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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,764
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

@kitcat51 wrote:

@Kalli wrote:

@teachergal wrote:

Yes, there is a teacher shortage in MI. and WI. and I know the reason. Both states have governors that have broken the teacher unions.  Teachers in these states no longer have the benefits of a few years ago.  At my former school (I am retired) the teachers pay $800.00/month for health coverage.  Teacher base pay is $32,000.  We are losing those good teachers for higher paying, better insurance, and more respect from society.  The teachers that are applying now are the 20 somethings that are not the cream of the crop and couldn't get the better paying jobs.  I am worried about the future of the education system.  I am glad I was a teacher.  However, I would not recommend it to any high schooler, as a career now.  Most retired teachers feel the same way I do.


@teachergal, I remember the gov doing that to the teachers’ union in WI and it was awful!  It was so predictable what the fallout would be but he didn’t care. Sadly, the students are now reaping what that gov sowed. ☹️

 

In addition, you are spot on about former teachers discouraging their children from choosing teaching as a career. Again, another example of the fallout of what was done to their union. 


Few people have the same pension benefits & millions like me have completely lost their pension. The MI Public School Employee Retirement System is underfunded by almost 30 BILLON, its eating up 36% of school funding effecting teachers wages & school services. Gov Synder's plan made changes, it HAD to because kicking the can down the road wasn't an option anymore...the change to a 401K only applied to new hires, not retirees or current employees & I sincerity hope the changes work. The MI Teachers Union support whoever promises teachers the sun-moon-stars & the taxpayers get stuck with the bill.


@kitcat51, my state has made changes for newly hired teachers, too.  But we still have solid union representation. Where would new teachers rather teach, given the choice??

 

When I started my teaching career, the lack of respect for teachers was already evident. My salary as a professional was half that of my peers in business jobs. I had to live at home and my parents did not charge me room and board because my pay was so small. Folks used to laugh at teachers here saying teachers got paid less than those who went to work right out of HS at local factories, or the telephone co or the power plant and they didn’t have college debt!  So why bother going to college to be a teacher??

 

As teachers we were told that the pay might be low but we’d have a pension when we retired and we needed to keep that in mind. We contributed to that pension with every paycheck. And we didn’t have a say in that. It was taken out automatically.  We didn’t have the right to invest it in our own way. We couldn’t diversify, pick and choose, change any percentages. The pension fund took it. So, at retirement, teachers want it back. 

 

The can was already getting kicked down the road before I ever graduated college. It took the form of that very small paycheck with the promise of that wonderful pension at retirement. I think the prevailing thought was, let’s not worry about paying teacher pensions in 40 years. We’ve got low taxes now so who cares? I have seldom met any taxpayers who considered that maybe teachers should’ve been paid a little more as professionals when they were actually working instead of dangling that pension as an excuse to pay less. 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,105
Registered: ‎03-28-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:

@RedTop wrote:

Yes, WV has a teacher shortage, but they seem to be dealing with it fairly well, by using retired teachers as long term subs.   

 

We also have a shortage of nurses.


@RedTop.  Everybody gets them from the Philippines too.


In the mid 80's I was a nurse working in a hospital.  There was a nurse shortage then and the hospital hired a bunch of nurses from the Philippines.  Note: the Assistant Director of Nursing was from the Philippines.  They worked there a little less than two years when one day many of them just didn't show up for work anymore.  Turns out they emptied their apartments and moved to Canada.  Never heard from them again.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,203
Registered: ‎06-16-2015

@bathina wrote:

@haddon9 wrote:

@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.


@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.


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.


Yes, the big bucks are in administration: principals, assistant superintendants and superintendants. They may include them when they are computing averages.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,203
Registered: ‎06-16-2015

@Kalli wrote:

@kitcat51 wrote:

@Kalli wrote:

@teachergal wrote:

Yes, there is a teacher shortage in MI. and WI. and I know the reason. Both states have governors that have broken the teacher unions.  Teachers in these states no longer have the benefits of a few years ago.  At my former school (I am retired) the teachers pay $800.00/month for health coverage.  Teacher base pay is $32,000.  We are losing those good teachers for higher paying, better insurance, and more respect from society.  The teachers that are applying now are the 20 somethings that are not the cream of the crop and couldn't get the better paying jobs.  I am worried about the future of the education system.  I am glad I was a teacher.  However, I would not recommend it to any high schooler, as a career now.  Most retired teachers feel the same way I do.


@teachergal, I remember the gov doing that to the teachers’ union in WI and it was awful!  It was so predictable what the fallout would be but he didn’t care. Sadly, the students are now reaping what that gov sowed. ☹️

 

In addition, you are spot on about former teachers discouraging their children from choosing teaching as a career. Again, another example of the fallout of what was done to their union. 


