Something I'd Like To Share With You

[Puffin]

I wanted to tell you about one thing. Icelandic teachers.
In Iceland, we have 4 school-levels. Kindergarden (around 2-6 years old), chilren-school (6-16), college (16-20) and university (20 +).

For the past two months, the children-school teachers have been on a strike. Two months. At first, I thought it was reasonable. They don't have high salaries. But then I realized, that the demands they make are just too high.

Children-school teachers have around 20 students each. In my school (I go to college), each teacher has up to 400 students. And children-school teachers want the SAME SALARIES as the college teachers!! How stupid is that??

OK, they do deserve good salaries. But let's take two teachers as an example.


Examples:

My sister's teacher (my sister is 9) has 19 students. The teacher is at work from 9-14, then some work at home. Maybe 2-3 hours at home.

Then let's take my english teacher. He works from 8-15:30, and then in the evening school from 17-22. Five days a week. And he's an average teacher, the same goes for most of the teachers. My english teacher has around 400 students, I guess.

So, is it fair that my sister's teacher gets the SAME MONTLY SALARIES as my teacher? I don't think so.

Yesterday, the goverment put law on the strike, so the teachers aren't allowed to strike anymore. About time, in my opinion. When sailors striked few years, it took the goverment a WEEK to put an end of it, withouth their salaries to get any higher.
But the teacers are f**king idiots. They are ALL going to skip work next week!! And most people don't know that, I heard it from my aunt who is a teacher (yup, there are teachers in the family :cry: ). She didn't want my sister to go to school and find nothing there.


And then yesterday, I heard another thing that blew my mind.
Kindergarden teachers now want the same salaries as children-school teachers, WHO WANT THE SAME SALARIES AS COLLEGE TEACHERS!!!!!! How fucked up is that?!?
OK, kindergarden teachers have responsibility, but all they do is sing songs and go out to play all day long!!!!! from 8-16!!
How can they expect the same salaries as college teachers?!?!? JESUS CHRIST!!!!



Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, but I'm just so angry!!!!

[FreeFreddy]

Should their demands ever be fulfilled, than the college teachers would need an increase in their salaries as well. And that would produce chaos as a result. These teachers should realize that they're threatening the entire system there... But on the other way, perhaps it's just time for a global renewal in Iceland...

[The Niles]

I want the same salery as your college teachers as well! I think the abandonia staff should go on strike until Kosta gives into our reasonable demands! :Titan:

[Havell]

Jeez... that's fucked up. I hope it all gets back to normal over soon. Recently we've had strikes from Post Office (so everyone's letters arrived two weeks late) workers (so everyone's letters arrived two weeks late) and Firemen (so the army had to go around putting out fires) all they do is piss everyone off and they never get their demands anyway, I wish people would negociate before they went on strike and used it as a last resort, not straight away.

[Puffin]

Then there's another thing in this all, I'll try to explain it....

The guy over the children-school teachers-association (I hope it's the right word...) is MARRIED to the lady who's over the kindergarden-teachers-association!!!

And now the kindergarden teachers are about to strike!!!!! :blink:
How fuckedup is that??

Arg it makes me so angry :ranting:

Next year, when the 10th graders go to college, the colleges will be worse than they are. In my school, everybody can have classes together. I go to classess with kids of all age (most between 16-20). So even though I'll be on my third year next year, I might have classes with kids who are finishing children-school now. So the teachers has to make the classer easier, because the kids lost so much school now :ranting:


ARG

[Stroggy]

I think the countries should be controlled by one enlightened ruler.
the so called 'right' to strike just makes the country mallfunction and should thus be deleted.
The press only creates conflicts between and within communities. While knowing the truth is important it should not contradict the government in such a away that the people would do things they would later regret.
This I think the government should control the press and all other media-outlets for the people's own safety.

[Yamcha]

Don't get angry In Bulgaria the teachers also go striking the fact is that theyre salarys are very small and its difficult to live.Our f@#$ed goverment is jjust rising all the bills (water,heating,food) except for the salarys.There are some guys that aren't doing nothing and lives like kings and they are still complaining.

