Pet Peeves

[sunbone]

I know a cop who retired after only 25 years. And he has a cabin. It also doesn't seem like there are a ton of police officer jobs in this area going unfilled. I guess the only conclusion I can draw from this limited anecdotal experience is that police officers are way overpaid. Not to mention the obscene benefits they get.

You're not actually comparing a teacher's job to a police officer, are you?

You must have had some lazy, overpaid, worthless teachers who never taught you the meaning of sarcasm. I was just making the point that I don't believe the value we place on certain professions should be made solely by market forces. Other people here seem to think the opposite.

[SouthTexGopher]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Teachers in many districts around here work a 179 day contract. Working a 179 day contract at eight hours per day is a 1432 hour work year. Yes, I get that teachers work more that eight hours per day...but stick with me here. Most salaried positions require that you work more than eight hours per day. Let's return to the math, shall we? If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

Were that teacher working in a different field and working a full 2080 hour standard work year, he or she would be making $66,809.60 per year.

And that's right out of college. Many engineers don't make that kind of money right after graduation.

Add this to the fact that we're not seeing positions go unfilled in education and you have to question whether or not teachers are really underpaid.

[streakygopher]

I know a cop who retired after only 25 years. And he has a cabin. It also doesn't seem like there are a ton of police officer jobs in this area going unfilled. I guess the only conclusion I can draw from this limited anecdotal experience is that police officers are way overpaid. Not to mention the obscene benefits they get.

You're not actually comparing a teacher's job to a police officer, are you?

You must have had some lazy, overpaid, worthless teachers who never taught you the meaning of sarcasm. I was just making the point that I don't believe the value we place on certain professions should be made solely by market forces. Other people here seem to think the opposite.

You'll have to forgive me, but after making an argument that professional ballplayers should only be allowed to make babies during the season - so that they are birthed in the off season - I promised myself that I will refrain from commenting on the content of your material for 25 posts.

[5 O.T.]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Get rid of tenure. A good first step to allowing market forces to weed out the dead wood and allow for new, hungry, talented teachers to get in the game.

[Chris Eckes]

I know a cop who retired after only 25 years. And he has a cabin. It also doesn't seem like there are a ton of police officer jobs in this area going unfilled. I guess the only conclusion I can draw from this limited anecdotal experience is that police officers are way overpaid. Not to mention the obscene benefits they get.

You're not actually comparing a teacher's job to a police officer, are you?

You must have had some lazy, overpaid, worthless teachers who never taught you the meaning of sarcasm. I was just making the point that I don't believe the value we place on certain professions should be made solely by market forces. Other people here seem to think the opposite.

I agree with this. I want to say an awful lot more, but I believe other people have basically covered it.

[sunbone]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Add this to the fact that we're not seeing positions go unfilled in education and you have to question whether or not teachers are really underpaid.

So if there are not jobs going unfilled in police work, firefighting, or the military that means that those people are being overpaid? I always thought part of the reason those positions weren't going unfilled was because many people went into that kind of work for reasons other than money. But thanks for setting me straight.

[SouthTexGopher]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Get rid of tenure. A good first step to allowing market forces to weed out the dead wood and allow for new, hungry, talented teachers to get in the game.

That's a great first place to start. Follow that with an objective way of rating teacher performance. Compensate high performance with higher pay and terminate unacceptable performers. If the NEA is opposed to standardized testing being the metric for this, please work with us on finding an alternative.

Add to this a personal annoyance...eliminate the requirement that school administrators have teaching experience. With the size of some districts (my own district has a budget of $471 million and over 67000 students), teaching experience is irrelevant at the highest levels. I'd much rather have a CEO as a superintendent than a person who spent much of their career in a classroom.

[5 O.T.]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Get rid of tenure. A good first step to allowing market forces to weed out the dead wood and allow for new, hungry, talented teachers to get in the game.

That's a great first place to start. Follow that with an objective way of rating teacher performance. Compensate high performance with higher pay and terminate unacceptable performers. If the NEA is opposed to standardized testing being the metric for this, please work with us on finding an alternative.

Add to this a personal annoyance...eliminate the requirement that school administrators have teaching experience. With the size of some districts (my own district has a budget of $471 million and over 67000 students), teaching experience is irrelevant at the highest levels. I'd much rather have a CEO as a superintendent than a person who spent much of their career in a classroom.

