teacher myths

[kwitcherkicken99]

I looked it up, minimum wage in 1975 was $2.10/hour. Your 13 cents/hour might not be all that far off if you are looking at TAKE HOME pay when you subtract taxes, union dues, pension funding, etc. and then figure an hourly wage (which isn't totally accurate but it makes a point).

Thank you for that...
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Bottom line is, teachers don't teach to make money, but they should be paid appropriately for the jobs that they are doing.

My parents are both a teacher and a firefighter. They've been paying their own wage since they began working. And part of that goes back into the pot (general fund). Heck, I've been helping pay their salary since I was 16. They do it because they are rewarded in other ways.

 

[schmitty]

Don't forget, sports get a huge amount of public funding. Every new stadium is built primarily with tax payer money and that money does not get paid back to the tax payer. Also any schmuck off the street could compete for a starting job against Mark Sanchez.

 

[grafxgirl]

Here in Ohio, they start at $28,000. After 22 years, my husband with a master's only makes $45,000.

That's about what it is here for someone with a masters. One state over from us the teachers with masters start at 47,000 and top out around 79,000.

 

[MELSMICE]

Here's the root of the problem, right here! The folks who "think" that anyone can teach! This is why teaching is devalued--- it's the folks who don't understand that teaching is a well-honed craft that requires knowledge of both content, pedagogical practice, and child development.

I value my children....thus I value there teachers. Why on earth would I leave my children (and their futures) in the hands of just anyone? I want well-prepared, highly-educated, thoughtful, dedicated, satisfied people working with my children. I want my children to be prepared to be tomorrow's leaders---that's why I trust them in the hands of good teacher's today.

To the folks who devalue teachers---check to see what your kids are doing in 20 years!

I agree. Just like any other job, not anyone can teach. Like any other profession, some are cut out for a certain & others are not.

And this money comes from the money tree growing in the back yard of the office building . If no one went to the games or bought Nike shoes, athletes would NOT be making these huge salaries.

Schools make money through bonds yet for every "raise" the school needs it is a FIGHT. Look at how much gas has gone up in the past 5 years and how much of a school budget goes to transportation, yet people expect schools just to "make cuts" to handle the ever rising costs for everything. Go look at the post about the mom asking about having 2 sets of textbooks for her DD and pricing out USED textbooks and how much they cost. Have you seen jumps in your gas/electric bills, well so have the schools.

Our district is putting a bond referendum on the ballot this year because of the amount of funding the state cut to our (and every) district in our state. They did a survey to get ideas of preliminary support for this bond and 81.7% said they support the bond. It will work out to be an average of around $250/year/household so not huge but not small either. I am SO glad we live in a district that supports the schools because we have lived in areas that don't and it is night and day difference between the schools.

You keep complaining about a teacher with over 20 years of experience and a masters and possibly a PhD making $100,000-for that level of education that salary is not out of line. I also ask you, what is the average cost of a house in your area? How much does a starting teacher make and can that salary support living in your area?

I agree with you & especially don't think such a salary is out of line, depending on experience, time served, qualifications, etc. A teacher just coming in to a position should not start out at $100,000, but over the course of time there is no reason the salary shouldn't increase.

The teachers in our area retire at an average salary of $80,000. Most of them have put in anywhere from 25-40 years of service. If they are a good educator they should be compensated accordingly.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

The median salary for teachers in my town is: $51,958

And we are one of the poorer counties in NJ.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I agree. Just like any other job, not anyone can teach. Like any other profession, some are cut out for a certain & others are not.


I agree with you & especially don't think such a salary is out of line, depending on experience, time served, qualifications, etc. A teacher just coming in to a position should not start out at $100,000, but over the course of time there is no reason the salary shouldn't increase.

The teachers in our area retire at an average salary of $80,000. Most of them have put in anywhere from 25-40 years of service. If they are a good educator they should be compensated accordingly.

So that's it, huh? Time served, get a Master's (which you can do online quickly these days), and you get $100,000? How about graduation rates? How about extra time spent with students? How about parental reviews/complaints? Seems like these should be in order.

Since my best friend is a teacher, I know A LOT of teachers, and there are plenty who are there just to get their 100K for their "time served."

