Some teachers may get a duty free lunch

[30ashopper]

In the private sector, it is a completely voluntary act. You want to eat a sandwich at your desk and keep working, it's your choice. You don't have 25 ten-year-olds that you are responsible for at the same time.

I have worked in the private sector for over 30 years, and if a supervisor ever attempted to write me up for refusing to work through lunch, HR would have torn the reprimand up and thrown it back at them, saying "Never do this again.".

As for negotiating it individually, that just doesn't happen when you work for the state. Everybody has to be treated exactly the same, if you are on the same pay grade. That's the state's HR policy, enacted to protect them against discrimination issues, not a union issue.

Well then why is the union involved? The same laws that protect you in the private sector protect teachers in the public sector.

 

[Here4Good]

Teachers sign a contract, they have agreed to the terms.

 

[30ashopper]

Teachers sign a contract, they have agreed to the terms.

I often sign labor contracts in the work that I do. Never once did I have to mandate a certain amount of time for potty and lunch breaks. :roll: Clearly something is broken in the education sector. I sense that union involvment has created a highly partisan atmosphere, degrading the relationship between teachers and administrators.

 

[Here4Good]

I often sign labor contracts in the work that I do. Never once did I have to mandate a certain amount of time for potty and lunch breaks. :roll: Clearly something is broken in the education sector. I sense that union involvment has created a highly partisan atmosphere, degrading the relationship between teachers and administrators.

You're obviously treated like a professional.

I'm certainly not arguing the fact that something's broken, but the union came to be for a reason - generally because school boards and administrators can be a politically driven group who tend to change policy/direction with every change in headlines and find the front line teachers an easy scapegoat. Politicos long for the time when teaching was always the "second" career in a family unit, and teachers taught between breaks for raising their families. The concept of professional, educated teachers who make a career of teaching goes against that whole Mayberry mindset.

I don't see why the union also has to represent bus drivers and cafeteria workers, since their work environment and employment issues are completely different than teachers. That's just a power grab on the part of the union.

 

[ameliaj]

When I taught 3rd grade for a number of years, we took our students to lunch, helped them through the lunch line,, got my plate, and sat down with my students to eat. No classroom teachers had a lunch at a separate table. Many school systems don't want or can't afford to let teachers have free duty lunch because they have to pay someone else to be with the children. We got duty free lunch toward the end of my teaching career. Two ladies were hired to come only during lunch to supervise the children. I finally decided I'd rather eat with my kids and supervise their behavior than to face the out of control wildness that came from me not being around during their lunch time.

 

[Bob Wells]

I often sign labor contracts in the work that I do. Never once did I have to mandate a certain amount of time for potty and lunch breaks. :roll: Clearly something is broken in the education sector. I sense that union involvment has created a highly partisan atmosphere, degrading the relationship between teachers and administrators.

Or management did not like the thought of someone coming in to protect and give voice to those who may not have had one, establishing fair work rules, including breaks and lunch periods, wages and job protection. I would venture to guess that if schools had no Unions they would operate like other government agencies and people would be terminated for political purposes so a supporter could have the job or promotion. It doesn't always have to be the Union that drives the wedge. As usual I apologize for my opinion differing from yours.

 

[happy2Bme]

I'm betting that those who are incensed at the luxurious, and highly-compensated lifestyle of a teacher (1) aren't teachers, (2) don't have kids, (3) hated their own teacher in school, and (4) believe too much of what they read (including their own drivel).......

Everyone deserves a reasonable (duty-free) break from their day to renourish their bodies, and rest their minds.....teacher, or not. Teachers deserve professional pay, not baby-sitter/child-care-level compensation.

And, no, I'm not a teacher....though I am a parent, and a realist.

 

[lms47]

During my 27 year tenure as a teacher, I escorted 20-30 stuents to a lunch period of 20 minutes. While attempting to consume my lunch, I was responsible for their behavior, table manners, "no talking", observing what they ate, taking their trays to the proper window, lining them up, monitoring the table being wiped down and getting them out of the lunchroom back to the classroom. Until the last 10 years, there was no such creature as a planning period--all planning was done after school or at home. My days consisted of arriving at school by 7:30, unless I had morning/bus duty, then it was 7:15, then, classes every 50 minutes until 2:45. At this time, I was to patrol the halls/outside until all students had cleared the campus. After this patrolling, back to classroom to get ready for another day or pack up and do it at home. I usually left school around 3:30-4:00. On days we had faculty meetings, (weekly) we sometimes didn't leave until 5 or 6.
Unless you have been there and done it, you cannot have a clue what the education of children entails. It blows me away that the general public begrudges teachers' a free lunchtime or planning period. I don't know where we have gone wrong nor where the priorities have gotten turned aroung; but, we are in BIG trouble. Thanks to those of you who have some respect and insight into the career of a true teacher.

 

[30ashopper]

Jeez, should we all list our daily grinds for comparison? No offense but this doesn't seem out of the ordinary based on my experience. I'm sure dealing with kids can be tiresome. I'm not a social animal so I don't like interacting with them myself. But the people I know in the education industry relish their interaction with students. It's one of the things that attracts them to the job. So I don't think this should be an issue.

I think teachers deserve a good salary and benefits, they have an important job. (I also think Walton County teachers do pretty well when you add it all up FWIW) But this whole thread started when it was posited the reason why teacher have it so tough is due to the fact that they don't get duty free lunches and have no"me time" at work. That just seems silly. Life isn't easy, no job is perfect. If you don't like it, do something else.

 

[Bob Wells]

I don't think it was posted that teachers have so rough, I think the question was do you think this is fair. Just saying, but that is just my opinion to your above post. Just saying. Jeez