What's up with these Mutimillionaire Teachers???

[Hannathy]

Some of you teachers are definitely in the wrong school districts. Go to Bucks Co. PA there are many,many teachers earning 80,000-100,000 per school year,not whole year. Here in our area teachers are in the 40's after only a couple years and only with a BS. With a masters they are in the 50's just as fast. After 20 yrs are in the 70-80's. with a guaranteed raise every year of 2-3%-show me another field with guaranteed raises every year. Teachers also only work mon-fri with every holiday off. these are perks. I have never lived anywhere (other than inner city NYC maybe) where it is easy to get a teaching job, that is an indication of the desirability of the job. Teaching is not easy but most teachers are being paid well when you factor in all the perks. Days off for working an evening- never happens in industry. As a RN for me to earn 80,000 I would be working all yr and weekends and possibly holidays. Yrs ago teachers were grossly underpaid but those days in most places are gone.

I would take a full time teaching job tomorrow but around here the only way is to sub for 3-5 yrs so a principal knows you and pulls your application to interview you- How the last 3 teachers I know found jobs.

 

[pigget74]

Lets see here----I have been teaching 6 years and make less than 35,000. I go to work at 7:15 and leave at 4:00. I get a 30 min. lunch break 3 weeks out of the month. The other week I have duty. Also on duty week I only get one off period of 45 min. When I went on maternity leave earlier this year I ended up paying back $2,500 to the county because I did not have enough days. Also subs. here only get $45 a day. Our school gets out May 23rd and we go back August 4th only to then get out May 29th. So we work a lot more than 6 months.

 

[ourhappyplace]

At first when I read this thread, I thought that the first statement was serious! But then I reread it and realized that I would LOVE to make over $100K a year! I make 1/3 of that and work my tail off! I love my job and that is why I teach - definately not in it for the money - but those who might think we have summers "off" surely don't live in an area where the teachers actually do work all summer. I don't make enough money to take the summers off and don't have a 12 month pay option so I use that time to work as well as to do prep work for my classroom. Plus to make extra money and to pay for the graduate courses I take and are not reinbursed for, I tutor on top of everything else! I think that we should get a bonus for everyday that we don't have time to use the bathroom and for the days that the copiers don't work. I wouldn't trade my job in a million years for a corporate position - no matter what the money - but I think that all need to have respect for all careers. Nothing in this world is easy!

 

[MN Dis Fans]

The only other lower paying job is probably mine, Legal Advocate for domestic and sexual assault victims.

It can't be much lower than the school secretary's salary.

 

[ourhappyplace]

Buck County PA... I lived there... interesting place... couldn't get a job there to save my life... I worked hard for 3 years as aids and subs and didn't get anything. That is one of the most competitive places in the country to get a teaching position due to all of the teacher colleges in that area and around Philadelphia. I went through a lot of "bottom feeding" positions to try to get my foot in the door and it was impossible. Pay also depends on the school district in that area. I know for a fact that the districts near the NE Philly while still in Bucks County paid very little for all positions unless many years were put in. The larger ones paid more because there was a lot of money in those areas. There are always going to be exceptions to the salary rule but generally teachers are not paid well at all. There are no raises or bonuses for high test scores or for successfully helping a student understand a new concept. There are no monetary rewards for all of the time put in before and after school working with struggling students. The only reward is to make a difference in this world.

 

[ourhappyplace]

It can't be much lower than the school secretary's salary.

School secretary's aren't paid anywhere close to what they deserve! You put up with a lot and do SO much to keep that school working... you all deserve SO much credit. I don't know what I would do without our secretaries!

 

[delilah]

When I was working on my MS in education, back in 1983, beginning teachers with MS degrees teaching math and science earned about $13,000 to start, which was in demand, because there was a shortage of math and science teachers. Wonder why. Maybe because they can do math, maybe? Somebody tried to convince me that wasn't bad for working "only" 9 mos out of the year. I thought it pathetic that I was able to get a position as a research technician for $11/hr, which technically doesn't require a college degree, let alone a masters degree. Then I applied to medical school.