My garandma has to pay 60euro for heating when she gets only 50euro(we dint have euro but levs but this way is more clear to you)she lives with my grandpa but still it's very little. :ranting:

[FreeFreddy]

Here in Germany teachers don't get that big salaries compared to some other jobs, but they aren't striking. In fact, there's rather the problem that there're with time less and less young teachers available. Only old ones remain, and not enough young ones come to take their place, and that's because the salaries aren't high enough. Most prefer to have other jobs, so I wonder how it would look like in 5 or 6 years... :rolleyes:

[Sebatianos]

And now for my humble opinion!!!
OK, it's not right that a kindergarden teache, a school teacher and a collgae teacher would have the same pay - I am a school teacher, I'd like a higher pay, but there is a hirarchy!
I think that the right to strike is a good thing!!!
The only problem is, that only those who feel secure enough strike (let's say teachers, doctors,... - I'm talking about Slovenia now). But the peolpe who really should go on strike (some factory workers) don't dare.
The thing is, that the family next door has two children (bot parents work in the same factory) and I have no idea how they survive! Both of the parents together recieve a lesser pay than mine (and I've been employed for full time only for a few months now - and have no children), and neither of them was payed for three months now!!! They should strike - they really need higher and more regularly payed wages. But they don't dare.
I do agree however that the best rulership would be an enlightened leader (but remember power corupts!!!).
About the job of a teacher, well that's another thing!
I know most of you believe that teachers don't have much to do, but believe me, that those who want to work well have more then enough work!!!
There are days I work from 7am to 5pm (every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday), I also have working Saturdays and when the children have holydays I work (but I'm an exception that proves the rule - there are only 3 other teachers that work half as much as I do)!
And when it comes down to teaching the children younger then 8 - well I teach children from ages of 7 up to 15 and I can tell you, that a class of 20 10 year olds is much more demanding then a class of 400 20 year olds (I gave 2 lectuers at South-West Texas University to two groups of 300 students - so I should know). If you don't believe me just try it your self!
Still, I don't even dream of demanding a higher pay (even if my pay is not that good). The main problem is, that my country is not so rich they could pay the government employed teacher much more money. So compared to my neighbours who work in a private factory I'm actually very rich - I get a solid pay regularly every month and can get any kind of credit I'd want.
Now I don't know what's it like in Iceland, but I know my fellow teachers here (the ones that do the least - and get higher pays then me because of their longer employed status) are complaining they have to much work and not a high enough payment. So I guess this strike is unfair!

[Tom Henrik]

Originally posted by The Picard@Nov 14 2004, 12:40 PM
I want the same salery as your college teachers as well! I think the abandonia staff should go on strike until Kosta gives into our reasonable demands! :Titan:
We want money! We want money!


*looks at postcard I got from Kosta*

Ooooooh.....

[Puffin]

Originally posted by Sebatianos@Nov 14 2004, 01:21 PM

About the job of a teacher, well that's another thing!
I know most of you believe that teachers don't have much to do, but believe me, that those who want to work well have more then enough work!!!
There are days I work from 7am to 5pm (every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday), I also have working Saturdays and when the children have holydays I work (but I'm an exception that proves the rule - there are only 3 other teachers that work half as much as I do)!
And when it comes down to teaching the children younger then 8 - well I teach children from ages of 7 up to 15 and I can tell you, that a class of 20 10 year olds is much more demanding then a class of 400 20 year olds (I gave 2 lectuers at South-West Texas University to two groups of 300 students - so I should know). If you don't believe me just try it your self!

Well, true, but I'm not just talking about classes.
If you have 20 10-year-olds, who hand in a small essay or a project, it takes some while reading over it at home and so on.
But having 400 16-20-year-olds, handing in maybe 5 page essays, and you need to read them all over? That's a BIT more work, I believe. With all due respect.