Step #2 between getting rid of tenure and implementing objective ways of rating teacher performance would be to get rid of the teachers unions.

[rowshkex]

Just a comment from an employer's perspective...

Teachers are overpaid. Period.

Do we have a nationwide problem filling teaching positions? No. Until we have a 5+% vacancy rate in filling teaching positions, we're probably paying them too much.

I'd rather pay them more despite the low vacancy rate, because I value them more than other jobs.

So you'd pay them more (of other people's money) than you need to?

And why would you value them more than other jobs? There are plenty of important jobs, but, and this is part of the point of my original pet peeve, teachers seem to think they are special in this regard.

Yes, but unless you were taught well by a good teacher, chances are you aren't going to be anywhere close to qualified for one of those other important jobs.

Bingo. Which is why I value them more than nearly any other profession in the country, and thus believe they should be paid more on the basis of their value. it's the same thing with physicians--we value them highly in our society, so they get paid more.

EDIT: Okay, so I know that's not how all salaries are decided, but it's foundational, at least...

[rowshkex]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Teachers in many districts around here work a 179 day contract. Working a 179 day contract at eight hours per day is a 1432 hour work year. Yes, I get that teachers work more that eight hours per day...but stick with me here. Most salaried positions require that you work more than eight hours per day. Let's return to the math, shall we? If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

Were that teacher working in a different field and working a full 2080 hour standard work year, he or she would be making $66,809.60 per year.

And that's right out of college. Many engineers don't make that kind of money right after graduation.

Add this to the fact that we're not seeing positions go unfilled in education and you have to question whether or not teachers are really underpaid.

If we're going to talk about the "math," let's also take into account how much of those supplies teachers pay for themselves...

[Tee09]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Teachers in many districts around here work a 179 day contract. Working a 179 day contract at eight hours per day is a 1432 hour work year. Yes, I get that teachers work more that eight hours per day...but stick with me here. Most salaried positions require that you work more than eight hours per day. Let's return to the math, shall we? If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

Were that teacher working in a different field and working a full 2080 hour standard work year, he or she would be making $66,809.60 per year.

And that's right out of college. Many engineers don't make that kind of money right after graduation.

Add this to the fact that we're not seeing positions go unfilled in education and you have to question whether or not teachers are really underpaid.

If we're going to talk about the "math," let's also take into account how much of those supplies teachers pay for themselves...

I don't think you want to talk about "math" when people can compare out-of-pocket supply costs with pensions and health insurance packages. My wife is eligible for the same plan as the teachers here in Iowa, and suffice to say, if you are a teacher here and save ANY of your money at all, there is no excuse to not be a millionaire when you retire after 25-30 years.

[Handyman]

I want to a high school in a smaller town and got to know a lot of the teachers outside of school and also have many friends going into teaching. There are many people that enjoy what they do a lot and never complain about pay and hours, but I have a hard time believing that some of you never heard a teacher complain about work/hours. Majority of the ones I know also do not work in the summer. I will put a disclaimer: I went to high school in Wisconsin.

I am sure plenty of them do...everybody complains. Jesus guys getting pain millions of dollars to play sports complain about rough they have it.

Most teachers I know say something to the effect of "We didn't get into this for the money" which is their way of complaining without complaining. I have never heard anyone whine though but that is just me.

[streakygopher]

Count me as one of those who thinks market forces should apply to all jobs.

Teachers in many districts around here work a 179 day contract. Working a 179 day contract at eight hours per day is a 1432 hour work year. Yes, I get that teachers work more that eight hours per day...but stick with me here. Most salaried positions require that you work more than eight hours per day. Let's return to the math, shall we? If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

Were that teacher working in a different field and working a full 2080 hour standard work year, he or she would be making $66,809.60 per year.

And that's right out of college. Many engineers don't make that kind of money right after graduation.

Add this to the fact that we're not seeing positions go unfilled in education and you have to question whether or not teachers are really underpaid.

If we're going to talk about the "math," let's also take into account how much of those supplies teachers pay for themselves...

Okay, let's take that into account. How much is it? Five hundred bucks a year? Well, if it's $500, that's 500 - (500 x .33 = 150) = $350 net out of pocket per year. Yeah, let's take that into account when we calculate teachers' salaries. Fair enough point.