 

[golfgal]

Some of you teachers are definitely in the wrong school districts. Go to Bucks Co. PA there are many,many teachers earning 80,000-100,000 per school year,not whole year. Here in our area teachers are in the 40's after only a couple years and only with a BS. With a masters they are in the 50's just as fast. After 20 yrs are in the 70-80's. with a guaranteed raise every year of 2-3%-show me another field with guaranteed raises every year. Teachers also only work mon-fri with every holiday off. these are perks. I have never lived anywhere (other than inner city NYC maybe) where it is easy to get a teaching job, that is an indication of the desirability of the job. Teaching is not easy but most teachers are being paid well when you factor in all the perks. Days off for working an evening- never happens in industry. As a RN for me to earn 80,000 I would be working all yr and weekends and possibly holidays. Yrs ago teachers were grossly underpaid but those days in most places are gone.

I would take a full time teaching job tomorrow but around here the only way is to sub for 3-5 yrs so a principal knows you and pulls your application to interview you- How the last 3 teachers I know found jobs.

Now, the teachers may make what you say but what is the cost of living in your area, that makes HUGE difference if this salary is good or not. How much would your typical 4 bedroom, 2 story house run?

 

[monarchsfan16]

Now I realized (as the daughter of a teacher) that teachers don't make much, but I've never seen it broken down like that before. Heck, I make $5 an hour babysitting
It is pitiful what teachers are paid. Starting salaries in my hometown (which btw none of the teachers can afford to live in because the COL is so high) are in the mid 20's. That's in southern NH. No one can survive on that in this part of the country. Some school districts in our area are more "reasonable" and start around 30k a year. Still not much. A teacher retired from my high school a couple years ago. Had degrees coming out his ears. Had taught in the same school since he started teaching. Was making 60k. At age 60ish
And those of you who are claiming mega salaries for teachers in your area, what's the COL like? I bet it's pretty high, so they're still not making it very well

 

[minniecarousel]

Yeah - new teachers at my district get about $40,000 a year - but you couldn't buy a home in this district for under $450,000 (& that would be a condo!)

 

[tw1nsmom]

I definitely think that teachers salaries in many/most districts need to be increased. But I think the lions share of the money needs to be spent on lowering class size, providing support personell, and providing continued teacher training.

 

[Daxx]

I get max $107/day and if I work all year I get less than $20,000 per year. This is with a BS. Why? I'm a substitute.

That's a lot more than our subs get here w/a Masters!

ETA: subs in this area get about $75/day.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I couldn't be a teacher for all the rice in China! It's not the children that would keep me from teaching but the offensive parents that would ultimately do me in. The pay is only part of the problem IMO.

 

[pigletz]

I had already seen the comparison between babysitting and teaching so I knew that the OP was joking. I am surprised though that someone thinks that teachers are paid too much. I've been teaching 9 years and have my masters. I also tutor for two hours after school, five hours every Saturday, and teach summer school for six weeks every summer. I still make under 50,000 a year. I also work a second job volunteering at Indians games to raise money for field trips because the district won't pay for them and the kids can't afford to pay for them. Oh and raises aren't guaranteed. I've never had a 2-3% raise. In fact, I didn't get a raise at all this year. Our contract expired over a year ago and the board refuses to negotiate so our pay was frozen. I didn't even get a raise for another year of experience. I have over 200 students so even if I only spent half a minute grading one worksheet for each student a day I would still be spending over an hour an a half grading papers each night.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I don't know how teachers do it. I'm the Daisy GS leader for our school. I only have 5 kindergartners. By the end of the 90 minute meeting I'm exhausted. The meetings are in my home and the kids all want to stay for playdates afterwards. I'm usually ready to scream and head for the nearest alcoholic beverage I can find!! Please take your children home.

