I am a compensation expert and you seem to be a nice well meaning person. But please stop the myth of teacher salaries in comparison to anything. I'm sure that you misspoke when you said salaries are less than the rate of inflation. The comp would be rates of increase and rates of inflation. I doubt your3.9 number for inflation and quoting an increase on the "average" pay hides too many issues. Compare the 5year step with someone in industry in their position for 5years and increase the teacher pay by 20% (number of days worked less than industry). In that case 70k becomes 84k, etc. Add to that a benefits package that no one in a profit making world could afford and a work day that is usually less than 8 hours and one sees a lucrative job. The real test of wages is supply and demand and it would seem that there are more people available for gov't jobs like teachers and firefighters than ever.
There are no teachers in OC quitting because of pay.
I'd be happy to continue the point if you wish
I am a nice, well meaning person. We just disagree. I said the average increase in teachers’ salaries was below the rate of inflation. That number was presented by the National Education Association. Our salaries are not increasing at an astronomical rate and other industries have seen much sharper increases in a 5 year period than the increases teachers have seen.
Even putting that point aside, your representation of what teachers are paid is unfair. Many people looking at the teaching profession from the outside use the argument that teachers should really consider their salary what they make plus 20% more since there is that much vacation time built into a regular school year. That makes no sense to me. If I decide to be a teacher, I understand that I am taking a salary that is less but that I also get vacation time as a benefit to consider. I cannot, however, consider my salary of $57,000 really a salary of $68,400. Would I pull that money out of thin air? How would I pay my rent with that figure I am not receiving?
Some have said that we should get additional jobs in our time off, and many teachers do work during vacations in order to support their families. These jobs do not pay the additional 20%. Again, if you decide to be a teacher you understand what you are accepting and looking for a summer job will more than likely not give you the additional $11,400. There are not many industries that will hire a teacher just for 2 months and pay them this type of salary. That would mean working your 8 weeks off, at 40 hours a week, earning over $35 an hour. If you know of such a job, tell me and I will let other teachers know because many seek summer employment.
Many male teachers are becoming unable to support a family on a teacher’s salary alone anymore, and I consider that a shame and a reason we are seeing less male teachers enter the teaching profession. On top of that, you might have an unrealistic view of the types of benefit packages teachers are now offered.
As for the age-old argument that teachers work less than an eight hour day, that is so untrue. We are with the children for 6-7 hours a day, depending on the school schedule. That is the time we are in front of the students. Let me take a moment to say that this is the most precious and important part of our day and the part I most enjoy. If I am in front of the children, I had better have spent my time outside of the school day preparing for what I will do with them. I have to have my materials prepared, my lessons planned, schoolwork corrected so I know who needs to review or move on, not to mention the time we spend thinking about the children and what they need or ways to adapt to their changing needs throughout the year. We spend hours, and much of our own income on preparing the day for the children. Go to any school 2-4 hours after the children have left and even on weekends and you will find countless teachers. Plus, ask our families how much work we bring home.
It may sound boastful, but I feel like I am a really good teacher. I have a good heart, great intentions, and I spend time creating meaningful lessons often tailored to 20 different little people’s needs. I will not say that teaching is not a rewarding and emotionally fulfilling career, it is. To say that we should not be paid more is silly. I cannot foresee a time when we will be paid more, districts don’t have the means and our government does not seem to agree with this sentiment, but if it is a question of ‘should,’ we definitely should be paid more.