[Handyman]

I will agree with getting rid of tenure, but I will never agree with getting rid of the union. They are a necessary evil and if you got rid of them, with the way districts are usually run, the teachers will get bent over. I hate the teachers union (seriously I am not a big union guy anyways but the teachers union is my least fave) but with how little money districts have, and with how they are usually run it will get ugly fast.

And I love how according to bigbeer teachers are out getting new cars every five years and blowing money chasing the American Dream and that is why they might need a second job. Gotta love when you find gold when you go digging up your ass eh buddy

BTW I am not advocating paying teachers more, I may think a lot are underpaid but overall we knew what we were getting into. I just think this new meme that showed a few years ago in some circles saying they are over paid is a major pet peeve. Personally I think cops are worse off than teachers are.

Nothing beat though last year when a the talking points were how teachers make too much, but how it is hard to live on 250k a year which is why we need to keep the tax cuts. That was when this got out of control. The logical dissonance there was amazing.

[Tee09]

I will agree with getting rid of tenure, but I will never agree with getting rid of the union. They are a necessary evil and if you got rid of them, with the way districts are usually run, the teachers will get bent over. I hate the teachers union (seriously I am not a big union guy anyways but the teachers union is my least fave) but with how little money districts have, and with how they are usually run it will get ugly fast.

And I love how according to bigbeer teachers are out getting new cars every five years and blowing money chasing the American Dream and that is why they might need a second job. Gotta love when you find gold when you go digging up your ass eh buddy

BTW I am not advocating paying teachers more, I may think a lot are underpaid but overall we knew what we were getting into. I just think this new meme that showed a few years ago in some circles saying they are over paid is a major pet peeve. Personally I think cops are worse off than teachers are.

Nothing beat though last year when a the talking points were how teachers make too much, but how it is hard to live on 250k a year which is why we need to keep the tax cuts. That was when this got out of control. The logical dissonance there was amazing.

If it were up to me, we'd get rid of tenure and seniority-based pay scales. To do that, the union has to go away. It always boggles my mind when the excellent teachers don't jump at this sort of stuff, as they would get the appreciation (and pay raises) they deserve while getting rid of some of the teachers that don't teach kids (and have to be a PITA to work with too). BTW the cops and firefighters are actually way worse than the teachers, but they have the "we put our lives on the line to protect you" bit going for them that the teachers don't.

[5 O.T.]

I will agree with getting rid of tenure, but I will never agree with getting rid of the union. They are a necessary evil and if you got rid of them, with the way districts are usually run, the teachers will get bent over. I hate the teachers union (seriously I am not a big union guy anyways but the teachers union is my least fave) but with how little money districts have, and with how they are usually run it will get ugly fast.

And I love how according to bigbeer teachers are out getting new cars every five years and blowing money chasing the American Dream and that is why they might need a second job. Gotta love when you find gold when you go digging up your ass eh buddy

BTW I am not advocating paying teachers more, I may think a lot are underpaid but overall we knew what we were getting into. I just think this new meme that showed a few years ago in some circles saying they are over paid is a major pet peeve. Personally I think cops are worse off than teachers are.

Nothing beat though last year when a the talking points were how teachers make too much, but how it is hard to live on 250k a year which is why we need to keep the tax cuts. That was when this got out of control. The logical dissonance there was amazing.

What is the percentage of your pay that goes to the teachers union?

[h8red]

I don't care if we're friends or not, if you work for a bank, you work for a bunch of criminals.

I'm so tired of coming out of every meeting with Wells Fargo feeling like I survived "new meat" day at Alcatraz.

I hate that every time when you go in a Wells Fargo there are completely new people there. Then they always try to drag you in their cubicle, "Let me look at your accounts and see where we can help you". You want to help...LEAVE ME THE ALONE!!!

They actually closed the drive through at a local Wells Fargo so that people were forced to go inside & get hassled by the salespeople. UGH!

[h8red]

Maybe this should be in a new topic called political correctness but I actually over-heard someone say the term "person-hole cover" instead of man-hole cover. I looked to see if they were joking but sadly they were not.

[Beauner]

I don't care if we're friends or not, if you work for a bank, you work for a bunch of criminals.

I'm so tired of coming out of every meeting with Wells Fargo feeling like I survived "new meat" day at Alcatraz.

