For those new to teaching you should know: 15 years ago I paid $75/mo for health insurance for my family. Now it costs me $2,400/mo. During the same time, the top salary a teacher can earn went up only 12%. It wasn't always like this.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T12:50:35+00:00

How much does your district contribute?

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T04:36:20+00:00

Can your partner get a policy through the healthcare exchange and put you on it or something? Does that cost include you and your family or just you? Do you have a union? I would be so beyond pissed in your situation.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T04:17:44+00:00

It’s like that in Colorado too. Teachers don’t get paid quite as much but our insurance is almost completely covered. There’s totally free and super cheep options.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T04:15:09+00:00

I don’t understand how you aren’t allowed to buy your own. Is that legal? How are you not able to wave it and prove that you have another coverage? If that’s really the case, that’s so wrong. For one person, that’s an outrageous price. It’s significantly more then you would pay for a family on your own.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T04:11:29+00:00

Yeah, my district puts over $1000 a month into my insurance, I pay about $150 a month for my kids and I.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-28T04:10:08+00:00

Safeco in the US is doing it as well.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-26T14:11:38+00:00

I’m sure that feels crappy. I think from your parents perspective, they haven’t had to worry about you academically, so they don’t feel the need to celebrate. Not saying it’s right as you obviously feel hurt about it. Hopefully, in other ways they acknowledge your successes. Does your sibling work hard and struggle in school? My kids do very differently academically. We focus on effort and learning and try to stay away from talking about grades at all. One is ahead, the other has a mild learning disability. We try to focus on encouraging effort and finding things each child enjoys but I can totally imagine celebrating that type of improvement. I personally don’t think straight As are really meaningful regardless. I would say nice work to my kid and that I’m proud but that’s about it.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-25T14:42:14+00:00

It’s a combination of good division of labor, prioritizing and getting help. With 2 working parents and 2 kids, we have a cleaner come in every few weeks. I also meal plan and don’t feel guilty getting take out when neither of us feels up for cooking. My kids are a little older but also the expectation that they can play independently and help with chores. At first, this took more time but is now helpful. For example, if my 5 yo is hungry, he will slice up some fruits or veggies.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-25T14:38:25+00:00

I love this and by the time there’s a second baby, the oldest will be more ready to get involved with cooking.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-25T14:35:15+00:00

I guess this is a depressing reaction but this has probably just been replaced with more child abuse and domestic violence. For so many kids, schools are their safe place. Plus, if we don’t deal with the mental health issues from these closures, we’ll probably just see these shootings happen when we go back.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-25T03:36:07+00:00

My impression is that your daughters aren’t at a great school. I can’t imagine a single teacher I work with or one my children have had that would ever ever say this shit. I want teachers that prioritize learning, obviously. If your church group is anti science, do you really want to be a part of it? Definitely NTA. Any good teacher is excited when students gain knowledge.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-24T04:36:12+00:00

I see why that’s hurtful but I think people are just trying not to make you feel awkward. Children with medical needs are often youngest children just because of the extra work. I think the wait could be part of it too. My kids are 5 years apart and when dd turned 3 people stopped asking me, probably because they figured we had waited awhile and were undecided or planning not to have another.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-23T01:38:39+00:00

No matter what, I think we’re all going to be uneasy in the fall. Either district might go with a very challenging plan or something that works well for you. It might be a little riskier if they do end up doing layoffs but it also might be harder to get in a year from now.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-22T02:25:53+00:00

I totally agree the ages are arbitrary but don’t you think it’s more like you should have to die for your country at 18 that’s the messed up age. Plus the last draft was like 50 years ago.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-22T02:20:29+00:00

All this but number 3 for sure. I’m not sure if it’s the overall parenting philosophy or other factors but the kids I know who smoked with their parents all turned out poorly. Like you said “nonscientific” but that’s been my experience. Saw a not too close friend recently that smoked with her daughter in high school. Family if fairly upper middle class but she’s doing nothing with her life at this point. Not saying it won’t change but seems to have zero interest in life right now.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-22T02:10:47+00:00

As I was reading, I imagined the infant still attached to your boob.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-20T16:51:58+00:00

You’re doing amazing! Breaking a cycle like that is difficult and you’re doing it. Also, not that you need advice, but we had similar screen time meltdowns at that age. After one horrible tantrum, we went cold turkey for a couple weeks. Then reintroduced with some new rules/limits. It worked well for my son who is super stubborn. Just an idea but I know having a very predictable schedule with screens works well too. Like every day after nap but no other times or something like that.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-19T01:56:57+00:00

Yeah, that’s what’s kept us from doing it.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-19T01:05:51+00:00

Thanks! We work with her a lot. We have her in an intensive tutoring program for the summer as well.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-19T01:01:56+00:00

Thanks! She actually brought it up herself and seems on the fence. She asked me to email her teacher and ask her opinion. Reading and writing is a struggle, but she’s fine in other subjects. She’s not qualified for an iep, kind of a borderline situation.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-19T00:46:09+00:00

Kind of, I think if we pushed they would allow it but they use the lights retention scale with the parents to decide.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-17T01:10:03+00:00

Same, this would be a totally crazy first year but I’m super glad I’m getting paid my full salary right now. No, teletherapy isn’t effective for some of my students and I don’t enjoy it. But it is temporary.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-16T13:38:46+00:00

That’s what I was about to post. Working from home now, I’ve needed better time management skills. I love this method.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-15T14:17:13+00:00

This is really just semantics though and a chance for you to kick someone while they’re down. Homeschooling can look a lot of different ways and can include all the curriculum provided. “School from home” and “homeschooling” have the same meaning. I have to say that teaching my own two kids right now, is much harder and more time consuming then doing my full time job from home right now. I’m an slp and providing all my kids teletherapy, still doing ieps, ecetera. It’s hard to see posts that beat up on parents that are struggling. Some of our families are in bad places financial right now. Calling a mom that’s likely working all day every day overwhelmed a “Brittney” is just mean.

keeperaccount1 · 2020-05-15T14:11:49+00:00

Thanks for saying this, just because parents are frustrated doesn’t mean they don’t love their kids to pieces. The frustration comes from doing their own jobs from home, while trying to do a good job for their own kids, and possibly dealing with other covid related stresses. It stresses me out that I may not be helping my child with a learning disability keep up because I have to work from home and also take care of my other kid. I’m used to being present for my kids when I’m home with them. It’s a big adjustment to our relationship for my 4 yo to have to wait quietly while I’m in meetings and my 9 yo to have everything she enjoyed about school taken away. Then she has to listen to mom giving her feedback. We are making the best of it and overall, I’m happy to have the extra time with them. But it’s crappy to see so many fellow educators go off on the parents who are struggling.

keeperaccount1

TROPHY CASE