7 comments:
I am a teacher, I am 32 years old, and I agree that teachers do not need to be paid more. My friends who are the same age with college degrees, all work 40+ hours a week, and get 2 weeks of vacation time a year, and they get paid about $20,000 less than I do. I am at work 7 hours a day, but minus lunch (40 minutes) and recess (20 minutes), and I am only working 30 hours a week. I do work through my lunches so I don't have to stay after school. You need to realize that with the language arts, social studies, math programs everything is laid out for a teacher, no second guessing, so there's really no prep time involved. I make $78,000 a year, and that's not including summer school or after school inservices. Add those in and I make close to $85,000 a year - with 11 weeks of vacation time. I get really frustrated when I hear people complaining that teachers don't get paid enough money. Of course more money would be nice, but when my other 32 year old friends are working 8-10 hour days for $60,000 a year (which is 30$ an hour, a lot considering our economy right now)it makes teachers sound like complainers. What other job do you have the option of leaving by 3:00pm everyday if you want? Enough time to get errands, doctors appointments done after work. In addition to our 15 weeks of vacation a year, we also get 10 sick days a year! That is more than generous. I get really sick and tired of the teachers unions lies that we don't make enough. Where do they expect the money to come from? Maybe if they hadn't pushed so hard for more money at inappropriate times, the school districts would have had more money in reserves to prevent having to lay off so many teachers. I am grateful to be a teacher, and I love my job. I've been a Disney teacher of the year nominee too, so my teaching skills have been rewarded. I just feel that with your column, it is irresponsible for you to make it seem like teachers are underpaid and need to take on extra jobs to make it by. Many of my fellow teachers have also stated that we do get paid very well for the hours we work and the generous 15 weeks of vacation time we get. As a 32 year old, I see my friends struggling to make it by on what they make. How selfish would it be for me to complain that the extra $20,000 a year that I make isn't cutting it? I think its time we teachers begin to be thankful that we have such great jobs!
I am kind of disappointed that my comment about teachers' salaries did not get posted. Inside I did have a feeling that you would not post it as it states an opinion opposite to yours, but it is a valid one that I feel that the public should also hear. Perhaps you will eventually post it, but most likely I have the feeling that you will chooses not too. That's your choice, but its very one sided. As a teacher we teach our students to think from a broad perspective and not a narrow one. Both sides of a story always need to be told. The question writer of this post was not a teacher, so I feel it is even more important that a teachers point of view be posted on this topic- even though that opinion opposes yours.
After crying poor for a year, the education budget increased $1.5 billion to $58 billion, (that is 58 followed by nine zeros). With enrollment down, and still begging for more money, I see the CTA had an extra million dollars to throw at proposition 8. The next time the union begs for more money I will remember this. Does the union think we are all stupid?????
I can't help but feel offended that my two comments I made, as a teacher, saying that we do get paid well, were not posted, and yet this new comment on the blog was posted the same day that it was written. Interesting, made me and my friends think that perhaps you yourself wrote it in order to save face and make us believe that you are fair in what comments you choose to post.
I always publish the comments that come through unless there is something untrue or hurtful. If you sent a comment, it did not make it through the posting process because I would have published it. I do not write the anonymous posts, you will always know when it is me writing. I hope you and your friends continue to read and send posts and you will see those posts here. It sounds so silly to think I would not have posted a comment saying we really are paid well. I may not agree with you, but I don't agree with the comment asking if the union thinks we are all stupid either but I posted that one.
I am 32 years old, in my 10th year teaching, and I'm making $86,735 (AUHSD). I DO make enough, and quite frankly, I get embarrassed when I hear teachers saying that we don't make enough money. My friends who are all college educated, some with masters degrees, make roughly 20-25 thousand less than I do, and they work 50 weeks a year, whereas I work 37 weeks a year. My daily hours are 6-8 hours long, depending on what paperwork I need to do and prep time. In addition to that, we also get 10 sick days too! Not all teachers feel as you do. Teachers go into their profession clearly knowing how much they will make every year, so I feel they should not complain about pay when they know ahead of time what its going to be. If its such an issue, then they should look into another career. I would love to work with preschool children, but I know what they pay, so I am not going to go into teaching preschool and then complain about how little I get paid. We all make choices, so if your choice is to teach children, let it be and don't say you don' make enough money for the work you do. At this time with the economy, we ALL should be grateful that we even have a job.
Well, I see we now see your original comment. I am glad it came through this time. (I told you I would publish it)
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