Ask a teacher on Summer Break

[Cecelia]

What part of history do you mainly focus on teaching in your class?
Do you ever teach summer school?

I teach US History as well as Government and AP European History. 
I haven't taught summer school, but I won't rule it out in the future.  

How do you react to stories like this?

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion...82744.html

It saddens me that we don't prioritize education as much as we should in this country.  School districts like those in Oklahoma that are cutting down to 4 day school weeks are going to see bigger problems in the future. 

Teachers have to do what makes sense for them.   For years in our district we weren't getting step increases, and cost of living was going up.  That meant we were getting the same pay, while our cost of living was rising.  Nearby school districts pay a good deal more, and the cost of living is about the same.  A lot of teachers in our area--particularly in my department--left.   And it was hard to attract new teachers.  If you can't afford to live in an area on your salary, then it's not going to work out.  That's just common sense.  The only reason I've been able to make it is that my husband has a pretty good job.  It also helps that we try not to spend much. 

The problem will only get worse, because they won't be able to attract good teachers.

Why does your Summer break start 3 weeks before mine?
What is your general opinion on math and physics teachers?

My summer break actually began on June 21st.  I'm not sure why it starts earlier--maybe you get a longer breaks throughout the year?  We don't have year-round school here. 

I like and respect all types of teachers.  Though sometimes I feel that some math teachers give out too much homework.  Though that's more from a parent's perspective than a teacher's perspective.  I think Math in particular is difficult to teach, because every student doesn't learn the same way--and some methods will be harder for some students to get than others.  Nothing but respect for anyone who teaches (and takes their job seriously, obviously).