Teachers don't have it so bad

Mr. Kopp (letter dated Nov. 29) needs to separate continued education from work year.

Just like teachers, employees in the private sector must pursue continued education on their own time. Unlike teachers, they don't have the luxury of taking six weeks off in the summer to do so.

Those in the private sector have to fit their classes and studies around their work week and during their week ends. And unlike teachers, a graduate degree does not give the recipient an automatic pay raise.

Using Mr. Kopp's numbers, 230 days minus 185 days equals 45 days less the teachers work than private sector employees. The 2.4 less scheduled weekly work hours for teachers Mr. Kopp identifies, equals an additional 11.6 days teachers don't work versus their private sector counterparts, for a total of 56.6 days, or 11.32 less work weeks for teachers.

That may not be 12 to eight months, but it's certainly 12 to nine months.

Regarding working beyond the scheduled hours, only hourly employees adhere to a clock. Technical staff, managers, middle managers, senior managers, all work beyond scheduled work hours without additional pay.

Most middle and senior managers are on call 24/7, and many spend enormous amounts of time away from their families traveling for their employers.

Certainly the private sector's employees' additional work hours can be viewed as the same as teachers' additional work hours.

I'm sure most teachers, like the populations of other employee segments, have strong work ethics. I think it's time, though, for teachers to understand their work arrangements aren't as terrible as they think they are and their pay and benefits for hours worked, at least in our local school districts, are comparable to or better than their private sector counterparts.

John Gillies

Schaumburg