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Gimme a break! Real estate brokers do much of their work in the afternoons and on weekends. Next you will be showing a comparison between those go-getter teachers and the "lazy" firemen waiting for a call at the station.

Come on, Claus, you can do better than this.

Oh, Mrs. C--You chastise me.  

Of course I don't think real estate brokers are lazy--especially not after selling my condo this year. I know from direct experience that they work hard. The point of the clip as I see it is to point out a qualitiative difference in the kind of work they do. I remember from my own time as a teacher how very tiring it was to be on for so much of the day. In my current job, I can get up, make a cup of coffee, stretch, look out the window for a minute or two--do any number of things to break up the day. Don't get me wrong--I work very hard, every bit as hard as my teacher wife does. But my day itself just isn't quite as relentless. I get a few more reprieves along the way, a bathroom break now and then, even though I work long hours. And Chris Wondra makes an important point about what happens after 3 pm--more work.

I hope the clip will give some insight into the nature of the work rather than making the simplistic suggestion that no one works as hard as teachers do.

I spent 31 years as a classroom teacher. For two years, however, I worked in a national nonprofit as a "Teacher in Residence," attending conferences, presenting workshops, dealing with policymakers, writing policy analysis, meeting with a variety of stakeholders to promote the goals of the nonprofit.

At the nonprofit, I could go to the bathroom whenever I felt the need, and take an hour for lunch. I had long stretches of time to plan, think, write, talk to colleagues, close my office door if I was busy, or connect with the virtual world--feed my brain. When I flew to another state for a conference over a weekend, I didn't have to come in on Monday. I also had (get this) an administrative assistant, whom I shared with another policy analyst.

By contrast, I was "on" constantly in the classroom, in front of 65+ teenagers for six hours a day. I competed for time on the phone in the detention room (the only private place to talk to parents) and time at the copy machine. I spent weekends at music festivals and contests and taking classes--plus planning for four academic preps. Every document and all teaching materials were created and duplicated by me (as well as assessed by me, recorded and returned by me)--nary an assistant in sight.

The people at the nonprofit were indeed hard-working and dedicated to an excellent cause. However, there were entire days, spent in my office, reading/writing/phoning where I wondered at the end of the day what I'd accomplished. I never had that feeling crossing the parking lot after school.

I have done both jobs and there is no doubt in my mind that teaching is the more difficult of the two. Yes, we do have summers off, and do get a check, but this is because our pay is pro-rated throughout the year in order to get money over the summer. No one is paying us to do nothing. Furthermore, my job in a Chicago Public School requires me to be on task in front of almost 125 students everyday. I don't get to decide when I am going to work, I don't get to decide what information I am going to share. And yes, the Realtor/Broker certainly does get to decide if he wants to take time off. You work your own hours and bank your money. Work very hard throughout one season and you can go months without working. Having children was one of the reasons I left teaching and went into real estate.

Obviously, you have not been a teacher, because you would know that you cannot read essays or mark dozens of calculus problems with a toddler trying to crawl on your lap or while trying to feed an infant.

During a market downturn, we are faced with the same threats to our careers. Our schools are facing huge deficits and we are constantly reminded that we can be layed off. There is no security in this economy.