I hate that every time when you go in a Wells Fargo there are completely new people there. Then they always try to drag you in their cubicle, "Let me look at your accounts and see where we can help you". You want to help...LEAVE ME THE ALONE!!!

They actually closed the drive through at a local Wells Fargo so that people were forced to go inside & get hassled by the salespeople. UGH!

Maybe it's just a Wells Fargo thing?
I go into the bank once a week or so to deposit paychecks and have yet to be hassled by anybody like that. I have a USBank account though so maybe it's different? Or maybe I'm not making enough money to be hassled

[Orion]

I think the teachers in my district have been on a pay freeze for 3 or 4 years.

Just have to point out that the pay freezes or X % raises that are negotiated and reported by the media are in reference to the pay scales the districts have negotiated with the union. Even if the scale remains frozen, within the scale pay increases for years of service or for school credits towards a masters. Each individual teacher still can get a raise in pay even when the scale if frozen because they go up on the scale.

[SouthTexGopher]

I will agree with getting rid of tenure, but I will never agree with getting rid of the union. They are a necessary evil and if you got rid of them, with the way districts are usually run, the teachers will get bent over.

I beg to disagree, Handy.

Teachers in San Antonio - an area with a lower cost of living - have a higher starting salary than teachers in Minneapolis. The unions are irrelevant here and have no impact on salaries.

[h8red]

I will agree with getting rid of tenure, but I will never agree with getting rid of the union. They are a necessary evil and if you got rid of them, with the way districts are usually run, the teachers will get bent over.

I beg to disagree, Handy.

Teachers in San Antonio - an area with a lower cost of living - have a higher starting salary than teachers in Minneapolis. The unions are irrelevant here and have no impact on salaries.

How about getting rid or cutting the salaries of the superintendents...most that I've dealt with are so out of touch with reality...

[Chris Eckes]

Isn't running a classroom just like running a business? Why don't we hire some CEO's to take over our FAILING public schools! Because running everything like a business is the new meme, I'm all for it!



That wasn't meant to poke fun at anyone in particular, just throwing it out there.

[gator]

Law. Or maybe I just don't understand it.

For example, the Amy Sensor case. If she was aquitted on all 3 charges, she can not be tried again. Being that she was found guilty on 2 of 3 charges she can appeal the charges. To me this does not make sense.

[oldpirate33]

Law. Or maybe I just don't understand it.

For example, the Amy Sensor case. If she was aquitted on all 3 charges, she can not be tried again. Being that she was found guilty on 2 of 3 charges she can appeal the charges. To me this does not make sense.

being tried again for charges that were already brought (double jeopardy) and appealling a verdict (or ruling, etc.) on those charges are very different things. both sides of the case can appeal to a higher court.

[gator]

Law. Or maybe I just don't understand it.

For example, the Amy Sensor case. If she was aquitted on all 3 charges, she can not be tried again. Being that she was found guilty on 2 of 3 charges she can appeal the charges. To me this does not make sense.

being tried again for charges that were already brought (double jeopardy) and appealling a verdict (or ruling, etc.) on those charges are very different things. both sides of the case can appeal to a higher court.

Thanks. Again, I just don't understand law all that well. Even though I had to sit on a federal grand jury for a year.

[Jupiter]

Get back to PET PEEVES.....

[team22tank]

Law. Or maybe I just don't understand it.

For example, the Amy Sensor case. If she was aquitted on all 3 charges, she can not be tried again. Being that she was found guilty on 2 of 3 charges she can appeal the charges. To me this does not make sense.

being tried again for charges that were already brought (double jeopardy) and appealling a verdict (or ruling, etc.) on those charges are very different things. both sides of the case can appeal to a higher court.

Thanks. Again, I just don't understand law all that well. Even though I had to sit on a federal grand jury for a year.

There is a reason for that, if you did understand it and people in general it wouldn't be such a money making racket!

[gator]

Get back to PET PEEVES.....

A full moon... all the crazies come out of the woodworks.

[Beauner]

A friend of mine, who moved away to a southern state where a prominent GPL poster lives once, complained like hell about how much they hated it for the 9 months they lived there. Said friend moved back to Minnesota for about a year and a half, then moved back down to said state and has continued to complain more.

