Perdue cuts pay of state employees, teachers

You paint a picture that describes a level of hell that Dante dared not write of. Your vision of teaching seems devoid of any satisfying moments, such as when the student who "just isn't getting it" suddenly has an epiphany and grasps the material....or when that student walks up to you at end-of-grade with tears in his or her eyes and thanks you for the year. Perhaps this pay reduction coming on top of the agony you feel every day will motivate you to find a more pleasant career?

That sounds like the job you were hired and accepted and get paid to do. We all can break our jobs down to the same minute tasks and make it seem overwhelming. I agree teaching can be tough, but so is mine and I don't get a quarter of the time you get off a year.

Do we really need all the support staff at the Board of Ed? Do we need several PHDs on staff? Maybe, we need to start looking at the top to cut and not in the class room. With less teachers I think we can do away with some of at the top.

I am sorry the teachers and state employee's are being asked to contribute to the state's financial situation. But just remember it could be worse, you could be asked to pay for your own health insurance. I believe it is provided to you for free. Your bill is paid by the remaining residents of NC.

Have you ever stepped foot in a classroom? Has half of the people who are making these riduculous laws ever stepped foot in a classroom? Try taking off coats of 24 kindergarteners, teaching them how to do math, how to learn to read, feeding them snacks, trying to teach them the tedious task of sounding out each word trying to help them learn how to write (times 24 kids each of them holding their hand up saying your name over and over and over) then getting all their hands washed for lunch, having them stand in a line quietly, opening 24 milk cards, 24 mustard packs, cleaning up three spilled milks, making sure they all are eating their food before they eat their ice cream, having three kids come up to you asking you to take them to the bathroom, swallowing your one bite of food whole, then getting them all the throw their food away, get in line, go to the bathroom, get them back in the classroom, read a story with the three in the back of the row picking on each other, getting all their homework ready in their folders, while writing a note to each of their parents about how good (or bad) their child was at school today and then getting all their coats on (24 kids) making sure they have their backpacks, lunchboxes and a library book to read at home, lining them; one line of bus riders, one line of car riders, one line for Good News Clubs, walking them all down the noisy hall to their destined places to make sure they make it safely home telling each of them goodbye with a smile....... YOU EXPECT ME TO DO EVERYTHING I JUST SAID WITHOUT AN ASSISTANT?????? Seriously. Teacher

I totally agree. No one goes into teaching expecting to make a lot of money and if they did...they shouldn't be teaching. There are plenty of others out there who make less and don't complain and threaten strikes the way teachers do. Let's not forget that our state has always ranked low in education in this country.

Back in the 60's and 70's we did have bigger classes, BUT the schools and teachers were NOT held accountable like they are today through state testing!!!! Times have changed and the state expects no student to fall between the cracks as they have before with classes being far too big.

I guess it would be okay with you if tomorrow you go to work and your boss tells you that starting next week I'm going to dock your pay....it's nothing you did, I just don't want to pay you what I am paying you. You wouldn't complain would you? If you said you wouldn't then it's obvious you don't work. It's easy to sit at home and comment on those that bust their rears day in and day out

Maybe if parents took responsibility for their child and disciplined them, teachers wouldn't have to babysit their kids. Some of these kids just come to school to visit friends and sell drugs....some of these kids have even been suspended for the year by the admin. But their parents don't want them home so they cry to the school board and those students are right back at it with in a week. So yes, teachers DO have to babysit some of these pathetic kids....and it's all because their parents don't care. If you don't believe that is how it is, visit a school and sit in a classroom. See for yourself

I have basically worked my whole life to get an education to become a teacher. I have given just about all I can give. It really upsets me how the state has discouraged teachers, especially new ones. I think the person who wrote about stop complaining has no idea what she is talking about. Times are different that when she was in school except now we have an education lottery that is supposed to help the schools, and it has failed miserably. I think the state needs to be careful as to how they treat teachers from here on out, or they might not have any left. There is no incentive anymore.

I don't know how any parent could possibly say the things you have said in your posting! I currently teach public school in NC, I took this job fully aware of the pay that I would be receiving and I love my job despite the pay. I am completely amazed that any PERSON could possibly think that taking money out of ANYONE'S pay check with only a month's notification is okay. As teachers we sign a contract, just like any other salaried employee, our contract just happens to be backed by the state and local government. For someone to think that it is okay to dock NC employee's pay checks to recover a budget deficit for the ENTIRE state is ridiculous! Why should I bail out the entire state? How is it okay to penalize the very people that do their jobs because they want to help people, not because they love the pay? Do I think that state employees are paid too little? Of course I do. Do I think that the vast majority of these people took these jobs for reasons other than the money? Yes. Now, do I think that just because we took jobs that we love and are passionate about we should not be compensated for them? NO. Just because I took my job based on passion and not a paycheck, does not mean that I do not need money to exist! I am outraged that anyone in their right mind would imply that because I am a teacher I should not be upset about my pay check being docked without my consent! I may love my job, but LOVE doesn't pay my mortgage or my car payment! You should be ashamed of yourself! As for your class-size and teacher assistant comments...YOU are a PARENT, why would any parent not find a problem with increased class sizes and decreased external support? I find it hard to believe that any parent that held their child's best interests in mind would want them to be in classes that were overcrowded and under funded. It seems to me that the teachers advocating for smaller classes care more about your child than you do! Further, would you like to know why some teachers refer to their jobs as babysitting? Well here it is...maybe it is that we have upwards of 30-35 students in one classroom at any given moment, 30-35 students that have parents like you, parents with little to no concern for the people that they ship their children off to everyday. Parents with a complete lack of respect for teachers, the teaching profession, and education in general. So with such a "positive" force governing their lives at home, you can imagine the "overwhelming respect" we get at school. I signed up to be a teacher, I did not sign up to be penalized for the entire state's mistakes OR to be berated by ignorant comments like yours! Obviously the increased class sizes and lack of external support in the late 70's (when you were in school) did wonders for you intelligence!! I just hope that I can continue doing my job so that YOUR children grow up to be more enlightened adults than YOU are!

I just spoke to my sister in NY yesterday, who stated that she would be retiring in the next three years with a pension of $90,000 a year for the rest of her life. She currently makes ~$120,000 a year. NY is usually rated either #1 or #2 nationwide for schools. However, a normal house pays over $8000 a year in property/school taxes. My question for NC is: where does the money go? We pay taxes, we play the lottery, we donate paper and supplies, we buy the books and wrapping paper in the fundraisers, and we still have no money for teachers salaries.

I completely agree with you. I am a teacher and am struggling enough as it is with the salary that I do bring in each month. And now they are going to take some of it away from me because the economy sucks? Where is my $315,000.00 Bev?