UO Thursday!!

Dreamingmommy4 · August 2013

Here's a bit of my opinion on the wage/laborers discussion going on. First of all, this is corporate America. We are not socialist or communist. Our country was not built on government handouts and everyone getting what everyone else has. It was all about working hard to achieve your goals and your hard work will pay off when you get to where you were going. The entitlement ideal that is taking over some of the different areas of our country is very socialist or communist minded (by the way, I'm talking economic setup not government ideals, ie. Communist China and such) and does not mesh with the culture and economics of our country. Yes there are some government programs that help people and yes they have been a benefit to a point. Another thing....it would help immensely for the massive government machine here in the US to be downsized to a much smaller government with fewer taxes. They really need to take some financial and budgeting classes, I swear some of us moms doing the bills and budgeting at home could do a better job. They don't need all that tax money they get and they don't use it properly. Seriously, why does the president need multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars a year? It used to be an honor and privilege to serve our country, not a career move. Yeah they should get paid, but not that much. By shrinking the government and lowering taxes, they take home pay of a minimum wage worker would be a lot more. There's my conservative UO.

MrsApplelovesMrApple · August 2013

nciesla said:

I actually have one today!

I'm an English instructor for a college (adult learners, mostly) and have been a reading teacher for children ranging in ages 5-17. I have a bit of an idea of how much time, energy and work goes in to being a teacher. That being said, since schools have started back up in my area, I feel like all my teacher pals are back on their "teaching is sooooooo hard and we are so undervalued" tirades on Facebook. I get it. Society certainly doesn't always value teachers the way they should and they aren't always compensated accordingly. Teaching IS hard. But I feel like it's the only group of professionals that's so freaking vocal about it.

"They" say, if you're passionate about what you do for a living you'd be willing to do it for free. To me, it seems teachers are getting paid for something they're passionate about (and paid enough to live within their means or in accordance with local cost of living as I understand), right? And yes, I'll add the "you get summers off" thing in there, too. You're shaping the minds and character of our future generations. That's pretty awesome regardless of how you slice it. I will always show my child's teachers respect and appreciation as a result...I know how much work you do. I don't need to be told.

Long story short...if you're unhappy with your profession and/or how your profession is treated and viewed...then consider a career change. Otherwise, stop whining.

EDIT: @babymama619 I want that burger. NOW.

I never complain about teaching on Facebook- for one thing it's unprofessional (I have my real name on there unlike here), for another I really do love what I do. But a few things:

I don't get summers off. Special Education students go year around (they get a total of 3 weeks in the summer), then we also have trainings (otherwise Winter break isn't paid), I have to take classes every summer to stay current in my certification, then meetings start 2 weeks before the first day of school and they take all day so if I want to get my room ready I have to stay after school and come in on Saturday. I get a total of 10 days off a year that are paid.

I don't make a whole lot of money. My husband and I combined make just enough for our disabled son to not qualify for any kind of help but not enough to be able to afford all of his equipment/doctor appointments. My husband takes extra jobs just so we can keep our heads above water. I have spent $500 in the last 2 months on stuff for my class room and students. I will get to take a $250 credit off my taxes, but that's it. I don't really have a choice in the matter because I need things to do my job and if I don't purchase them, who will? I ask parents for just a few supplies and don't receive them because I can't really "make" them bring supplies. I work over 60 hours a week, not including the free ASL class I teach for my parents so they can communicate with their children. I also have to go to students' homes and work with the students because the ARD committee says I have to. I go over those required hours if the child is being potty trained (which I also do in school) because it needs to be done.

Because of No Child Left Behind I have to write my own standardized test and they have to be approved before I can give them. In the state of Texas you can have a student that is blind/deaf/autistic and has Down Syndrome (I have had a student with all of these combined)and they still have to pass a modified Reading, Writing, and Math test. I can lose my job if my students do not make "measurable progress" year after year on these test.This is ridiculous because I need to spend my time teaching him toileting and self care skills.

Despite these things I really do LOVE my job and my kids and can not imagine doing anything else. (Well, I don't love NCLB. It sucks.) I also don't feel under valued in my district. Last year I won our districts VIP award so I know they appreciate me but I do feel a lot of pressure. And I don't feel like I can take anything off of my plate because I'll disappoint my students/parents/district.

So maybe your teacher friends go through a lot more working in a public school setting than you realize? I'm just assuming it's public school because you didn't say so I could be wrong.

lamo1210 · August 2013

Going along with the teacher thing AND wage thing...

