What's unusual about teachers isn't how hard they work, it's how utterly convinced they are that other people don't work even harder, which is complete rubbish.

I'd love to see someone who complains about a 6 hour workday 200 days a year (with additional work at home) find out what it's like to work 10 hour days 300 days a year.

Originally Posted by Symbiote

What's unusual about teachers isn't how hard they work, it's how utterly convinced they are that other people don't work even harder, which is complete rubbish.

I'd love to see someone who complains about a 6 hour workday 200 days a year (with additional work at home) find out what it's like to work 10 hour days 300 days a year.

You think teachers have a 6 hour workday? I know no teacher who only works 6 hours a day. Also, I've done long shifts in factories, kitchens, offices in my time, and it's nothing like as exhausting as teaching.

How many other careers have a burnout rate like teaching does? Maybe share trading, but they get huge salaries to compensate.

Originally Posted by Jo Bennett

You think teachers have a 6 hour workday? I know no teacher who only works 6 hours a day.

And plenty of the people supposed to work 10 hours a day end up working 12 - 14, whether they be in IT, Accounting, Finance, Sales and Marketing, Law or Medicine. HR admittedly get it easier.

The main difference being they don't feel they're uniquely disadvantaged to be working past 4pm on the 60% of days in the year they're working.

Don't even get me started on the investment bankers, as privileged and spoiled as they are, they can end up spending days without sleep, taking just a couple of hours a day to change clothes and shower before it's back to the desk. Now that'll give you burnout.

I don't know whether a 50% dropout rate in 3 years is high or not. It doesn't really sound that high off-hand, but I haven't seen any stats that compare. Generally people who love their jobs don't burn out, even when they work long hours.

I work in IT at one of the largest Investment firms in the country and I know I don't work harder than teachers - and I get paid more.

Originally Posted by Jo Bennett

No teacher I know would want a longer school year, the workload required during term time is not something that can be maintained 48-50 weeks per year. Maybe it's different in the US but in the UK 50% of newly qualified teachers leave the profession within 3 years.

Most union teachers in my state are lifers. I've worked with a few that left the profession and went into industry. Some quickly returned to teaching.

Originally Posted by Symbiote

What's unusual about teachers isn't how hard they work, it's how utterly convinced they are that other people don't work even harder, which is complete rubbish.

I'd love to see someone who complains about a 6 hour workday 200 days a year (with additional work at home) find out what it's like to work 10 hour days 300 days a year.

Three months off for the summer, yet they still force schools here in Michigan to have long Christmas and winter/spring breaks.

Originally Posted by Jo Bennett

You think teachers have a 6 hour workday? I know no teacher who only works 6 hours a day. Also, I've done long shifts in factories, kitchens, offices in my time, and it's nothing like as exhausting as teaching.

How many other careers have a burnout rate like teaching does? Maybe share trading, but they get huge salaries to compensate.

Air traffic controllers, nurses, I can think of plenty.

Originally Posted by jitobear

I work in IT at one of the largest Investment firms in the country and I know I don't work harder than teachers - and I get paid more.

I've never seen an IT person break a sweat. It's a cake job in any company.

Originally Posted by JPSartre12

Air traffic controllers, nurses, I can think of plenty.

Where's your proof?

Originally Posted by Jo Bennett

Where's your proof?

You disputed it, where's yours?

Originally Posted by JPSartre12

I've never seen an IT person break a sweat. It's a cake job in any company.

I am actually not an IT person, I just work in an IT department. I am BSA - I basically herd IT folk. You are right - its not real sweaty work - that was sort of my point when someone claimed they work harder than teachers.

Originally Posted by jitobear

I am actually not an IT person, I just work in an IT department. I am BSA - I basically herd IT folk. You are right - its not real sweaty work - that was sort of my point when someone claimed they work harder than teachers.

Most people in industry do work harder than teachers, however.

Originally Posted by JPSartre12

You disputed it, where's yours?

I have a stat for the burnout rate from teaching, you claimed air traffic controllers and nurses have higher burnout rates, I'm asking you to prove it.

Originally Posted by JPSartre12

Most people in industry do work harder than teachers, however.

Maybe - but they are likely paid more and rarely have to put up with large herds of teenagers.

Originally Posted by Jo Bennett

I have a stat for the burnout rate from teaching, you claimed air traffic controllers and nurses have higher burnout rates, I'm asking you to prove it.

ATC 20% in two years quit.

The controllers' working conditions are so bad that nearly one-fifth of the controllers have quit over the past two years, reducing their number to the lowest level since 1992.

Help At Last For Air Traffic Controllers By Dick Meister

and nurses

......
The burnout study's principal investigator was "Heather Laschinger, associate director of nursing research at the University of Western Ontario." (Laschinger has a Ph.D., though the piece does not indicate that.) Dr. Laschinger and her colleagues reportedly surveyed 225 junior hospital nurses working across Ontario. They found that a whopping 66% were experiencing "symptoms of burnout, including emotional exhaustion and depression." Earlier studies by Laschinger reportedly put burnout rates at 58% of nurses who had been working for a wider range of periods, and 54% of nurse managers.
The piece also includes material on the larger effects of these trends on the nursing profession. Silas notes that CFNU surveys indicate almost one third of Canadian nurses under 30 want to leave the profession. In addition, "a predicted slew of early retirements" by the many nurses over 50 suggest the problem is even more urgent. Silas warns that the system will "crumble" unless health care management and policy makers (in the reporter's words) "quit talking about nursing shortages and [] do something about it." That's good, though the piece would have benefited from some response from those managers and policy makers, and perhaps some discussion of potential solutions.

"By far the worst burnout levels I've ever seen"

this is ridicoulous....school day should not be extended...the school year!!!! this is just really idiotic...think about it...if the kids who dont wanna be in skool dont like it as short as it is...do you think that they'll like it longer????

Originally Posted by rokch1ck

this is ridicoulous....school day should not be extended...the school year!!!! this is just really idiotic...think about it...if the kids who dont wanna be in skool dont like it as short as it is...do you think that they'll like it longer????

A prima facie example of why kids need more time in school.