It's so ing annoying. Did you really think it would change in the 18 months you moved back to Minnesota? If you didn't like it the first time because the people were assholes and rude etc etc etc, what makes you think the people will go 180 degrees in the opposite direction the next time? Every time I talk to this friend she complains about how much she hates it down there.
No Sherlock. You already tried it for 9 months.

[Chris83]

Don't know whether this is REALLY a "Pet Peeve"...

On ESPN radio they have a couple different commercials for "Dan's Southside Marine". Not once in any of the commercials (at least the ones I've heard) do they mention the city where it's located, an address, a phone number or a website.

[gopherguy13]

Just a comment from an employer's perspective...

Teachers are overpaid. Period.

Do we have a nationwide problem filling teaching positions? No. Until we have a 5+% vacancy rate in filling teaching positions, we're probably paying them too much.

I've always been amazed at how supply and demand apparently doesn't apply to the teaching profession. We hear that teachers are so underpaid (which isn't true), yet there is a surplus of teachers.

My sister has been a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district for 15+ years. She makes a lot more than I do, and she has summers off to boot. Nice work if you can get it.

There is a website where you can look up any MN teacher's salary. Some of them actually make a lot of money. Administrators in big districts like Eden Prarie/Minnetonka make BANK!

I will try to find the site.

edit: here it is

http://extra.twincities.com/car/schlsal ... fault.aspx

Some of my high school teachers make 90K a year

[JC65]

Pet Peeve: Going back to my cube to work another 3 hours after having margaritas at the company Cinco de Mayo party... and knowing that the half empty 1.75L jug of tequila is in the kitchen.

[Slap Shot]

I hardly ever went into my Wells branch, but when I did I was never asked to meet with anyone. That said I've nearly transferred all my Wells biz except for the mtge to FCU because I felt they offered a bit more even if their on-line bill pay isn't quite as slick as Wells'.

[gopheritall]

I know a cop who retired after only 25 years. And he has a cabin. It also doesn't seem like there are a ton of police officer jobs in this area going unfilled. I guess the only conclusion I can draw from this limited anecdotal experience is that police officers are way overpaid. Not to mention the obscene benefits they get.

You're not actually comparing a teacher's job to a police officer, are you?

Exactly. Police officers get to protect themselves. Piece of cake.

[dxmnkd316]

Don't know whether this is REALLY a "Pet Peeve"...

On ESPN radio they have a couple different commercials for "Dan's Southside Marine". Not once in any of the commercials (at least the ones I've heard) do they mention the city where it's located, an address, a phone number or a website.

Let me google that for you

[Chris83]

Don't know whether this is REALLY a "Pet Peeve"...

On ESPN radio they have a couple different commercials for "Dan's Southside Marine". Not once in any of the commercials (at least the ones I've heard) do they mention the city where it's located, an address, a phone number or a website.

Let me google that for you

Well, I know THAT. I was speaking of all those old folks Sid is always talking about who only have transistor radios to listen to the Twins and Vikings on...and yet still want to own a speed boat.

[dxmnkd316]

Don't know whether this is REALLY a "Pet Peeve"...

On ESPN radio they have a couple different commercials for "Dan's Southside Marine". Not once in any of the commercials (at least the ones I've heard) do they mention the city where it's located, an address, a phone number or a website.

Let me google that for you

Well, I know THAT. I was speaking of all those old folks Sid is always talking about who only have transistor radios to listen to the Twins and Vikings on...and yet still want to own a speed boat.

These are the people who can't afford to buy a boat from Dan's Southside Marine.

By the way, DSM has some of the best commercials I have ever heard. "And finally, your boat won't drink too much lake water and throw up... in your boat."

[trixR4kids]

Isn't running a classroom just like running a business? Why don't we hire some CEO's to take over our FAILING public schools! Because running everything like a business is the new meme, I'm all for it!

Because they can't make millions and wreck the economy as a teacher. When when nobody is able to read or pass the state administered test they can't get a bailout and increase their bonuses.

[Tee09]

When when nobody is able to read or pass the state administered test they can't get a bailout and increase their bonuses.

Wanna bet?

[HockeyBum]

My sister has been a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district for 15+ years. She makes a lot more than I do, and she has summers off to boot. Nice work if you can get it.

