Saturday, April 14, 2007

Money or Stress

I made a choice yesterday. A choice that I had mulled over for nearly a day and came to the conclusion that a particular job I took was not worth the stress it involved and therefore not worth the money.

Thursday before last, I took a substitute job that payed more than triple what I make a day in my current school district. This job payed more because the teachers were on strike over their contracts. I needed the money and went in, never being near a picketing protest in my whole life. Needless to say, they pay you more because the experience was very unpleasant.

The strike went on the next day but I was already teaching at another school in my present district. I had heard on the news that the teachers on strike that day even accosted a sub. Umm... I thought these were educated "upstanding" members of society, not factory workers... My opinion of the whole union process went down the tubes. In this freemarket society, there is such demand for good teachers and if they aren't getting the benefits or salary they want, get out! Go to a non-unionized school. If enough of them leave it would certainly shake things up and change would happen in their favor.

The negotiations were supposed to go on over spring break, which ends tomorrow, and I was called on Thursday to come in again on Monday. I had said yes, but after thinking it over and talking with Golf, I decided not to. I don't want my already tarnished opinion to get any worse, nor do I want to put myself into a potentially dangerous position, so I called back yesterday and said I couldn't do it. I'm disappointed in not getting such good pay, but the price is too high in this case.

I believe in surrouding myself in positive energy, and not knowingly entering hostile environments.

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