Community Chat

[haddon9]

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@bathina wrote:

Thank you for the clarification @kjae. I thought it sounded off-base, especially the starting salaries and the 6 figure pensions. If that were the case, people would line up to take the job! I have always felt that teachers are the unsung heroes in society, especially after seeing a dear friend buy school supplies, socks, coats and sanitary items for her students while she struggled to pay her own bills. Thank YOU for what you do.

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@bathina . People are lining up for these very nice teaching jobs in my area.  There is no teacher shortage here and it's not easy to get a position.

I don't think they are getting 6 figure pensions but they are still generous along with SS.  I have some friends who recently retired.  Both husband and wife as teachers in the district were each making over 100K.

[Spurt]

I know many teachers that moved on to another career or retired early----some because of the pay, some because the school was more interested about the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Test (STAAR) for an accountability rating, rather than a curriculum that actually educates the kids.....Some can't handle the way kids behave, and the parents back the kids not the teacher, so if a kid misbehaves and disrupts the class there is not much they can do to control the classroom.....And these are schools in middle class and affluent districts too......But other teachers stay put.....

Now there are schools that are closing and schools that are combining because of population declines and District budgets which tend to be in the poorer areas so teachers and staffs are losing jobs in that District ---and there have been incidents of financial corruption in those same Districts---those 60 teachers are fighting to keep their jobs......There is not enough openings to negate the layoffs.....

Our city is rated 5th in the US as best place for teachers where salaries go furthest when combined with the cost of living

http://blog.indeed.com/2017/08/31/teaching-spotlight-shortages-salaries-and-solutions/

[Mominohio]

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@RoughDraft wrote:

Our state has been warned to expect a teacher shortage in the near future.  Reasons are many.  College  students are not specializing in education.  Those interested and talented in math and science are being lured to industry and better paying jobs with career potential.  Salaries in rural areas are lower than suburban and urban areas (where there is union representation).  

Trying to lure young people into returning to the education field will cost taxpayer money and I don't see anyone volunteering to pay higher taxes.  It is what it is.

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Agreed that salaries will have to go up in many areas to attract more of the best and the brightest into education.

But it is way more than that these days. 

The lack of being able to do your job due to interference from the bottom up and the top down is driving teachers out of the field faster than anything. 

It's all about heavy administration and federal demands, and lack of concerned and participating parents. Teachers are spending more time with out of control classrooms because parents aren't doing their job and administration won't back them up and remove disruptive students. 

Teaching is so regimented and scripted, true creativity is no longer allowed in the classroom. IT's all about teaching to the testing criteria, and following established procedures that may or may not work for all learning styles, regardless of the outcome. 

I think most people who go into teaching would do it for the current money or even some for less, if they could just be presented the environment in which to do what they know how and love to do.

[Jaspersmom]

You are probably in my state or one of the surrounding ones here in the NE.  I don't know if you're complaining or just stating a fact.  However, a tenured teacher doesn't automatically make 100 grand.  Those teachers work up the pay scale and eventually make that and more.  No one would even care what teachers make except that teachers are paid from state and local taxes.  I don't hear anyone complaining about the young man (well under forty) I know who makes 10 million dollars a year in the financial field, but I do hear a lot of negatives about teachers who make 100 grand.  I live in a high property tax area with some of the best schools in the country.  In fact one local district was just named the best in the country.  The profession is not without problems, but it's been my experience that most teachers are hardworking and dedicated individuals.  As far as someone starting with a salary of 75 thousand, I would say that person either had past experience or holds certifications/degrees beyond a bachelor's degree.  I would also suggest the district is in great need of a teacher (or teachers) in that specific content area and is willing to pay him or her with the hopes he or she will stay.  I know it's been hard finding math and science teachers because of the reasons stated by other posters.  The funny thing is when I was making 10 thousand a year back in the late 1970's and 1980's, there were people in the community who ranted that we teachers were way overpaid.  If you care about the educational system and want an educated society, then there has to be a way to attract and keep the best and the brightest.  Money has to be a factor because we all have to live.  

[RainCityWoman]

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@Jtdmum wrote:

in overabundance and making 76k+ tenured.  Full benefits, no summer work and don't have to get up when it snows.  Never teach more than 4 classes daily.  

I picked the wrong profession. 

