I’m from Long Island. Public school teachers there are paid WELL into 6 figures, for 7 hour days, 10 months a year. plus pensions and benefits most private sector people (who pay the taxes to pay for this) can only dream of. A power couple on LI is a teacher and a cop pulling down $300K combined.
My goodness! Teachers starting salary in this low income area is high 20s-low 30s. My daughter who has been in education for 40 plus years spends a lot but never mentions it. She has refused to join the union for all those years and has received abuse from other unionized teachers. Right now,she is a Literary Specialist and if she finds a reading book for early grades that she feels is exceptional, she doesn’t buy just one, she buys 6-8 so she can send them home with students, hoping parents will take an interest in helping their children read.
She frequents yard sales to pick up inexpensive slippers (for children who forget shoes in the winter), underwear and slacks (for accidents) and mittens, mittens mittens (she has many relatives knitting mittens all winter for her as she doesn’t ask a child to return mittens as chances are he-she doesn’t have any mittens of their own.)
I feel that the majority of teachers are dedicated and like my daughter aren’t looking for accolades-just trying to make their job easier and more gratifying. It is the greedy, unionized ones working solely for the pay that make all teachers look bad.
By the way, after 40 plus years, obtaining her masters and becoming a Literary Specialist, her salary is low 50s , well shy of 6 figures, but she doesn’t complain, loves her job and realizes she could earn more in a different area. How wonderful it is to work at a job you really love in an area of our country you love!!