Job Security

Those employed in the private sector seem to think that a government employee is somehow benefiting from something that they are not.  It appears to me that our economic culture has rendered us all to lives of desperation.

One out of every four teachers leaves the profession within the first three years.  Thirty percent leave within the first five years of teaching.

Why?

It’s been reported that those who leave the profession look for higher salaries or easier conditions elsewhere.

Here’s another answer to consider: Performance reviews.

Despite mentoring programs, continual opportunities for peer assistance, professional development opportunities, and additional formal schooling, some employees just don’t grasp the nuances of the profession.

With or without union contracts, teachers may be fired for “just cause”.  Just cause is any violation of school or district policy.  In many cases, an act may not be specifically addressed by district policy but may warrant one’s firing.  Employees are given due process but the employer simply needs to defend its decision.

There are no severance packages in public education.  There are no additional payments, no payments for unused vacation or sick time, no stock options, and no assistance in finding new work. 

There is a misperception about job security for public school teachers. 

Today, hundreds of thousands teachers nationwide face layoffs due to state budget issues.  

This is due primarily to budget cuts caused by the ubiquitous economic challenges of the day -  Budget cuts with which the private sector is unfortunately familiar. 

Budget cuts and performance reviews.  There’s more that binds us than separates us.  

Glue on Marble

  When I knew enough to ask my wife to marry me, I took a job selling used cars to raise the revenues for an engagement ring.     
  Over the course of a twenty year teaching career, I've had to work several "odd jobs" in order to raise revenues. 
  When my first daughter was about to be born, I sold shoes.  As soon as the school day was over, I rushed to the shoe store for 3-4 hours.   My boss was a local high school student - he was employed there before I was.
  When my son was about to be born, I worked on an assembly line for Benchmark Electronics.  I worked alongside a young lady who insisted she could become a bowler on the pro tour...if she practiced more.
  As my son grew, I milked cows when I could.  I learned to move quick when I saw the bovine's tail raise.
  I tended bar.  Worked sport camps for many, many years.  I did what I had to do.
  I don't believe that to be a rare quality for a husband and father. 
  A man dedicates himself to his family.  He tends to their needs and looks over them.  Nothing is more fundamental than that for a man.  And, an essential trait of a man's dedication to his family is paying the bills.
  Oh, and there was one other job that I once held...


  Early this week, it was reported out of Governor Walker's office that state protesters did $7.5 million worth of damages to the capital. Click {here} for that story. Click {here} for related budget story.
  Today, that number was adjusted...by $7.15 million.  The actual cost of removing the glue would be $350,000. 
  The damage done to the capitol?  Glue on marble.
  Protesters apparently used Duck Tape to hang their signs.  The glue on the marble walls left by the Duck Tape is apparently difficult to remove.
  I would know.
  On weekends, as one other job I once held, I used to remove glue, wax, and other unwanted substances from school hallway floors and walls.  It was a painstaking job.  Progress was slow.  In the end, the job was finished and the school looked as new. 
  I got paid $8/hour and amassed nearly $500 for my labor.  However, I wasn't working on the pristine surface of the capitol - just the hardened, gray surroundings of an ordinary school; a school that needed someone to get on their hands and knees so that a sparkle might make a difference somehow.


  A man does what he needs to do for the welfare of others.
  I will not take this opportunity to comment on what I perceive to be Governor Walker's math skills or his ability to tell truths. 
  I will end by writing that I lost my job selling used cars.  Well, more to the point, I was fired.
  This particular dealership had an 8-cylinder Chevy Cavalier that had been on the lot for too long.  One day, finally, a customer wanted to buy that car.  My commission for that particular sale was going to make my next check a dandy.  The customer: a meek, slight, elderly woman who was much closer to 80 years old than she was seventy. 
  Before I would sell her that car, I felt compelled to inform her of some things first. 
  She needed to know that the car had previously been in an accident.  She needed to know that the car still needed work done.  She needed to know that we had better runners and better deals on the lot.  And, I couldn't help but let her know my opinion - that maybe 8-cylinders wasn't necessary to fulfill her driving needs.
  She decided to wait, re-think her decision, left the lot, and never returned.
  Later that week, I lost my job.


  A man does what he needs to for the welfare of others.
  That includes making sure the bills get paid but...
  must the bills get paid through the approach of "buyer beware"?