There is a website where you can look up any MN teacher's salary. Some of them actually make a lot of money. Administrators in big districts like Eden Prarie/Minnetonka make BANK!

http://extra.twincities.com/car/schlsal ... fault.aspx

Ok, I looked up my sister on this salary website. Now I'm REALLY feeling poor.

[dxmnkd316]

All I know is that I make more than all of the teachers who tormented me. But I am saddened by the fact that many of the best teachers I had don't make anywhere near what they should relative to their crappy "peers".

[PrideOnIce]

Just a comment from an employer's perspective...

Teachers are overpaid. Period.

Do we have a nationwide problem filling teaching positions? No. Until we have a 5+% vacancy rate in filling teaching positions, we're probably paying them too much.

I've always been amazed at how supply and demand apparently doesn't apply to the teaching profession. We hear that teachers are so underpaid (which isn't true), yet there is a surplus of teachers.

My sister has been a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district for 15+ years. She makes a lot more than I do, and she has summers off to boot. Nice work if you can get it.

There is a website where you can look up any MN teacher's salary. Some of them actually make a lot of money. Administrators in big districts like Eden Prarie/Minnetonka make BANK!

I will try to find the site.

edit: here it is

http://extra.twincities.com/car/schlsal ... fault.aspx

[Tee09]

All I know is that I make more than all of the teachers who tormented me. But I am saddened by the fact that many of the best teachers I had don't make anywhere near what they should relative to their crappy "peers".

I took a peak at my old district in WI. It's sad that there is no way to recognize the good ones and get rid of the bad ones so they don't stick around so long.

[Tee09]

Still waiting on somebody to "stealth mountain" my last post. oops.

[sunbone]

I was in line at a store this morning and the woman behind me stood about 6 inches from me and started hacking like she had whooping cough. When I looked at her with revulsion and moved as far away from her as I could I guess she read that as an invitation to stay as close to me as possible. Then when I finally couldn't shake her and finally had to ask her to please back off and give me some space she looked at me like I was nuts. Sometimes I think Lars Suave was right.

[Armadillo]

I've had people stand so close to me in line that I was tempted to turn around and ask them to buy me dinner next time.

[Composer]

"Sometimes I think Lars Suave was right."

Sounds like a good title for a new thread...

[george]

I was in line at a store this morning and the woman behind me stood about 6 inches from me and started hacking like she had whooping cough. When I looked at her with revulsion and moved as far away from her as I could I guess she read that as an invitation to stay as close to me as possible. Then when I finally couldn't shake her and finally had to ask her to please back off and give me some space she looked at me like I was nuts. Sometimes I think Lars Suave was right.

That'll teach yu to not shop at Walmart!

[GrandForksGopher]

When a teacher gives you a 5 page paper exactly one week before the final, that is due the day of the final. I have to write a paper and study 6 chapters for a final in that class plus 3 more finals...d k move...

[gopherguy13]

When people call a movie a 'flick'.

"Saw The Avengers last night. Great flick!"

[The Rube]

When people call a movie a 'flick'.

"Saw The Avengers last night. Great flick!"

When they call it a "film." Ok, snob. Gather your beret collection and get out of my face.

[h8red]

When people call a movie a 'flick'.

"Saw The Avengers last night. Great flick!"

When they call it a "film." Ok, snob. Gather your beret collection and get out of my face.

I call it a cinema production.

[sunbone]

I was in line at a store this morning and the woman behind me stood about 6 inches from me and started hacking like she had whooping cough. When I looked at her with revulsion and moved as far away from her as I could I guess she read that as an invitation to stay as close to me as possible. Then when I finally couldn't shake her and finally had to ask her to please back off and give me some space she looked at me like I was nuts. Sometimes I think Lars Suave was right.

That'll teach yu to not shop at Walmart!

Actually it was Sam's Club. You were close!

[HockeyBum]

The Silver Maple in my yard. Worst tree ever. I think I swept up about 30 pounds of helicopter seeds off of my patio and deck last night.

[gopher wes]

The Silver Maple in my yard. Worst tree ever. I think I swept up about 30 pounds of helicopter seeds off of my patio and deck last night.

My dad has two in his yard and the other bad part about them is when the helicopters land in the lawn. They plant themselves producing hundreds and hundreds of unwanted mini trees trying to grow along with the grass.