I'm glad to see people on the DIS are so noble, and are teaching for the intrinsic nature of the vocation, but that's not the way it is everywhere. In our area, the teachers fight, then they strike, then they bargain, then they get their raises and our taxes go up. For the next 4 to 5 years, some (not all) put their feet up and coast, safe in the knowledge that a new contract will be coming around the bend and the same process will result in more money in their pockets, with barely a finger lifted.

 

[bgirldeb]

You keep complaining about a teacher with over 20 years of experience and a masters and possibly a PhD making $100,000-for that level of education that salary is not out of line.

I agree.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

You keep complaining about a teacher with over 20 years of experience and a masters and possibly a PhD making $100,000-for that level of education that salary is not out of line. I also ask you, what is the average cost of a house in your area? How much does a starting teacher make and can that salary support living in your area?

20 years? How about I just pulled up salary info and there is a Social Studies teacher with half of that...yes 10 years, who is bringing in a salary of $99,787 for 2009.

 

[golfgal]

20 years? How about I just pulled up salary info and there is a Social Studies teacher with half of that...yes 10 years, who is bringing in a salary of $99,787 for 2009.

Again, they could be making a million dollars/year but it is still irrelevant unless you know the cost of living in an area. If a teacher is making $100K but a starter home is $400K or more in MANY parts of the country, $100K isn't a livable wage.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Again, they could be making a million dollars/year but it is still irrelevant unless you know the cost of living in an area. If a teacher is making $100K but a starter home is $400K or more in MANY parts of the country, $100K isn't a livable wage.

True, but for 9 months' work?

 

[Robindianne]

I looked it up, minimum wage in 1975 was $2.10/hour. Your 13 cents/hour might not be all that far off if you are looking at TAKE HOME pay when you subtract taxes, union dues, pension funding, etc. and then figure an hourly wage (which isn't totally accurate but it makes a point).

I think she's also including the hours worked on her own time, at home, during family time, etc. And maybe the evening conference hours, required training time over summer, evening events, etc?

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Again, they could be making a million dollars/year but it is still irrelevant unless you know the cost of living in an area. If a teacher is making $100K but a starter home is $400K or more in MANY parts of the country, $100K isn't a livable wage.

I don't buy the cost of living argument. In the District that I live in, only 10% of the teachers live within the District, so there should be no correlation between salary and district cost of living.

I look more toward the median income of the area, since most taxpayers will look at their own bank accounts when dealing with a looming teacher contract dispute. You'll find households that make well below that number, and households that make above that number. In the case of the 10-year teacher making nearly $100,000, the median HOUSEHOLD income for that area is around $50,000. And, as most districts have, there are areas where lower income families live, and areas where higher income families live. If we continue to approach a lower and lower threshold for the "magic" 6-figure number, where is that going to leave the taxpayers who fall on the lower side of that $50K number?

Or maybe that's the political rub of the whole thing. Those areas are out only to protect their home values, and run the "riff raff" out of the district.

 

[bunny]

If $100,000 isn't a livable wage, there is something seriously wrong. In the private sector especially in this economy $100,000 is a hell of a lot of money. There are people with Masters degrees and 20 years experience fighting over jobs paying half that much. And those jobs are full time all year not 187 days.

 

[daughtersrus]

20 years? How about I just pulled up salary info and there is a Social Studies teacher with half of that...yes 10 years, who is bringing in a salary of $99,787 for 2009.

I'm not sure where you pulled up this information from but could that include credit for years teaching in another district or stipend pay for coaching/clubs/adviser/teaching summer school...?

What degree does this person have?

 

[Michelle and crew]

Here's the root of the problem, right here! The folks who "think" that anyone can teach! This is why teaching is devalued--- it's the folks who don't understand that teaching is a well-honed craft that requires knowledge of both content, pedagogical practice, and child development.

I value my children....thus I value there teachers. Why on earth would I leave my children (and their futures) in the hands of just anyone? I want well-prepared, highly-educated, thoughtful, dedicated, satisfied people working with my children. I want my children to be prepared to be tomorrow's leaders---that's why I trust them in the hands of good teacher's today.

