I was a teacher, my wife was a teacher. We didn’t exactly starve to death. I must say, though, when I started out in Texas, it was a time when most families had a single-bread winner, and if you were a guy and wanted to teach AND get married and have a family, you had better be a coach AND get a summer-time job. That is not true today.
My first job after Grad School was teaching in Fairfax, Co., VA. I started in 1970 at $10,000. If the cost of living had not been so high in the DC area, that would have been a good salary. That was my first and last year teaching after Grad School.
I was an ed-major almost 20 years ago- and decided to change my professional path for a few reasons, but at the time, teacher’s pay was so-so. Since then, it has really sky-rocketed, especially considering the break factors (i.e. not working a full-year.)
My BA was to teach English. I went through the entire program and student teaching and the tests, passed, got all the certificates and credentials.
Applied for a few jobs, was given offers. But there was no way they would pay enough for me to live near the school, and they were a couple hours away.
That, combined with what I witnessed of the union, and the deplorable curriculum and standards, drove me away and I never taught. Became a professional writer who doesn’t care about grammar and punctuation in Internet postings and email (because I have to play by the rules 8 hours a day and this is my wild time).
I know several retired teachers. They are still doing very well with their pensions. And don’t forget, those that are retiring and living on those fat pensions purchased their homes (most likely) when they were still very affordable by a single-earner.
With what we are facing in the private sector today, with bubble-level home prices and a devalued dollar that requires both husband and wife to work just to get by every month, and all this combined with 20% unemployment (U6), it is an absolute crime that these greedy bastards are not only refusing to consider a cut in raises but are actually demanding more from the taxpayer.
It is almost like they have completely forgotten, when they shake their fists and scream their protest chants, that it is their neighbor who is paying their salary and chipping in to their pension fund...their neighbor who may not be able to make this month’s mortgage payments.
Look at Greece a few weeks ago if you want to know where all this is headed.