I used to think the same thing. Then, when you think about the timing of it...November is a down month for AC. It has just as much, if not more, to do with AC getting a windfall for it being held in November. AC would not like it if teachers took up many hotels worth of rooms during their prime resort season in the summer. Like many things, the bottom line is money.

Airfare to Cancun is cheaper.

very interesting dialog...thank you Joe Fontombon for enlightening the public. It's SO easy to criticize educators...

I love teachers. It's their union I hate.

"Eschew obfuscation"

Are you the same"BN" that spews hateful anti-union rhetoric on the nj.com site as well?

They do. They get paid for the number of days in the contract. Period.

I am a teacher. I work hard. You try spending 7 hours a day with children. Most of you "parents" do not spend more than 4 hours with your kids, and complain about them. I enjoy my job, work hard, and work after hours (grading, planning, etc.) I was a former private sector employee and most of YOU did not care about teachers until you started losing your jobs...I remember the private sector...2 hour lunches, cigarette breaks, web surfing when your boss is not around. You think teaching is easy?? Go get certified and try it. Fact, 3/5 new teachers quit in the first three years. WHY? Because it is not easy. And the kids today are a lot different then we were...they have little or no respect for their elders (wonder where they get that from??)

Without power, the traffic signals do not work. So it is not safe for the school buses to transport students to school . Also I hear 6 out of 8 township schools are still without power. The safety of our children should be our one and only concern at this point.

"It's about the children" isn't that the quote?

Plenty of people attend this convention. These are not paid days off, so you should be thanking the members of your local NJEA education staff that do go since they aren't being paid to obtain the professional development that is available there and from which the districts and the students do benefit.

You are so right on Pieter--my family lost their home in Toms River--I would appreciate the compassion at this time--not a lot of bashing and complaining. How bout going to one of the shelters--they need volunteers. I live in NH and hope to get down there soon to help out. For my family's sake, please help

I live in keyport and our school is being used as a shelter for displaced senior citizens. The town next to us was completely devastated, Union Beach, and they don't have their own high school so they come to our district. They have lost lives and homes. They need time. Some districts may be prepared but many are not. It is the first time in over 150 years it has been canceled . That is evidence for how powerful this storm was

Mike, you sound like one of the teachers I would be proud to have in our school system. You know that all are not like you, however. Yes, parents are to blame for a lot of our "entitled" children. Keep up the good work.

Mike way to explain your point with with the simple truths that most tend to ignore. Teaching is a trade, a craft that many could never plain and simply hack, pushing paper ok, developing young minds nah.....Some like to pick on teachers, bully-esk, seems to be pretty popular these days....

Mike sounds to me that you are a great teacher. Thank You

Our education isn't "mediocre at best." I'm so TIRED of that myth being perpetuated like it's gospel. NJ schools are tops in the country, and if you look at the international NAEP scores per grade level, the U.S. is actually scoring higher than it did decades ago. If you allow for poverty, the U.S. has actually one of top systems in the world. Other nations simply do not count their poor, disabled and at-risk population. More students are graduating from high school than ever before. Children have far more knowledge and requirements to succeed in school now than ever before. Have you seen the Kindergarten curriculum content standards? Guaranteed you never had to do algebra or read on the same level as our New Jersey Kindergarteners when you were that age. You were too busy playing.

You have been fed skewed statistics and you are believing them.

Actually, it makes it easier for Atlantic City. They want the business in the off-season.

A longer school year is a nice idea, but parents would never go for it, and municipalities would never be able to pay or it.

Personally, I would like to see school go to July and start mid-August with a month of winter holiday like they do in Europe. This would give families a chance to go somewhere warm to rejuvenate young minds. Research shows that people are more productive thinkers with adequate downtime. Weather-wise, it could make for less dangerous conditions depending on which month it is. No children should be transported to school in extreme cold, ice, or snow.

There is never a "suitable occasion or proper forum for teacher bashing." You make a very good point that teachers are actual human beings who experience the same losses as their neighbors. I'm beyond tired of the teacher and public schools bashing. The act has become sport among the ignorant.

Curious Citizen, neither you nor I nor anyone can know the quality of a teacher by his comments on an Internet rag. We would have to observe this person in action over time to make any such judgements, but more than that, we'd have to have the knowledge, skill, and experience as educators to know what to look for. No one posting here has such a luxury unless they can say they've observed Mike as a certified and experienced education professional.

As for those "nasty" protections you abhor, here's a little education for you. Unions ARE their membership by the very nature of the definition. Your lack if respect for what unions accomplish is indicative of your ignorance on the topic.

Tenure is a protection of academic freedom and due process--both of these you want for those educating your child. Without them, the teaching staff in our schools would be just as dedicated as the cashiers at Wal-mart. (lesson con't...)

(con't)
Academic freedom allows teachers to be involved in the dialogue about what's best for their students without fear of repercussions for critical thinking. You never want to squelch critical thinking in the schools. It may work for the private sector when the boss wants to control every aspect if business, but educating minds is not about control--it is about creating divergent thinkers who can solve problems thus improving their contributions to the evolution of humanity.

Teachers are certified which means they are educated professionals who should never be hired and fired on the whims of a superintendent (or school board member) who just happens to have a nephew needing a job. Teachers should never be let go because they are strict in student expectations or because of their sexual orientation. Teachers should never be harassed because of personality conflicts with administrators who have God-complexes. This is not to say that there are not great admins, superintendents or school board members, and certainly this is not to say that there are not sub-par teachers in the profession. Tenure is NOT a "job for life" as certain ignorant loud-mouths have purported for decades. It simply is not true. School districts have EVERY RIGHT to bring a teacher up on tenure charges, and should be successful in dismissing said teacher IF the charges are sound. If sub-par staff are still within the confines of the schools, that is the fault if the district, not the union. (con't)

(con't)
Finally, every teacher pays for benefits and pension with the money he or she has earned. Take-home pay is abysmally low due to all the contributions. Since salaries for professionals with comparable credentials (and in some cases, less credentials) are much higher than that of teachers, help with a group benefits package is an incentive to attract and retain quality people in these jobs, New Jersey schools are among the finest in the country, and you can thank the dedicated teaching staff and administrations who uphold such high standards of excellence for the students. If you have issues with Camden, Asbury Park, Newark, and the like, please examine the quality of life of those children before you bash their teachers.