I don't know how their teachers handle them. As far as I'm concerned we need to double their salaries!! I'll take my relaxing corporate job anyday of the week. Oh and the person that mentioned that the school's copy machine didn't work - they don't necessarily work in the corporate world either!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We so take for granted those occupations that are so critical to our society.

Teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, etc.

My daughter is in her third year of college and she's going to teach second grade. I couldn't be more proud of her! She struggled with her decision, because of the pay and it was heartbreaking to watch. In the end, her love of her career choice won out and I'm so happy.

I'm married to a career firefighter, and I appreciate the sacrifices that are made!

for the teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters... and any other underpaid occupations there are out there!

 

[Free4Life11]

You can look up Illinois teacher salaries at http://www.thechampion.org/

Most of my old high school teachers make big bucks. My homeroom teacher who does computers is making $65K! That's more than both of my parents combined.

 

[teacherforhi]

You can look up Illinois teacher salaries at http://www.thechampion.org/

Most of my old high school teachers make big bucks. My homeroom teacher who does computers is making $65K! That's more than both of my parents combined.

But are your parents required to have college degrees? (In some states, Master's.) Also, are they required to accumulate a certain amount of continuing education credits (many times at their own expense) in order to keep their jobs? Are there regular articles in the newspaper complaining about everything they do on their job? (The teacher read a book I didn't like, the teacher gave my child too much homework, the teacher hates my child, the teacher doesn't understand my child, the teacher refuses to treat my child SPECIAL.)

I went into teaching knowing that I would never make the big bucks. And honestly, if I ever quit, it won't be because of the money, the students, or even their parents. It'll be because of comments like this. Why is it that the one profession that prepares everyone for ALL other professions is the one that is denigrated the most?

 

[Pineapple Princess]

Oh my gosh I get the weekends off?!?!?! Better go and tell that to my husband who helped me for 3 hours today putting papers and whatnot together for this week. I also only work 6 hours a day...really? Hmmmm...7am-at least 4 pm, that is 9 hours at school, and I always have stuff to go home with me. Compare that to my husband who makes double my salary and gets a full hour for lunch for a 9 hour day, what a dream!
The vast majority of the teachers I work with have a 2nd job because they just don't make enough money. I don't know of any other job where employees pay for supplies out of their pocket, work so much overtime for such little pay, and put up with so much crap.
I think everyone who thinks that teachers are overpaid and underworked should spend a month being a teacher themselves. They would have to do the planning, classroom management, dealing with parents, taking classes that they have to shell out big bucks for, so on and so forth. I think that their tune would change.
I guess I am just so frustrated because in today's paper there was a big article about subsidized housing for teachers because they can not afford to live here. Isn't there something wrong with our society when someone who has a college degree, many times at least a masters, can not afford even an apartment in the area? Our pay scale starts at 30k only gives us $400 more a year. No wonder young teachers are leaving in droves. We see our peers doing so much better and after a while the struggle just gets to be too much.

 

[Hannathy]

Most jobs today require college degrees. Most teachers today are adequately paid like I said if it is so terrible why are there 50 qualified applicants for every job. You don't find that in Nursing or Engineering. I have degrees in both nursing and teaching and if I had to pick just on salary, hours and perks plus work I'd take teaching hands down. For example my childs 1rst gr teacher earns 48,000 per yr, she works 200 days has every holiday and weekend off. She is required to be at school 7 1/2 hrs/day, the kids are there 7hrs, she gets 45 min for lunch no playground or lunch room duty, the kids have recess 2x day for 15 minutes each again no playground duty. the kids are out of the room to specials 2hrs and 50 minutes per week again she does not have to go with them. I have never worked anywhere that I had 1hr and 15 minutes of guaranteed breaks per day. They pay next to nothing for benefits, have 2 personal days plus paid sick days.
The kids also go to Library and guidance every week that she must accompany them to but doesn't teach. This works out to actively teaching about 5hrs a day not bad for $240.00. Many other fields require you to maintain your education and certifications to stay employeed.