I’m a retired Clark County teacher, whose daughter also teaches. One argument that’s brought up repeatedly about teachers being greedy in arguing for more pay is how much vacation time teachers have.
It’s an excusable posture. Most people have no idea how much time teachers use setting up and breaking down classrooms, outside of their 180 “workdays.” They have no concept how much time is spent in preparation for the school year in preparing materials and designing instruction, also falling into “vacation time.” One could, also, become confused about the professional development and staff orientation that is offered/demanded by the districts and counted as additional salary, which districts argue is increased salary, when it is, in reality, more work for the same pay — less vacation, not increased salary.
There is no way one outside of teaching could know how much time is spent during evenings and weekends grading/preparing. Any vacation I got was compensation for those efforts. Today teachers get less.
The reality is that salaried, professional jobs earn more vacation time universally in Washington and the rest of the nation. Teaching is a salaried, professional job. Vacation time should not be an arguing point in not increasing teacher salary.