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Gee I must have too, and I WAS a teacher for 30 years. Never had what you are describing really. I drove 30 miles to work many times in the snow when my end of the Sound had heavy snow and the other end had light snow. We made up all the snow days we missed by extending the school year in June.  Most of the time the school day was delayed an hour or so to get all the students there safely, but the teachers had to be there at the original time. I taught 5 classes a day, at one point 6 classes a day, and I never made that kind of money. Tenured? Nope. My summer was 6 weeks, and I worked more than 8 hours a day, plus on weekends since a teacher's day doesn't end when the students leave. I don't know what state you live in, but I guess I should have moved there. I taught into the millennium and never saw what you're describing, but I understand that teachers are usually the public's favorite whipping boys.

The teacher shortage started in my state back in the 90's and into the millennium we had a difficult time finding substitutes. Often a teacher out ill did not get coverage and that meant the teachers there took up the slack during their conference periods. Subs now are being hired WITHOUT certification because they just don't have personnel. Fewer people are choosing the profession in college because of several factors that apparently detract from that choice. Guess they should be reading this thread to find out what a cushy, lucrative, non demanding job it is.

[RainCityWoman]

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@Jaspersmom wrote:

You are probably in my state or one of the surrounding ones here in the NE.  I don't know if you're complaining or just stating a fact.  However, a tenured teacher doesn't automatically make 100 grand.  Those teachers work up the pay scale and eventually make that and more.  No one would even care what teachers make except that teachers are paid from state and local taxes.  I don't hear anyone complaining about the young man (well under forty) I know who makes 10 million dollars a year in the financial field, but I do hear a lot of negatives about teachers who make 100 grand.  I live in a high property tax area with some of the best schools in the country.  In fact one local district was just named the best in the country.  The profession is not without problems, but it's been my experience that most teachers are hardworking and dedicated individuals.  As far as someone starting with a salary of 75 thousand, I would say that person either had past experience or holds certifications/degrees beyond a bachelor's degree.  I would also suggest the district is in great need of a teacher (or teachers) in that specific content area and is willing to pay him or her with the hopes he or she will stay.  I know it's been hard finding math and science teachers because of the reasons stated by other posters.  The funny thing is when I was making 10 thousand a year back in the late 1970's and 1980's, there were people in the community who ranted that we teachers were way overpaid.  If you care about the educational system and want an educated society, then there has to be a way to attract and keep the best and the brightest.  Money has to be a factor because we all have to live.  

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I don't know ONE teacher past or present who has EVER made $100,000. 

[Annabellethecat66]

I have a lot of friends who are/were teachers (they're retired now).

I have 3 daughters and 7 living grandchildren.  I was a teacher's helper for all three of my daughters from kindergarden even in high school (worked in office).  Never was paid and even if they'd suggested it, I'd have turned it down for the money to be spent where needed.

I'm amazed at people who think teachers 'have it made'.  I'd like to see them do what these teachers do....they couldn't! 

A teacher spends more waking time with your children than many of you do....quality time when they're awake and learning.

They don't get paid nearly what they're worth.  The amount of time and money they invest in training/education isn't acknowledged as it should.

My next door neighbor is the person who assists children who have a disability and are school age.  She makes it possible for children to be the classroom and get the help they need during that time.  The disabilities are as varied as the children's names.  She's told me (and shown me) some of the bruises, cuts, etc that has happened to her while doing this.  She's had extensive training (i.e. what to do in emergencies these children often have....medical emergencies).  She isn't paid anywhere near what she should be paid.

This is a country where people overpay football players, singers, you name it.  They get paid millions of dollars for .....what???

OK, I won't go down that path because there's no comparison.....

I will say it is just stupid to think teachers are overpaid and underworked for what they do.  Those same people who think that couldn't do what the teachers do for more than a day.

I will close in saying, I've always said I could mow my lawn with a motor pushmower (I have 1 acre) and not be as exhausted as I have when I've been a helper in my daughter's classroom for a few hours one single day!

My daughter lives in Virginia (Fairfax County) which is one of the riches areas per capita helps out every now and then tells me the high school my granddaughter goes to is literally falling down.  It's terribly in need of repairs.

So, not only are teachers underpaid but where they're teaching is in need of repairs.

What's the answer?  I'd say start with the people who are managing the County.  See what they're being overpaid for and how they're mismanaging the money. 