[greydogg]

The Silver Maple in my yard. Worst tree ever. I think I swept up about 30 pounds of helicopter seeds off of my patio and deck last night.

Yeah they clog the gutters and then proceed to flood the basement.....ugh.....I hate that darn tree. The tree drops stuff year round it feels like.

Edit: Buying leaf guard system now.

[george]

The Silver Maple in my yard. Worst tree ever. I think I swept up about 30 pounds of helicopter seeds off of my patio and deck last night.

Yeah they they clog the gutters and then proceed to flood the basement.....ugh.....I hate that darn tree.

[Zwak]

The Silver Maple in my yard. Worst tree ever. I think I swept up about 30 pounds of helicopter seeds off of my patio and deck last night.

My dad has two in his yard and the other bad part about them is when the helicopters land in the lawn. They plant themselves producing hundreds and hundreds of unwanted mini trees trying to grow along with the grass.

Their roots also tend to be very shallow and often break the surface of the lawn. Makes lawn mowing around them very interesting.

[gopherguy13]

I feel you helicopter leaf people's pain! Our neighbors have a HUGE Cottonwood tree in their backyard. Every spring for about a week you'd swear it was snowing outside with how much cotton the damn thing sheds!

[dxmnkd316]

Quit complaining. I have three 60+ foot cottonwoods in my neighbors yard (didn't know when I bought it, it was late fall/winter) and my house has a number of trees from the poplar family.

Until your lawn looks like a large family of rabbits run over by a lawnmower...

[Idontknow]

If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

I'm a teacher so I'll admit I'm biased on this and you're certainly entitled to your opinion. I've had many a similar discussion at the bar with my softball team over the years (a team made of lawyers, police officers, salesmen, etc.).

So starting pay for teachers in your district is $46,000? My district's starting pay (suburban Twin Cities metro) is about $10,000 less than that. Is it possible your district pays higher starting pay because they've had a hard time attracting quality teachers to that district? I know Texas and California recruit Minnesota hard for teachers - they both have huge contingents at the big teacher job fair every spring (forgot what they call it). I even had a school in Arizona offer me a job right out of college and I never even applied there (must have got my name from the U of M), so I know there are areas in the country looking for teachers.

One thing about teacher pay scales is that your first 10-15 years your pay rises steadily, but then you're at the top of the pay scale and you will only see minimal cost of living increases after that. They will likely barely keep pace with inflation (the past few years they have not).

My wife and I are the same age, both have masters degrees, but she works in the private sector. She's very good at what she does and I'd like to think I'm good at what I do. After both of us starting with very similar pay out of college she now makes a fair amount more than me. Check back in 10 years and she will be making quite a bit more than me (I'm at the top of my payscale, her pay has no upper limit). I make about the same or less than most of my peers with similar levels of education.

Last thing I'll say about the union/tenure stuff. I'm all for having bad teachers removed. The thing most people don't realize is that administrators already have the ability to remove teachers. I've seen at least 3 removed from my school in my 15-year career. There is already a process in place. The problem is how does administration fairly evaluate a teacher. I think the fairest way is to be observed fairly often and for administrators to know what's truly going on in your classroom. Most schools have one, maybe two administrators and maybe as many as 100+ teachers at a high school. It's pretty hard for them to be observing teachers on a regular basis along with all of their other duties. Test scores can be part of the equation but that can be tough. I track my students test scores on every test I give, year to year. I have seen huge fluctuations in my time from class period to class period, and from year to year.

[rowshkex]

Facebook timeline... Along with its connection to everything... I want to stream a new album on Spotify, but it requires logging in with your Facebook account... Of course, this will probably force me into timeline, so I just went without the album.

[The Rube]

Facebook timeline... Along with its connection to everything... I want to stream a new album on Spotify, but it requires logging in with your Facebook account... Of course, this will probably force me into timeline, so I just went without the album.

Social Fixer is your friend. No timeline for me, thanks to that program.

[gopherhockeyfan7]

I like the timeline.

[dxmnkd316]

I also like the timeline

[SouthTexGopher]

Minor thing...but I've noticed it more over the last few days as I've been trying to stay up to speed on the Vikings stadium...

I stream KFAN via I Heart Radio in my office and in my car (thank you, Sprint unlimited data plan). Would it kill them to update their streaming commercials? I'm still hearing ads encouraging me to donate blood during this holiday season.