Well, anyways, it's a delicate subject.
But I really think that the teachers are handling it all wrong. They say they don't get enough respect, but they act like children! How can we respect them if they act like that?!?

[FreeFreddy]

That's called mass pressure. ;)
Many do something, rest follows. And thinking on those events isn't that often happening...

[Sebatianos]

Originally posted by Puffin@Nov 14 2004, 07:20 PM
If you have 20 10-year-olds, who hand in a small essay or a project, it takes some while reading over it at home and so on.
But having 400 16-20-year-olds, handing in maybe 5 page essays, and you need to read them all over? That's a BIT more work, I believe. With all due respect.
Well, you have those children all day - all of the lessons (5 lessons X 20 children would make 100 children).
You need to take care of such smnall things like: don't pull her hair, take that pencil out of your ear,...
You must prepare a lot of material (only the lazy ones use coursebooks, because that's just an easy way out, you have to be more personal).
You become a role model to those children and they'd all like so share something with you (so you'll need 20 pairs of eyes and ears, not to mention some spare nerves,...).
I dodn't think it's so demanding until I've tryed it myself - almost 95% of teachers are extremly diilisioned about their job describtion when they start to work!!!
I've never seen a coillage professor wipe a bloody nose (and believe I have a weak stomach as it is).
Trust me - when and if you'll become a mother, and you'll say it's difficoult to rais a child - just remember that a teacher has 20 of them and then think about this again.
In many aspects it's actaully easier to work as a collage profesor.
The reason why they get higher payment is not that their work would be harder, but because they are required to have a higher education!!!
And no strike is going to change that!

[Puffin]

@Sebatianos:
These all are really good points, and I get your point.
But I'm also talking about teachers who have ONE class. Only 20 students. And I'm also talking about teachers who teach 16 year olds ;)

But your points are good ones, and I respect you.

But the teachers here are doing this all wrong. It comes down on society. Teachers in my school are bringing their kids to work! And like I already said, colleges will be somewhat easier next year. Even for older students.

[Sebatianos]

I see your point too,
you're affraid that the level of education will decrease.
Thats very comendable and yet, the teachers are going the wrong way about it, that's just something called greed (everyone want's more money - admit it 'oh all ye who are reading).
this doesn't mean that strikes are something you should just try and surpress, but on the other hand, a strike should only be the last resourt (and I know that teacher can't be that desperate).
So, you're right, a two month strike in a field of employmant like education is a big problem (in a factory the'd either have to close it down or settle the score) because many people are effected by it, I never said they were right. I saw that you made some remarks about teachers that were way off!!!
:wub: You respect me.
Don't wory, I never hold a grudge and you never said anything against me - I agree that more than half of the teachers shouldn't even get payed this much!!!

Hope Iceland will resolve this problem soon!
:cheers:

[aaberg]

I'm glad I live in Denmark. Lately there haven't been any long term strikes here. :bye:

[Puffin]

Well, like I said earlier...
Few years ago, sailors went on a strike. My dad was a sailor.
After about a week, the goverment put ban, without raising the salaries. But still they let the teacher strike last for TWO MONTHS!?!?!? That's fuckedup.

:angry:

Btw, drinking has increased a lot with younger kids since the strike began. 14-16 years old are out all night getting wasted, because they don't have school.

[Sebatianos]

Originally posted by Puffin@Nov 14 2004, 08:11 PM
Btw, drinking has increased a lot with younger kids since the strike began. 14-16 years old are out all night getting wasted, because they don't have school.
Now that's a real problem, but I don't think it's because they don't have school.
At that age, they shouldn't even be alowed to drink (and this comes from a guy who was drunk at the age of three - ME)!
I'm afraid this strike may be just a tip of the social iceberg in Iceland.
I hope for the best!

[Puffin]

Well, you're true. They aren't allowed to drink. I'm not even allowed to drink. Need to be 21 to drink beer!!

But I hope this'll all be solved soon....

*sigh*