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Q: What time do elementary school teachers typically leave work for the day?
What time do elementary school teachers typically leave work?? (3rd-4th grade, Texas)

A: You can leave when your contract (which you signed when you took on this job) says you can. Don't follow the contract and you can lose your job. So do teachers stay beyond that time? You bet they do. Some stay until 5 or 6 - or even later some nights. Teachers put in a lot of time that you are unaware of. Some of this time is after school, and a lot of time is put in at home, preparing lessons for you that are interesting and fun so you will learn. Don't judge a teacher by the amount of time s/he puts in after school. Some teachers have classes to attend right after school and so they leave early (with permission) Some teachers have extra curricular activities that they coach, mostly away from the school. Teachers are happier than you are when it's vacation, believe me. It means we can sleep in for a couple of days before starting our summer work, whatever that may be.

Q: What are your thoughts on how to deal with high school teachers who sympathize with sex offenders?
I'm all for free speech, but when a person says they are a High School English Teacher, do they have the right to openly speak out in defense of a convicted sex offender to their students & to others? Should these types of teachers have mental health evaluations? As a parent & a former victim of abuse, I am interested to hear how others think regarding this very serious subject. My LAST question gives more insight to the meaning behind this question. This "teacher" made reference to a "one time slip-up" as being acceptable for a sex offender! Too bad the victims can't have a one time retraction of their abuse. To Saint & Chance 20; I'm all for freedom of speech, but when a teacher openly & in print makes a statement that is in favor of the predator & leaves out any mention of the victims, then I think there is cause for evaluation because that teacher has given an unbalanced opinion that is NOT based on fact & the students are being "swayed" into a way of thinking by this teacher. Unfortunately, the emails that went with that last question didn't get printed, but the comments did. I didn't make up any facts. They didn't all get on screen!

A: I don't know the situation you are referring to, so I feel like there could be reasoning behind this. Sympathizing with a sex offender who was also a victim of sexual abuse could make sense. Not obsolving them of their crime, but suggesting that they are ill could be okay. In the case that the sex offender was convicted, but the teacher believed they were innocent, I could see that as being risky from a professional standpoint, but not an ethical one. The idea of giving a teacher a mental health evaluation doesn't really sound to exciting to me, because unless on is severly unstable, I believe they could easily pass a mental health evaluation. If they are severly unstable...I would like to hope a school administrator would risk the bad press and possible law suit and force the teacher to take a leave of absence. As scary as this may sound...forcing someone to undergo evaluation could set the school up for bigger problems. If the teacher passed the evaluation and were infact mentally ill, you have legally allowed them to remain in their position. If they didn't pass the evaluation but underwent some mandatory training or treatment, you would have no choice but to keep the staff member on staff and you finding a reason to fire them could have nothing to do with being mentally incompetent. I also do not believe teachers should keep their opinions to themselves, but should allow an open atmosphere and curriculum to have everyone share opinions. Certain subjects need opinion in them to really teach and get one interested. The teachers tests and grading should not reflect the students ability to reiterate a teachers opinion, but it should reflect the students grasp for the subject from all aspects. "edit" I agree, the response you posted making reference to a one time slip up with a granddaughter is a little disturbing. I do not know if you communicated with this person outside of Answers, but I feel the need to say that based on the answer she/he gave we could assume she/he had some misconception of appropriate conduct with children. However, we could also be jumping to conclusions...perhaps this person was that grandaughter and called her abuse a one time slip up so the she/he could cope with it. Perhaps the person is struggling to deal with the abuse that occured to their child or spouse. Perhaps the person was trying to get you riled up. Or perhaps the worst scenerio is the correct scenario. We can not be 100 percent sure of anything in this type of forum. I do agree that ideally this is not the person I want teaching my child (no matter what the scenario.), but there really is no way to determine what is behind this persons response...unless he/she decided to tell you. We put our faith in school administrators keeping our children safe, and we do our best to keep our children close enough to us so that we can determine when things aren't right. You got a feeling about this person that made you believe something was quite right and you acted upon it in probably the only way you could. Try and have a little faith that if something is in fact not right...someone else will feel what you felt and that someone will have more of an ability to do something about it.

