And where does 260 come from? 52 x 5.
On a serious note, so it may not be only 180 days, but it's not much more. What? 190? 200? And putting in time for lesson plans, etc? That's about as much of a joke as this blog. Once a lesson plan is established teachers resue it every year. They don't spend each year 'reinventing the wheel'. Duh!