Trying to figure out how people get the idea that teachers are not well paid.
Public school teachers, if you review their contracts, are required to work about 5 hours per day, and about 160 days per year. Their average wage is about $65,000. Their benefits are almost always 90% paid for by the school system, and their retirement compensation is the best in the world for ANY profession.
Using my figures above, which I’ve seen in many teachers contracts (contact your board of education, all contracts are public documents) teachers typically make about $81.25 per hour. Not bad for a part time job.
Add to this that they get mandatory overtime if they teach additional classes above the contract mandated maximums, and that many of them will coach a sport and grab another $5k to $10k per year in their spare time.
Additionally, many teachers are Realtors, Mortgage Professionals, or Insurance Agents as well, and they use their connections in the city to create business.
Is Public School Teaching The Highest Paid Profession?
July 27th, 2009 by admin Leave a reply »
Advertisement
Yep. You should definitely become a teacher. Come and show the rest of us how it’s done, because we’re obviously doing it wrong if you see it as a part time job. I predict your tune would change before long!
I don’t dispute that I am well-paid, have extremely good benefits and job security and pretty awesome vacation time. Teaching is a great career for many reasons and those I just listed aren’t even in the top ten. People who get into it for those reasons don’t last more than a couple of years because what isn’t outlined in my collective agreement is the extra work that has to be put in in order to do the job well.
Teaching simply isn’t (nor should it be) the sort of career that you leave “at the office” when you go home or on holiday. I wake up in the middle of the night to worry and think about lessons, report cards, marking, whether my students got to eat dinner that evening, if they are safe in their homes, whether they’re still in the shelter, and on and on. I spend my own money on teaching supplies and on stuff like a new pair of shoes for that kid whose toes are literally sticking out the end of their running shoes, or socks for those who come to school in winter without any. I spend my vacation time (and my own money) upgrading my skills and taking courses to ensure that I can be the best teacher I can possibly be.
Someone who approaches the career in the way you seem to be doesn’t belong there. You don’t get into teaching for the money, the hours or the vacation. You do it to make a difference in the lives of your students.
Teaching is not a part time job. You are not averaging in lesson plan time, before-school preparation, and after-school clean up and preparation for the next day. You are also not considering the amount of meetings, etc, teachers must attend.Teachers do not have loads of free time, as you seem to suggest, in which to have a second job.
The overcrowded state of public schools and lack of supplies and text-books also means that many teachers buy class supplies out of their own money.
I also doubt you are considering that teaching in a public school requires post-baccalaureate study, in many cases a master’s degree. For that level of education teaching is an underpaid profession.
EDIT: I don’t know who these “most teachers” you keep talking about are. Please enlighten me. What school district are you talking about? How long have these teachers worked at this school district? What is the rate of pay for new teachers? What is the probationary period? You have also not addressed the education level required for teaching.
Yes, lesson plans do need to change. You’d be surprised to know that ideas about how to best teach basic subjects like fractions and reading fluctuate constantly. Teachers are also required to take college courses to renew their credentials. I think that you are convincing yourself you have an idea about what is required of a successful teacher while it is obvious you have none.
Yes, I am personally offended. You have made it sounds like teaching takes as much effort and education as flipping burgers.
EDIT: Are you basing your figures all one one county? That will not make a balanced book.
I’m also interested to hear what you think teachers SHOULD make.
I’m really confused about the way you’ve been responding. Most of your responses have been from teachers. Are you saying you know more about what they make then they do?
And what about the education requirements. You still haven’t said anything about that.
Your ‘facts’ do not make sense and are not taken from ‘many teachers contracts ‘ if they are:
…about 5 hours a day
…about 160 days a year
…average wage is about
…benefits are almost always…
I think you just felt like annoying any teachers who read your ‘question’ tonight.
Uh, no. Public school teaching is not the highest-paid profession. Doctors, lawyers, and accountants often make a lot more money.
Harleigh Kyson Jr.
So are you becoming a teacher?
Wow…have you taken statistics at all??? Your “sample” isn’t large enough. Another thing to consider is the cost of livign in that area…. places which cost a lot to live in often pay ALL professions more money. My first year teaching I made $24,000 a year… plus I had to pay part of my insurance. I worked from 8am-4pm.
Your response to SMichele is all wrong.
Yes, 187 days is a lot less than the “260 everybody else works,” but teachers are not paid for 260 days per year. Their contracts are what their contracts are – no more, no less. If teachers were to get paid for 260 days, then they would simply be paid more. Teachers only get paid for what they work, so your logic on that is totally off.
Her case is also not unique. All of the teachers in the state I live in fall under the same basic situations she described. And the state I live in employees more than 50,000 teachers, so again, her situation is not unique.
And this health insurance thing you speak of does not exist in my state. You say that career teachers would not know that most folks with a family pay up to $300 a month for health insurance. I actually pay more that $600 a month for just myself and my children. My spouse pays another $200. School districts to not pay for health insurance for spouses and kids. No jobs do that. They may pay for the employee, but not their families.
And she also asked for your references. Did you provide her with those? You say you are writing a book. You must obviously have some very reliable resources. You should be able to present them.
Yes, you must be trying to elicit responses from teachers . . . perhaps to help you with writing your book. I’m curious to know what the title of your book.
Seriously, I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but most teachers do NOT make that much money. Teaching in NOT part-time work!
Consider this:
Teachers do not work 5 hours a day. Most work from (around) 7:30 until 4:00, not including any tutoring before or after school. Teachers are not paid overtime for that.
Teachers have to pay for supplies (90% of the time) out of their own pockets. That means spending about $100-$300 every year BEFORE school for things like bulletin board supplies, borders, chalk, dry erase markers, paper–just to name a few!
Teachers spend many evenings and weekends creating lesson plans, grading papers, creating games, etc
Before I vent anymore, please, please, please understand that we teachers do this because we love to teach. We are NOT “in it for the money”, we’re in it for the kids!
Definitely not.
You do have subtract all the money teachers have to pay to teach their kids.
Like I buy pencils, a lot, as schools don’t have money to provide it and without them my kids can’t do their work.
I buy books for them to read which are stolen on a daily basis.
Just a few of the many many many expenses I have.
Also contract hours are not our real hours. Believe teachers don’t stop working when the day is done. Our second job starts then.
Based on your reply comments and the tone of your “question,” I am guessing this is more to incite people, not to debate whether teachers are overpaid My guess is you wouldn’t survive very long in a classroom. Before you ask, in case you didn’t read carefully, YES I am a teacher. Also by the way I had better benefits and a MUCH easier job when I worked in advertising, before getting my master’s degree in education.