Q: How do you public school teachers do it?
I remember my freshman year in public school. now this was in the late 80's. glad we moved to the suburbs(pshhhh). It wasn't nice. people would not listen to the teachers, would talk back to them, would not shut up when the teacher DEMANED they do so, there would be consent fights, etc. Anyway, how do you public school teachers cope with that today? I really feel for those teachers who have to deal with that kind of crap. And to top it off they are blamed for the students "poor" performance in class.

A: Being blamed for poor performance is bad. When the kid just does not want to cooperate you cannot force them to do well. Poor performance is sometimes the students choice. As for the behavior... I normally do not encounter that. When you have an administration that backs you up and follows through with consequences then it helps a lot. There are the occasional misbehaving students and fights, but when they have to face consequences most will choose to listen. I like my job. It is a lot of work, and I do work hard to have a classroom where students listen, but it works for me.

Q: Are teachers more likely to get hired at the district they attended school in?
I want to be either an elementary school teacher or a high school teacher. I live in a fairly affluent neighborhood with a very good public school system, and I would like to teach in my district when I get older. Assuming all teachers have the same skills, do I have a better chance at getting a job in this district than someone who did not attend a school in this district? Thank you :]

A: Probably, but not because you attended the school district. Most of the people I know ended up getting teaching jobs in the school where they student taught. If you or your parents know someone at the school, either a former teacher or an administrator, you are much more likely to get a student teaching assignment there, and doing well in your student teaching will give you the inside track on the job. Prestigious school districts get tons and tons of applications, you really need to shine in order to get their attention.

Q: What is it with all these women school teachers having sex with their students?
All I remember of the teachers when I was in school was that they were all blue haired old hags and uglier then crap.

A: It's more in the news these days, but not brand new stuff. I saw this happen in the 40s. One thing that may be occurring stems from the fact that teacher's union tends to protect more teachers from prosecution, and the they just move on, especially among males. Recently, Readers Digest published an article addressing this very subject and how rampant the protection has become. Too many schools do NO background checks on new hires, who often have a past history of abuse.

Q: Is it alright for public school teachers to preach politics in class?
Is it (il)legal for teachers to express their own opinions about politics (For example who they're voting for, their beliefs on gun control, abortion, etc) Does it vary from school district to school district? I know it's certainly frowned upon or forbidden to preach religion but I was wondering about views on politics.

A: Preach? no. I usually try to show both sides. However, my arguements for one side are usually far better. Voting was easy, Ron Paul. Since I teach economics and government, opinion is part and parcel. I encourage students to disagree with me and voice opinions.

Q: What websites do public school teachers go to?
I'm doing some teaching, and I wanted WORKSHEETS for the following subjects in 8th and 9th grade level. Algebra 2 Algebra 1 World History (mostly ancient) U.S. History World Geography U.S. Geography Here's the hitch, I want to use exactly the same websites that the public school teachers use. I know that the teachers are constantly passing out worksheets, info sheets, and homework sheets in public school, and I want to know where they get them. If you could please tell me, that would be great! If it's an internet source, please give me the link in your answer. If it's from a teacher book or just a sheet you borrowed, please type up the page in a WORD document and add a link to it in an an e-mail to me. Thanks!

A: No offense, but a lot of the stuff we use we make up ourselves and I don't know how many people are willing to just hand it out to anyone... You might be a student in one of our classes. A lot comes from the text books we use to teach with in our classes. I only use websites to make reviews for kids, like crossword puzzles and stuff, most of what I find for my subjects is too vague for what I do. Your topics are awfully vague as well...what aspect of history or algebra are you looking for, for example.

Q: High School Teachers: Would you be interested in a fun business magazine to distribute to your students?
Dear Teachers, I am considering starting a business/finance magazine targeted toward teenagers. It would be somewhat like Forbes but for teenagers and would teach them how to manage their finances while still incorporting things that interest them like fashion, technology, etc. I would like to recieve some freedback on your opinion of this idea and what types of topics you feel should be discussed in the magazine. In addition, would you be interested in disributing the magazine to your students through school? All suggetions and comments would be much appreciated! Thank you for your time!

A: Well, Beach Blondie, I think it`s a brilliant idea. You should include topics such as buying a house, mortgage interest, home insurance, car insurance, wages, salary, deductions therefrom such as national insurance and tax, pensions, stocks, shares, investments......................... the list is endless, and we do nothing about it in school. I think the problem you will find is that teachers would just view it as another job to do among the million and one things they have to do already. It wouldn`t hit the top of their list of things to do ! Having said that, I wish you the best of luck with your idea, Twiggy.

