Ms. Avallone writes a very well-stated letter. Bravo! In a nation as wealthy as ours, we absolutely must support our most critical segment of society.

It is common knowledge that we can gauge the number of prison spots we will need 25-30 years down the road simply based on current literacy rates. Imagine the money we could save on punishment down the road, if we invested it in EDUCATION now. Seems like a no-brainer to everyone...except our elected officials. What a pity.

Jim Smith keeps saying that there is no money to give cost of living raises to any County employees - it's just not responsible. Does he get a raise this year? What about the superintendent, Dr. Hairston? Rumor has it he is to receive quite a hefty salary increase next year. What's fair is fair - why does doing what is "fiscally responsible" only apply to those of us not making six figure salaries or the money decisions??? If teachers, police officers, firefighters, school nurses, etc. get nothing, neither should anyone in the county government!

I did the work to rule yesterday. I left for school at 7:20. It was really nice I even ate ate breakfast with my fiancée . I gave myself 45 minutes to get to school. It normally takes 20 minutes. I was so scared that there might be an accident and I would end up late so I gave myself plenty of time. I then taught my classes. I had to use my planning time to call parents because I knew that I wanted to leave on time at 3:05. I left at 3:10.

Normally I arrive at 6:30 in the morning. I usually leave between 4:30 and 6:30 at night. I spend at lot of time preparing supplies so that my students can work on interesting extensive projects. I take photo's of their work and post them on a website. I set up field trips. I do three different afterschool clubs. I spend an hour or more a week contacting parents, sometimes trying five different phone numbers that are no longer working.
I think I might work less now. I can just go to work. I can make the lessons less elobrate. I can cancel afterschool clubs. I do not need to call parents as much.
I also found out today that my positon will only be .7 next year. Last year I had to find a new school because I was excessed. This makes me wonder where all the money is going. I teach 5-6 classes a day. The school is not getting smaller. The class sizes will grow and teachers will get paid less to teach more.

I joined many of my colleagues yesterday, and plan to reduce my hours as much as possible without inconveniencing MYSELF.I arrived at work and was on duty at 7:30 AM, and left at 2:30 PM. Generally, I work such long hours that I actually felt like I was cutting school by leaving on time!

I know of at least six teachers who have finally had enough and are actively seeking jobs in other counties.

Once more, feel the need to say it: no raises for higher-level employees (notably Joe Hairston) if there is no money to fund raises for all county employees. Either everyone takes the hit, or the hypocrisy is recognized for what it is.

As a high school teacher whose students were openly curious when they saw their classroom teachers in the parking lot instead of in their classrooms at 7:10 and exiting the building en masse at 2:15 for the past two days, I am positive that there have been conversations taking place at family dinner tables and on car rides home over the past two days as work to rule is a highly visible reality for our school communities. I urge all Baltimore County families to take their conversations to their neighbors and friends. I hope many of you will consider voicing your desire to Jim Smith and the school board for pay that will help attract and retain top notch educators for Baltimore County.

Also, I really hope that Anonymous' comments are somewhat tongue in cheek. After just two days of working to rule, the pinch of what is missing is already being felt by students and teachers at my school as our time together is at a premium. I believe a truth magnified by this exercise is how our school community thrives on interactions and activities beyond the end of day bell. The conversations with parents and students are essential and the tutoring and coaching and creating that takes place after hours is frequently the gem of the educational experience for many kids and educators alike. Baltimore County teachers want to continue to provide this kind of environment for our students and deserve a fair wage as we do it.

Working to rule was extremely difficult for me- as I usually arrive at 6:30 and leave around 4:30, working 7:30-2:30 was nearly impossible. I went to a meeting today and was asked why I was "working to rule". The meeting was with some community members as as well those involved in education within the district. I simply asked- "what time does your day start?" "8:30" was the reply. I asked "what time to you get in each morning?" "usually around 8:30" was the reply. I said- " you work to rule"

The fact is- I feel it is impossible to work to rule and get my job done. I am so frustrated with ignorant people and a blind county executive that I can do nothing more than focus on getting the word out at this point.

Fact finding reports have revealed what TABCO has been saying all along- why can't the public and the county executive see that he is hiding money!

This has nothing to do with being fiscally prudent- this has to do with telling lies and denying the truth in order to "be political".

The public needs to realize that QUALITY teachers DESERVE QUALITY salary. Teachers (especially those who teach my subject) are leaving for other professions where they can make twice as much money. These teachers are good teachers- teachers that are not only qualified but teachers that are respected within their schools and communities. It is sad to see education become more and more undervalued each year.

I am doing my best to work-to-rule--hours-wise, anyway. I have an intern who needs my support in order to plan her lessons. I am being compensated by her university, so I'm cutting myself some slack when it comes to running out the door at the exact end of my contracted hours. However, I will not meet with or talk to parents, unless they are available during my planning time--or the handful of minutes between afternoon bus duty and "quittin' time." And that's only AFTER I've had a chance to use the restroom! I won't spend my own money on anything for school unless it's a direct benefit to me--like my favorite overhead pens, for example. I'm ashamed to admit that I will continue to grade tests at home. If I graded student work at school--and only during my planning time--I would not have time to do anything else. Grading 25 second-grade math tests takes about an hour and a half. I get 50 minutes of planning time each day. When would I plan tomorrow's lessons? When would I make the copies? When would I go look for the books I need to teach those lessons? When would I type up notes I need to present at a team meeting tomorrow? For that matter, when would I write the sub plans for the substitute who will cover my class while I am at the team meeting? And what if some of my little charges act up while they are at art or music? Even if the special teacher "handles" the problem, the classroom teacher always ends up involved somehow.

Basically, my version of work-to-rule is more like planning-time triage. Activities most critical to my own functioning in the classroom will be handled first. Everything else will fall after that on the to-do list. When my contracted time runs out, so will I! All teachers know that I will be LUCKY to rustle up a couple of resources, fill out a form or two, quickly confer with my teammates about our field trip, and make 2 or 3 sets of copies in my 50 minutes. {What is she, crazy?? Doesn't she realize that the server is down, the copy machine needs toner, we are all out of paper, and someone threw out those books she's looking for back in the '90s! She's gonna fill out a form, talk to the ONE of her teammates who is not on the phone with a parent or currently in the restroom, and then spend the remaining 30 minutes of her planning time wrestling the copy machine and machete-chopping her way through various dusty, funky, mouse-infested closets looking for the non-existent books!}

I hope I--and all of the other caring BCPS teachers--have the willpower to stay "on-task" with this work-to-rule. We must show the consumers (taxpayers/parents/registered voters) what they would REALLY get for the money the county pays us. Our jobs CANNOT be performed in the time for which we are paid. The vast majority of us are more than willing to work many hours for free. The consumers will not realize the value of our collective charity until we stop providing it. When our customers begin to miss all the value-added service we have been providing for free, maybe they will support us in our quest for adequate compensation.

"Don't know what you got till it's gone..." (from Cinderella, 80s hair band)