Few people have the same pension benefits & millions like me have completely lost their pension. The MI Public School Employee Retirement System is underfunded by almost 30 BILLON, its eating up 36% of school funding effecting teachers wages & school services. Gov Synder's plan made changes, it HAD to because kicking the can down the road wasn't an option anymore...the change to a 401K only applied to new hires, not retirees or current employees & I sincerity hope the changes work. The MI Teachers Union support whoever promises teachers the sun-moon-stars & the taxpayers get stuck with the bill.


@kitcat51, my state has made changes for newly hired teachers, too.  But we still have solid union representation. Where would new teachers rather teach, given the choice??

 

When I started my teaching career, the lack of respect for teachers was already evident. My salary as a professional was half that of my peers in business jobs. I had to live at home and my parents did not charge me room and board because my pay was so small. Folks used to laugh at teachers here saying teachers got paid less than those who went to work right out of HS at local factories, or the telephone co or the power plant and they didn’t have college debt!  So why bother going to college to be a teacher??

 

As teachers we were told that the pay might be low but we’d have a pension when we retired and we needed to keep that in mind. We contributed to that pension with every paycheck. And we didn’t have a say in that. It was taken out automatically.  We didn’t have the right to invest it in our own way. We couldn’t diversify, pick and choose, change any percentages. The pension fund took it. So, at retirement, teachers want it back. 

 

The can was already getting kicked down the road before I ever graduated college. It took the form of that very small paycheck with the promise of that wonderful pension at retirement. I think the prevailing thought was, let’s not worry about paying teacher pensions in 40 years. We’ve got low taxes now so who cares? I have seldom met any taxpayers who considered that maybe teachers should’ve been paid a little more as professionals when they were actually working instead of dangling that pension as an excuse to pay less. 

 


Yes, and one certain party in my state has been trying for the last 20 years to mess with the teachers' pensions. Many teachers I know had summer jobs painting houses, working on fishing boats in Alaska, or doing small construction jobs in order to supplement the family income.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,354
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

My daughter, who would have been a terrific Science teacher refused to consider education as a career.

 

She said watching me struggle w/bills and all the work I took home, nights and weekends, were a deciding factor.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,203
Registered: ‎06-16-2015

@maestra wrote:

My daughter, who would have been a terrific Science teacher refused to consider education as a career.

 

She said watching me struggle w/bills and all the work I took home, nights and weekends, were a deciding factor.


Teaching is a very hard job, even though most of the public critics think they could walk in cold and do as well. In fact, I've always been under the impression that most of them truly believe teachers shouldn't be paid at all and should just do the whole educational process as a volunteer organization. I have to laugh when I think of some of the parents who wanted to help out in the cafeteria keeping an eye on lunchtime. They would show up one day, and then we would never see them again, plus they were afraid to be left alone, even for 2 minutes, with the young teens. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,764
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

@RainCityWoman wrote:

@maestra wrote:

My daughter, who would have been a terrific Science teacher refused to consider education as a career.

 

She said watching me struggle w/bills and all the work I took home, nights and weekends, were a deciding factor.


Teaching is a very hard job, even though most of the public critics think they could walk in cold and do as well. In fact, I've always been under the impression that most of them truly believe teachers shouldn't be paid at all and should just do the whole educational process as a volunteer organization. I have to laugh when I think of some of the parents who wanted to help out in the cafeteria keeping an eye on lunchtime. They would show up one day, and then we would never see them again, plus they were afraid to be left alone, even for 2 minutes, with the young teens. 


@RainCityWoman, I agree.  I know some people who think since they went to school back in the day, they know how to teach. IMO, anyone who hasn’t  been in a public school classroom in the last 5 years (never mind if they haven’t been there since they were students themselves) has no idea what’s going on in today’s classrooms.  It would be an alien environment for them.

 

But of course, they can always take classes, get a teaching degree and find out for themselves how easy the job of teaching really is. 😊

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,179
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I forgot we also use a lot of long term subs. SPED/math teachers are the hardest to fill, here. (low pay)

Honored Contributor
Posts: 54,410
Registered: ‎03-29-2012
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,040
Registered: ‎09-12-2010

@RainCityWoman, I so agree with you. I have a bachelor's degree in education and was certified to teach in 1970, but because of the over-abundance of teachers at that time, I couldn't find a job, so I chose a different career. My DIL is a teacher/counselor, and this idea of teachers having a cushy job is just not true in my area of the country. There is no tenure,  But there are long days of pre school-year work, teacher conferences, evenings/weekends spent on grading papers and planning work. It's not a cushy job by any means, and if it was, there wouldn't be a shortage of teachers. People do not choose teaching as a career (in the midwest) to make a lot of money, especially in the smaller cities and towns.