That's part of the problem.  Money not being used where it SHOULD be spent..plain and simple...start with THAT!

Phew!  It's Saturday mid-morning and now I need to go rest, I've just worked up such a sweat....but please don't ever bust on teachers...

Another discussion for another time which I know about is why so many of my friends who are teachers retired early....it has something to do with not being able to give these kids the love and kindness they often need.....

[Tyak]

@Kachina624,

New Mexico can't be last when it comes to education.  I think my state, Nevada owns that sorry distinction.  

I think there's a need for approx. 300 teachers here in Las Vegas this year.  Still a shortage, but not near as bad as other years.

[RainCityWoman]

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@Annabellethecat66 wrote:

I have a lot of friends who are/were teachers (they're retired now).

I have 3 daughters and 7 living grandchildren.  I was a teacher's helper for all three of my daughters from kindergarden even in high school (worked in office).  Never was paid and even if they'd suggested it, I'd have turned it down for the money to be spent where needed.

I'm amazed at people who think teachers 'have it made'.  I'd like to see them do what these teachers do....they couldn't! 

A teacher spends more waking time with your children than many of you do....quality time when they're awake and learning.

They don't get paid nearly what they're worth.  The amount of time and money they invest in training/education isn't acknowledged as it should.

My next door neighbor is the person who assists children who have a disability and are school age.  She makes it possible for children to be the classroom and get the help they need during that time.  The disabilities are as varied as the children's names.  She's told me (and shown me) some of the bruises, cuts, etc that has happened to her while doing this.  She's had extensive training (i.e. what to do in emergencies these children often have....medical emergencies).  She isn't paid anywhere near what she should be paid.

This is a country where people overpay football players, singers, you name it.  They get paid millions of dollars for .....what???

OK, I won't go down that path because there's no comparison.....

I will say it is just stupid to think teachers are overpaid and underworked for what they do.  Those same people who think that couldn't do what the teachers do for more than a day.

I will close in saying, I've always said I could mow my lawn with a motor pushmower (I have 1 acre) and not be as exhausted as I have when I've been a helper in my daughter's classroom for a few hours one single day!

My daughter lives in Virginia (Fairfax County) which is one of the riches areas per capita helps out every now and then tells me the high school my granddaughter goes to is literally falling down.  It's terribly in need of repairs.

So, not only are teachers underpaid but where they're teaching is in need of repairs.

What's the answer?  I'd say start with the people who are managing the County.  See what they're being overpaid for and how they're mismanaging the money. 

That's part of the problem.  Money not being used where it SHOULD be spent..plain and simple...start with THAT!

Phew!  It's Saturday mid-morning and now I need to go rest, I've just worked up such a sweat....but please don't ever bust on teachers...

Another discussion for another time which I know about is why so many of my friends who are teachers retired early....it has something to do with not being able to give these kids the love and kindness they often need.....

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Thank you. I just had dinner with some students Thursday whomI had in class  years and years ago. I left feeling validated as a teacher and a human being. That's the only real reward a teacher gets. It certainly doesn't come in monetary rewards, and I spent some of my own money to enhance my program. I'd love to know what state has the wherewithal to pay $100,000 or even close to that with pensions. I paid in to my pension as well as my SS which both came out of my paycheck each month. I also took money out and invested it or I would not be able to live on what I get from SS and Pension. I'm fine. I planned ahead. I just want people to know that the pension is paid into the same as SS.

[bathina]

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@haddon9 wrote:

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@bathina wrote:

Thank you for the clarification @kjae. I thought it sounded off-base, especially the starting salaries and the 6 figure pensions. If that were the case, people would line up to take the job! I have always felt that teachers are the unsung heroes in society, especially after seeing a dear friend buy school supplies, socks, coats and sanitary items for her students while she struggled to pay her own bills. Thank YOU for what you do.

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@bathina . People are lining up for these very nice teaching jobs in my area.  There is no teacher shortage here and it's not easy to get a position.

I don't think they are getting 6 figure pensions but they are still generous along with SS.  I have some friends who recently retired.  Both husband and wife as teachers in the district were each making over 100K.

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I believe you are mistaken. Check the website I posted for starting teaching salaries. Read the comments from actual teachers who have all stated the kind of money you describe may be true for principals, but not for teachers. I don't know where you live, but according to the teacher salary website, it's not anywhere in the US.