re: Cathy Brady's comment:

I didn't catch the first part of this discussion, but as far as working
hard, I've also long thought that teachers had one of the roughest roads to
travel.  Until my wife opened a small, self-owned business (bookstore) and I
started to meet a few other small retail business owners.  The thirty-second
pee break is a necessary skill.

One couple I met recently owns two stores, and they each run one of them.
The hours? They get out of bed at 5:00 am and close the doors at about 9:00
pm, six days a week, for five years.  And no, they're not planning on
staying married much longer.....

But hours aren't the whole picture, of course. There's stress, danger, etc.
I think comparing jobs is always a bit of apples and oranges.  It's the
individual who produces the result, and I've known more than a few museum
workers who do hours and stress, too.  One thing I like about working in
museums, though, is that almost all of the museum people I work with really
do enjoy their jobs, which makes them interesting to be around and fun to
work with.

Cathy Brady's comment:

: School teachers work hard, but do they work harder than anyone else? Do =
: they worker harder than firefighters? nurses? police? garbage disposal? =
... from my experience as a teacher, nurses's aide and education specialist
in a museum, I'd hazard a yes.
Teaching was one place where I could not get to the bathroom, chat with a
colleague or anyone else, or use the phone during an entire work day. The
other jobs had SOME downtime somewhere.
Joe Nagel (KUSTOS Inc.)
2961 Semiahmoo Trail
Surrey, B.C.  V4P 1H4
604-531-6879, 604-594-2628 (FAX)