[SouthTexGopher]

If a teacher is working a 1432 hour work year and is making the starting salary in my district, he or she is making $32.12 per hour.

I'm a teacher so I'll admit I'm biased on this and you're certainly entitled to your opinion. I've had many a similar discussion at the bar with my softball team over the years (a team made of lawyers, police officers, salesmen, etc.).

So starting pay for teachers in your district is $46,000? My district's starting pay (suburban Twin Cities metro) is about $10,000 less than that. Is it possible your district pays higher starting pay because they've had a hard time attracting quality teachers to that district?

No. They're not having any issues attracting applicants. It's a great district in a nice part of the metro area (suburban, well-to-do). Were you to ask about SAISD, it would be an entirely different story (poor, inner-city).

My sister has been a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district for 15+ years. She makes a lot more than I do, and she has summers off to boot. Nice work if you can get it.

There is a website where you can look up any MN teacher's salary. Some of them actually make a lot of money. Administrators in big districts like Eden Prarie/Minnetonka make BANK!

http://extra.twincities.com/car/schlsal ... fault.aspx

Holy crap.

I just looked up a friend (and a former teacher of mine). His salary at a school in southern Minnesota - after 26 years of teaching - is lower than the starting salary in my district in San Antonio.

[gopher wes]

I like the timeline.

I also like the timeline

Same here. My roommate refuses to log into his Facebook account on his computer. He only logs in on his phone because they can't force him to switch over on his phone.

[Kelor]

I looked up just administrators in the Metro. I should have counted the pages, but it appears there are well over 1000 that make over $100k.

(edit) Just counted, there are 830 administrators that make over $100,000. That's just the metro. Holy moly. Ignoring the salaries, how or why would we need that many principals?

Just 4 years earlier, there were 29.

[Idontknow]

No. They're not having any issues attracting applicants. It's a great district in a nice part of the metro area (suburban, well-to-do). Were you to ask about SAISD, it would be an entirely different story (poor, inner-city).

I wonder what the top end of the pay scale is in your district...and you say it's lower cost of living? My wife has mentioned she'd like to live in a warmer climate....

[SouthTexGopher]

No. They're not having any issues attracting applicants. It's a great district in a nice part of the metro area (suburban, well-to-do). Were you to ask about SAISD, it would be an entirely different story (poor, inner-city).

I wonder what the top end of the pay scale is in your district...and you say it's lower cost of living? My wife has mentioned she'd like to live in a warmer climate....

The scale tops out at just under $95k per year.

The cost of living is quite low - cheap groceries, cheap gas and cheap housing. The grocery prices are driven by HEB, a local powerhouse headquartered in SA (I had major sticker shock the first time I went to a non-HEB in Dallas). Gas prices are driven by refiners being based in SA. Housing is cheaper due to it never rocketing off like it did in other parts of the country. You can still get a very nice house in SA in a very nice part of town for under $150k.

...and we have no state income tax...

[Luckygirl#13]

PET PEEVE: That the "PET PEEVE" Thread has become an ongoing discussion about teachers and thier pay or lack of, etc. I swear this happens a few times a year. ENOUGH ALREADY! Geez.

[Dolphin275]

No. They're not having any issues attracting applicants. It's a great district in a nice part of the metro area (suburban, well-to-do). Were you to ask about SAISD, it would be an entirely different story (poor, inner-city).

I wonder what the top end of the pay scale is in your district...and you say it's lower cost of living? My wife has mentioned she'd like to live in a warmer climate....

The scale tops out at just under $95k per year.

The cost of living is quite low - cheap groceries, cheap gas and cheap housing. The grocery prices are driven by HEB, a local powerhouse headquartered in SA (I had major sticker shock the first time I went to a non-HEB in Dallas). Gas prices are driven by refiners being based in SA. Housing is cheaper due to it never rocketing off like it did in other parts of the country. You can still get a very nice house in SA in a very nice part of town for under $150k.

...and we have no state income tax...

I need to move

What is a gallon of gas going for down there?

[h8red]

PET PEEVE: That the "PET PEEVE" Thread has become an ongoing discussion about teachers and thier pay or lack of, etc. I swear this happens a few times a year. ENOUGH ALREADY! Geez.

But teachers are public servants, shouldn't they have an outlet to vent their frustrations?