double edge sword education

Lol

High School is the worst right now. Elementry School sounds like a good fit fam.

 

yeah, Im looking forward to it

 

When I was a teacher I made 20k after taxes. It wasn't enough to live on.

I really think teachers should be paid a lot more than they make- across the board. Andrae, teachers in your area make as much as they do partly because of the union. Not everyone has a union- North Carolina had unions so you could get a lawyer if you needed one, but it didn't do anything for you. It was illegal to have a union like you'd see in NY.

However, even 70k for a teacher is not enough. 100k might be.

If you actually calculated what I made as a teacher, base pay, it came out to be around $10 per hour.

That's assuming that I spread my 20k across 12 months and worked approximately 40 hours per week (160 hours per month).

Now...take into consideration the fact that I worked until 8pm just about every night, and would take work home to do on the weekends. I'd spend about 8-10 hours per weekend doing work. So, onto that 160 hours per month, that adds 40 for the extra weekend work, and an additional 4 hours per night during the week, times 5. That's 20 hours per week.

So what do we have?

(40+160)+(20*4)= 200+80 = 280 hours of work per month.

Gee..that's about $5.95 per hour. That's below minimum wage. In fact, it's so far below minimum wage, it's an embarrassment.

Awesome.

If I were to have done that work for what most people make- $20-$30 per hour...that would have brought me into the 90-100k salary range.

THAT is the least of what teachers should be making- across the board. No excuses or exceptions. But, that's also based on the assumption that the entire system is overhauled, and parents participate, administrators do their freakin' jobs, tenure is periodically evaluated, teachers can teach instead of teach to a test, and they get some freakin' respect- which is SERIOUSLY lacking. It's one of the most thankless jobs out there.

And this wasn't just me...a lot of teachers did that kind of work every week. The only ones that didn't were the older, jaded ones who didn't even assign homework. Granted, I was also an English teacher, so I did have more to grade, but still.

 

...must spread some rep around...

:smt038

 

Well based on what I know about teaching down here. Teachers get paid pretty decent and they only work 180 days a year and get six weeks off during summer not to mention holidays and winter break. I agree its a hard job but so are most professional jobs. As an accountant you did about 50 to 60 hour work weeks and that's during non tax season. Tax season you could easily do 80 hrs a week for about four months and its not like you got overtime, you'd get a bonus that would be heavily tax and two weeks off per year. So its hard for me to be sympathetic to teachers because I feel like every industry in the US over works their professional class because they know they can. Especially those of us who are debt because of homes and student loans and car notes. You won't complain especially in this complain or end up with nothing.

 

I guarantee you that you will be hard pressed to find a teacher who only works 180 days....unless they're married and have another income coming in. I don't know one single teacher in the entire state of NY who does not work in the summer...everything from bartending, tutoring former students, to teaching summer school they do it. The salaries are based on 10 months- keep that in mind. So, a teacher salary being 60k for 10 months isn't really 60k. They have to spread that around another two months, and depending on where you live, that could be an awful lot like making 30k. Just sayin'.

A lot of industries work hard, but when you are a teacher it is different. It's a lot easier in other professions to take a day or a week off and go on vacation. When you're a teacher, you have anywhere from 20-150 little eyes on you, wondering where you are, when you'll be back. You have to be parent, counselor, babysitter, doctor, friend, and teacher in one fell swoop of the sound of the bell. You have to be on point 100% of the time. Off days when you're a teacher are like off days to a chef- you cannot afford to have them. These kids rely on you to be stable, consistent, and awesome. Always. When you aren't *you*, you can break hearts and trust and faith.

I'm fairly certain, andrae, that when you walk into an office, the rest of the place doesn't light up with excitement, wondering what you're doing that day. I bet they don't scrutinize every word you say, memorizing things you might've said six months ago, calling you on them when it's not the same because they expect you, of all people, to be the one they can count on. I bet that a co-worker wouldn't come to you and say on an almost regular basis things like: 'I think I need an abortion' or 'My boyfriend is doing drugs, and I don't know what to do' or even 'My parents threw me out because they found out I'm pregnant. What do I do?' , or worse 'My mother/father died, and I don't know what to do with myself." and expect YOU to have the answers- all of them- right then, no exceptions. That is why teachers deserve so much more respect than what they're given. Sure, I'd get up every morning and put on business clothes, but if you think for one second that *all* I did was walk in the door, give a few lectures, and send kids out the door with an assignment, then you have no idea what it means to be a teacher.

This discussion reminds me of an old e-mail forward, that was so true (and heartbreaking). I will post it below:

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

 

As long as the current system is as it is, I do not wish I could teach. Instead, I'm a trainer, which is close enough. However, I taught in spite of what I made. I'd still be teaching now if it wasn't for my abusive ex. He was the real reason I left where I was. I had a roommate and a good life, and I made due with the money I made. It just sucked to have to need a roommate to survive, and make the decision to eat or put gas in the car from time to time.

 

I have been reading your posts since I joined this site and I must state that you are an extraordinary woman. A woman like you should have the absolute best in life. I hope and pray that you receive all the success, love and peace that you deserve.

 

Wow, thank you botoan. That's very kind of you to say.

 

Since I'm not in grade school anymore I don't have a problem with that. I woulda been pissed if that happened while I was in school.

 

/end thread





shit's easier to put into play, when you're not on the receiving end...

IE someone who is poor when it comes to taxes, or a kid when it comes to school



lmao

 

I also want to add that every moment a teacher is at work they are "Switched on" and their attention and focus is needed 100%. For people who work pretty much any other job, if you feel stressed/tired/overworked etc you can get up from your chair, or sit back for a few minutes, zone out, check your email, have a drink, put your head in your hands, make a phone call, all those sorts of things that help you revive and move on... teachers don't have that luxury.

Plus because every "working" moment is spent with the children, teachers are required to spend countless hours of their own time preparing for that class time. Like DB said, every teacher I know spends every evening and every weekend working in order to survive the week at school. School breaks are also spent working, preparing for the upcoming semester. It's not actually a 6 hour day, 40 weeks in the year. It's so far beyond that. And you say other professionals work outside their work hours too? That's nice - their pay scale usually reflects that.