LV economy - really that bad? (middle school, university, teacher salaries)

Originally Posted by caligali

We teach in university, not public schools.

Originally Posted by MaryleeII

So, you've both secured jobs as teachers---congratulations!

sincerely, its great you both have jobs, and in your chosen field. You're not reduced to working at a convenience store for minimum wage. But, also, you are obviously aware of the state of the economy in your new city.

Please, keep the economy in mind when you assign projects,etc. Don't just assume parents have the extra time and money to feed your little projects. Materials, markers, poster boards, glue sticks, crayons, paints, etc all cost money. Many parents have more than one child to provide for. also, due to the economy, many parents work more than one job.

Don't just assume your world is the only one they live in. I've known parents to come in exhausted from one job, have to drag out to another in a few hours, barely able to make ends meet, and their kids hit them up with projects, etc the teacher thinks will be "so much fun" for the family to do. Oh, yes, I know, the parents aren't supposed to "do" the project, its for the kids to do or "how will they ever learn" but how does a kid in 4th grade run to Hobby Lobby and buy $50 worth of materials with 2 days notice to do a project?' Oh, of course, teachers don't expect you to "buy" anything, just use what you have around the house. Well, it doesn't always work that way, not all parents are part-time crafters with stuff just sitting there, waiting to be whipped up into the perfect project.

I always had the time and money to work with my kids and their projects, but pitied the poor kids who's parents didn't. Then, I'd overhear "teacher gossip" ---you can always tell the kids who's parents care, take time and effort with their kids, as opposed to those who just don't care to be involved.

Try to put a few simple facts together. some kids have parents with the means to help with those projects, some don't. the finished project isn't a reflection of how much the parent values their child's education, its a reflection of the resources---time and money, the family has, and the priorities assigned to such resources.----ie, do I have the money to buy markers, poster boards, glue sticks, etc and spend half the night helping my 3rd grader make a perfect project to impress the teacher (who has a job), or do I spend that money on food for dinner, electric bill, and then go off to my second job?

Just realize that economy you're thriving in isn't the same for everyone, including many of your students!

Originally Posted by caligali

We teach in university, not public schools.

Originally Posted by caligali

We're moving to LV next year to work (teachers) and from what I see on tv, looks like the economy is really, really bad. Is it that bad?

Las Vegas economy among worst in the world, report says - Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 | 7 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Originally Posted by MaryleeII

I truly didn't mean to attack teachers---public or university. I perhaps came across a little strong, but still stick to my point.

the economy is bad. Its very bad, for many people. many students out there simply lack the resources for all the extra foo foo schools love to assign. Its all busy work, anyways, to my idea. I got through school with top honors and 4 degrees (2 bachelor's and 2 master's) without doing all those projects.

I simply wanted to point out to new teachers entering a struggling local economy to go easy on those projects. What may seem like a trivial amount of time and money to some is a great deal to others. It seemed like we were constantly buying stuff at Hobby Lobby, etc. don't forget, not all parents are that great at crafts, etc. I would end up buying stuff to compensate for my lack of artsy- fartsy ability. Oops, I know, it was supposed to be the kid's project. But try assigning something age-appropriate. My 3rd grader was in tears when assigned a diorama of a Spanish mission, complete with 32 items, including a church, school, farm, etc, etc.......all in 3-D. Now how is an 8-year old supposed to do that? We spent about $80 on materials, stencils, etc, to help her, then the teacher gave her an 89.5%, took off 1/4 and 1/2 points for petty little things. My poor dd was in tears, she said she hadn't had fractions and decimals yet! She said it was so unfair, Mom & Dad worked so hard on that! Oh, well......we told her they can only give so many A's and those go to the teachers' friends, forget it, we can take it!


Just a peeve of mine, all those ridiculous projects! BTW, they don't do that in other countries. I don't see kids in China, Japan, India, etc, playing with crayons, glue sticks, etc, in 7th and 8th grade. no they are doing stuff like calculus, foreign languages, etc. Wonder why they get all the good jobs? Unless you want a poster maker----of course, American kids will be great at making signs----will work for food, or like those sandwich signs in the Depression, want work! Now our kids will have all the skills they need!

Originally Posted by caligali

We teach in university, not public schools.