Lies, lies, lies. My wife teaches for 7.5 hours and then comes home and works another 2-3 hours planning, making tests, and correcting tests and homework. She has to work more than 180 days, gets two months off in the summer (not three), and she's required to take classes to keep her certificate current. Her compensation is nowhere near what an engineer with a masters degree would get.
Why do teachers assume they are they only ones who have to take classes to keep current or earn their masters degree on their own time.
Your right about engineers making more. My wife works 40-50 hours a week. To get a masters, my wife would have to take classes at night or on the weekend.
A large number of military officers have Masters degree. A small number are allowed to get a degree at the military's time. Most have to do it on their own time by attending classes at night or weekends. This doesn't include all the classes and training we have to do to get promoted. Some is done on military's time if your selected for the school and some you have to do at night and weekends.
Also, a engineering masters degree is more difficutl to get than a masters in education. Supply and demand.
I am always surprised when teacher bashers use this mostly outdated number. In my district teachers work until about June 20 and return to work about August 23; hardly three months. True, teachers have a 7.5 hour workday, though in my district an extra half hour is assumed and written in the contract. As a math teacher, I hardly ever saw anyone in my department leave at the allowed time. Teachers stayed on their own time tutoring students, calling parents, planning lessons, grading tests, etc. Most also took work home.
Almost every AP Calculus (BC) student whom I taught for 20 years scored 3 or above, earning 4 or 8 college credits. I have always wondered about the statistic showing teachers with the lowest SAT scores. Is it possible that this was based on what freshmen planned to take, and not on those who actually became teachers. I cannot speak for elementary teachers, but most of the high school teachers I had the pleasure of working with were very bright.
"My wife teaches for 7.5 hours and then comes home and works another 2-3 hours planning, making tests, and correcting tests and homework. She has to work more than 180 days, gets two months off in the summer (not three), and she's required to take classes to keep her certificate current. Her compensation is nowhere near what an engineer with a masters degree would get."
Shave off a month for summer school and that's pretty much what my husband does. That leaves 4 weeks or so vacation time. Better part of that is spent getting caught up on house repair etc, he can't get to during the rest of the time. We actually take 4 days of that time and go somewhere.
It ain't fun and games despite what most would like to spout off about.
A masters in ed is worth at least the paper it's printed on. Maybe more in some cases.