Musings: Here's the real scoop on LI 'double dippers'
Finding a replacement educator to teach students isn't always easy. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
I am a retired technology education teacher who was called out of retirement to come back and teach twice. It was not easy. I earned the money and did a service to the school, community, and school district that employed me for many years.
Teaching during the pandemic was not easy. However, I was glad the school opened when it did. Technology education is the successor of industrial arts, otherwise known as “shop class.” It is supposed to be 80% hands on.
During the 2020-21 school year, I could not let students into the tech room. We had to teach without the use of tools, machines, or desktop computers. They had to sit at separate desks behind shields. We wore masks and practiced social distancing. I had to come up with small projects that the students could build at their desks. We did a lot of computer-aided drawing on iPads and the like. I retired at the end of that school year.
The school district, though, could not find a certified tech teacher, and in August I was asked to come back per diem. I wanted to get the students back in the technology lab and out of their seats working on building and making things to solve problems. It was a tough year. These kids were recovering from our society being turned upside down, and all the side effects of being told to stay home, do less, and spend more time on their computers.
It is not easy being in your 38th year of teaching and, at the age of 63, keeping 12- to 14-year-old students engaged in learning, problem-solving, building, and creating.
Educators who already have pensions and help out this way are often called “double dippers.” Most are qualified and doing a service to their communities and likely would step aside if someone competent could replace them.
Also, the school actually saves money because it is paying the per diem teacher less than their step salary and are not paying benefits. Some may take advantage of the system. However, in most cases, having a teacher or administrator come out of retirement to be a temporary replacement until a qualified person can be found is helpful to the school and community.
— Thomas Bucci, East Islip
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