To the folks who devalue teachers---check to see what your kids are doing in 20 years!

ummmm...one of my degrees is a MEd. I could go into that class and teach. I also have an understanding of the content and crowd control due to other factors in in my life. I took the stupid lesson planning classes, and frankly thought they were pathetic. Plan 10 days of math lessons, blah, blah, blah.

Grade school isn't rocket science. Sorry if you think so. Do I think people need to paid decently to teach, sure I do. I don't devalue teachers. I just don't worship them either, nor do I think they are some sort of magician or saint.

 

[Robindianne]

True, but for 9 months' work?

See that's the thing. It's not 9 months of work. That's a myth. Training over the summer is required. When a teacher is changed to a different grade or subject or even moves to a new room as schools open and close, summers and/or weekends are spent getting up to speed, studying, etc. We have 6 weeks "off" during which there are several 5-day classes the district has us take, many many one-day classes, "retreats", plus the above, plus required hours to maintain our certification (required), or just hone our skills to ensure we are good educators.

I don't expect people who aren't teachers to know these things but we all say the same things and we can't ALL be lying. I love what I do. And I love even going in and working in the school during the summer because it makes my school year better, my kids are more successful learners, and our country (I believe) will be better for it in the future. And, myths abound.

That said, I think we all (any profession including childrearing SAHM) have a sense that what we do is harder than what anyone else does and that we could go in and do whatever others do better, faster, and for less money. I suppose it's human nature?

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I'm not sure where you pulled up this information from but could that include credit for years teaching in another district or stipend pay for coaching/clubs/adviser/teaching summer school...?

What degree does this person have?

This is straight off the salary schedule, which includes, next to the name the following information: Years of Service: 10, Years in District: 10.

Based on that information, it would seem there is no credit from other districts.

 

[daughtersrus]

This is straight off the salary schedule, which includes, next to the name the following information: Years of Service: 10, Years in District: 10.

Based on that information, it would seem there is no credit from other districts.

Does it include any other information like summer school/coaching/clubs... for this or any other teacher on the list? If not, how do you know if the salary listed doesn't include pay for these services?

I know that our database here lists years of service and they always match the years in the district. The problem is that it's not accurate. I know several people that have taught in more than one district and the years listed for them only includes the ones served in the district that they're currently working in. Could that be the case with your list as well? Are there any that do not match?

Does this teacher have a BA, MA, PhD?

 

[golfgal]

I don't buy the cost of living argument. In the District that I live in, only 10% of the teachers live within the District, so there should be no correlation between salary and district cost of living.

I look more toward the median income of the area, since most taxpayers will look at their own bank accounts when dealing with a looming teacher contract dispute. You'll find households that make well below that number, and households that make above that number. In the case of the 10-year teacher making nearly $100,000, the median HOUSEHOLD income for that area is around $50,000. And, as most districts have, there are areas where lower income families live, and areas where higher income families live. If we continue to approach a lower and lower threshold for the "magic" 6-figure number, where is that going to leave the taxpayers who fall on the lower side of that $50K number?

Or maybe that's the political rub of the whole thing. Those areas are out only to protect their home values, and run the "riff raff" out of the district.

If only 10% of your teachers live in your district that should REALLY tell you something. Also, compare apples to apples and find the median income for those holding a college degree because your $50K also includes those working for minimum wage at McDonalds. Again, what is the average price of a home in your area??

If $100,000 isn't a livable wage, there is something seriously wrong. In the private sector especially in this economy $100,000 is a hell of a lot of money. There are people with Masters degrees and 20 years experience fighting over jobs paying half that much. And those jobs are full time all year not 187 days.

Try living in San Francisco on $100K and see how far that goes.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Does it include any other information like summer school/coaching/clubs... for this or any other teacher on the list? If not, how do you know if the salary listed doesn't include pay for these services?

I know that our database here lists years of service and they always match the years in the district. The problem is that it's not accurate. I know several people that have taught in more than one district and the years listed for them only includes the ones served in the district that they're currently working in. Could that be the case with your list as well? Are there any that do not match?

I'm pretty sure these are standard pay schedule salaries, and do not include sports, as the teachers in the same service range all have the same salary.

As to the Years vs. District Years, there are plenty that are different 35/25, 18/15, etc.