I hate when I hear other teachers I work with say "I don't get paid enough for this..." Yeah, sometimes I agree that getting poop on my hands, finding a booger on my clothes when I get home, or getting hit/kicked/pulled hair by kid makes me wish i got paid more.. BUT to be honest working with kids is all I know. And I am only an assistant teacher (no education behind me, I went straight into the career after chemo treatments and have not focused on being teacher 'qualified')

BASICALLY what I am saying that working sucks, but money doesn't grow on trees. So work and stop complaining! If I could stay home or work part time I would, but I can't, so I suck it up and work my $9.50 an hr job.

artistlife · August 2013

So, my (apparently) UO is -- I don't get when people argue against their own interests.

We're talking about fast food workers in particular, but the argument applies to anyone working a low-wage job. Minimum wage, or even a few dollars more than minimum wage, is not a living wage. You've proven the point that people working these jobs are not kids in high school looking to make a few dollars for spending money. There are tons of news stories about people who have been working these jobs for years, and have not received promotions or raises. You have no clue whether they're busting their butts and just not getting promoted, because -- shocker!! -- not everyone can be a manager! I agree that people should be trying to work their way up the ladder, but it's IMPOSSIBLE for everyone to become part of management. This doesn't mean they shouldn't be paid a living wage, particularly in a high COL state.

Just because $15/hour means these workers would be making more money that you do now, doesn't mean it's the wrong thing. If anything, you should be making more than you already are.

:::snip:::

I understand what you are saying about it benefiting everyone with low wages down the road, but I disagree with that. I think that if we raise the wages too high then people are going to start taking the easier jobs with more pay rather than work harder. Maybe I just have a jaded picture of our society, but I see more and more people trying to take the easy way out instead of working hard. I agree with the poster that said our country was founded on making your own way, living the American Dream. It wasn't founded on getting everything you want or need just because you came to America.

I grew up really poor. I had a single mother that raised us for 10 years by herself. I learned how to manage money and how to appreciate the things I have. I grew up in a town where this isn't the norm. Most of the kids I grew up with were trustfund babies. They all now still live in the same town, half didn't finish school and just continue to live off of mom and dad. Those few of us that had to work harder are more successful. I know my experience may not be the norm, but it makes since to me.

DebateThis · August 2013

jennabee1015 said:

I don't understand the love and hype that people have for macaroons! Can someone explain to me why they are so awesome? If I had my choice between eating a macaroon from the finest bakery in Paris, or a homemade cupcake with store bought frosting, I'd choose the cupcake any day!

You obviously haven't had DH's, then. :P His bakery has won awards for some of the best macarons in Chicago (I'm assuming you're referring to French macaron and not coconut macaroons, though). He brought me a red velvet and a mocha one the other day and I was in heaven.

DebateThis · August 2013

estreyas said:

Sing2phins said:

estreyas said:

I'd rather have my daughter dress modestly and not put herself on display with pants/shirts with logos across the bum and boobs, for example, or teeny-tiny cami tops and mini skirts.

Maybe it comes from the almost 4 years of living in a conservative part of a conservative country, but I've seen so much more amazing fashion and dress sense from Indian women wearing "conservative" clothes, and this past summer in Muslim countries with their modesty requirements.

I find it far more beautiful and usually a lot sexier than showing as much skin as you can get away with.

I don't think this will prove unpopular at all.

I could argue it from both sides -- "it's her body and her right to express her freedoms and dress how she wants", so I can see me being viewed as repressing independence and freedom of expression. I probably would have argued it that way before moving to India and having the norm be covered from neck to ankle and at least 1/2 if not 3/4 sleeves.

I would in the general sense agree with you, except expectations of modesty (or, breaking them, I guess) is the justification for all kinds of violence against women in the US and numerous countries around the world. It's a very fine line between teaching women to maintain a decent level of propriety and teaching men that women's bodies are ok to lust after/women are at fault if a man can't keep his hands to himself.

DebateThis · August 2013

CFox815 said:

This is going to make a lot of people mad and I'm sorry because I like all of you but ..... I don't like pumpkin flavored things. Pumpkin spice, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin ale, pumpkin-covered puppies. Whatever pumpkin-nonsense you're so hyped up over and can't wait for fall for? I don't see the big deal. Sorry but I'm just keeping it real.

We can't be friends anymore. I've been counting down the days til a pumpkin donut since paczki day was over in February.

DebateThis · August 2013

Here's MY UO (or perhaps response to the minimum wage UO). I think minimum wage should be pegged to cost of living by county/state and I think it's abhorrent that ANY full time or nearly full time worker in the US could possibly be in a situation where they are still at or below the poverty line.

Also, it seems that a lot of you are seeing $15/hr as a giant chunk of change. In HCOL areas of the country, minimum wage means you'd be living in a hovel and praying the gunfire down the street didn't invade your apartment complex with that kind of income. There's no reason that employers cannot pay their employees a living wage based on COL. And if that means that cheap crappy burgers go up in price then so be it - the US has been subsidizing and discounting the prices of our food for too darn long as it is. Let's make crappy food less accessible and pay people in real wages so they DON'T need assistance, all at the same time.

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