Q: where in north american are people hiring high school teachers?
I am entering my senior year in high school next year and my goal is to become a high school teacher. Is there any website or something that I can go on to see where in north america teachers are in demand? Or does anybody know? Because my home town is not, so I was just wondering. Anywhere in the U.S or Canada would do. I want to teach English, and live in ontario, so I would prefer there, but I realize that besides Toronto, there are not many jobs here.

A: The demand is high in almost all states, depending on your content area. What are you looking to teach? Additional Info: I am not sure about Canada, but in the US, the demand is high for teachers. English is in less demand than science or math, but still needed. Some states and even districts offer sign on bonus's and moving expenses. If this is your passion, go for it, but understand that education in the US is different than in Canada from what my friends tell me. Have you looked at some of the northern territories? I have seen specials on those areas and how they are in desperate need of educators. Alaska also has a need and have been doubling teachers for several years. You might also consider adding am in or or an endorsement in at least one other area. It is not hard to do and it makes you more marketable. Good luck and I hope to welcome you to the world of a teacher in a few years.

Q: Should school teachers be required to learn HOW students learn?
There are so many ways a student in elementary school, middle school, high school and even college can learn. Some learn better in groups, some individually, some with a little music, some without. There are tons of ways to learn. Should teachers be required to learn about learning and how it works? Will it make the education process smoother?

A: *Umm teachers do learn how people learn and different ways to teach, the problem lies in having 25 different kids in one class that learn in 6 different ways, majority rules.

Q: Is it wise to use high school teachers as job references?
I have to go in for a job interview for a graphic design summer position in a few days. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use high school teachers I worked closely with as my job references, or should I stick with my manager (whom I'm not that close with) from my old logistics job as a reference?

A: Yes, use your teacher. A high school teacher who may have over a 100 students and is willing to say good things about you is a good resume asset. It says you are a good student, mature and a good learner over other students. But why is this an either or type question? Both your manager and teacher should be references.

Q: Public school teachers who send their kids to private schools?
Do you believe that public school teachers who send their kids to private schools are hypocrites? I see many reasons a public educator would want to send his or her son/daughter to a private school, particularly beyond the middle school years, and none of them point to hypocrisy. Issues of safety, increased educational options, and more focused instruction (e.g. magnet schools) are some examples. How do you feel?

A: No it isn't hypocritical. It is a job. A decision made at the age of 19 to get a degree in education. By the time you marry and have kids and they reach school age, your decision of sending them to a private school can have nothing to do with what kind of job you have.

Q: Why do so many public school teachers dress so revealingly?
Recently went to a school for grandparents day, and was astonished at the attire of so many of the teachers, there. When my daughters attended public school about 25 years ago, this wasn't the case. Teachers taught without trying to seduce. But what is the difference between then and now? Is it for the benefit of male teachers? Are they really trying to seduce the kids? This is supposed to be rampant in today's public schools. What do you think?

A: I was a teachers aide in the 70's and it started back then.One was bra less and it was common knowledge that one lived with her boyfriend. I was surprised back then so I can imagine what is going on now. My grandchildren go to a Baptist school K-12.

Q: Should teachers in high school try to stop a teacher who is hugging and kissing the girl students?
A high school teacher was charged with sexually harrassing a couple of students. He was found not guilty in court and will soon return to the school apparently exonerated. However, the other teachers know that he is always kissing, hugging, and fondling students openly and they strongly disapprove. What should they do?

A: Have the teachers expressed their concerns to the principal? Or to the Board of Education or local union representatives? Have they as a group spoken to the teacher in question? Have any of the students (other than the original two) made any complaints? This is a serious issue and if you can't get any satisfaction, you might think of transferring.

Q: What do high school teachers do with senior pictures?
I have a high school teacher that asked me for my senior picture. Yet I see none of her other students. What do teachers do with these and why does she want mine??

A: Just as a memory. Usually if a teacher wants your senior picture then they want to remember you. Truth of the matter is they will soon forget you unless they have a memento of some sort. 200-400 students a year passing through their classroom does that.