Teachers' poor pay just myth

Scottsdale Republic ^ | Craig J. Cantoni

[hsmomx3]

Contrary to union propaganda, teachers are not underpaid. I say this as someone with 28 years of experience in conducting salary surveys and designing pay plans.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, local elementary school teachers earn about the same average pay on an hourly basis as local reporters ($23.74). They also earn more than microbiologists ($20.60), zoologists ($17.36) and accountants ($22.49). Secondary school teachers even earn more per hour than civil engineers.

[CyberCowboy777]

What do you call a good person who does nothing to stop a travesty or debacle? One who is not "obligated" to do anything other than what it takes to earn a pay check and does just that?

An enabler.

We all compromise at some point.

Hold who accountable? I only want to demolish the system. I hold no grudge or respect for the individual teachers. I have said that over and over. Just don't try to convince me that they are saints, unless you can show me how they fight to radically change the system.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Oh good God. Is this how you teach? YOu can not accept anything that is not backed with a federal study? You just do not get it do you? Where are the links and data that many people you know.. blah... blah... balh. You don't ahve any do you ?

You make no point. I said the teachers I know, in my experience. I never said all teachers. You are just mad that I correctly saw you to a liberal. You are wrong just get over it. Reagan would be ashamed of his name on your tag line. You can not even think outside the box.

[Dead Dog]

All I've said is that they work for what they get paid, it ain't a cushy slacker job.

We all compromise at some point.

Looks like we're all enablers.

[ReagansShinyHair]

"Oh good God. Is this how you teach? YOu can not accept anything that is not backed with a federal study?"

I certainly do not teach based solely on my personal opinons. Reading, writing, science, math, history, geography, spelling, grammar, etc. are all things that can be taught with a great deal of basis in fact. I hope you do not teach your children to personally attack people rather than sticking to the issues.

"Where are the links and data that many people you know"

If you didn't bother to read my other posts, why should I repeat it here for you?

"I said the teachers I know, in my experience. I never said all teachers."

NO. You began by generalizing about ALL teachers based on your TWO NEIGHBORS. If you had stuck to your two neighbors, we would have been fine. You went further than that, even admitting that you hate a whole class of people, when you have met only the smallest minority of them.


"You are just mad that I correctly saw you to a liberal. You are wrong just get over it."

Now THOSE are some great conversational skills. /sarcasm

You are the one arguing like a liberal. When facts are not to be found, scream real loud and tell the other person they're wrong! It works for Susan Sarandon, why not for you?

[ReagansShinyHair]

Here's a quote for you, but not directed at both of you. I forget who said it, but maybe Cowboy would know.

"When facts fail, raise the volume"

[Amelia]

Very bad analogy of my statement.

I will admit it was a rather poor analogy, but of course I had no knowledge of your personal tragedy. I'm very sorry that happened to you.

If a teacher is not standing up shouting, writing letters to the editor, striking and going to the state capital about the poor state of the system, he/she is an enabler.

Striking, you realize, is not necessarily the best tactic to take. If teachers strike, students aren't in school, they aren't learning anything, and in the public relations realm, such actions tend to backfire on the teachers, no matter how justified their reason for striking.

Teachers who do too many of the other things end up not teaching in that district, I speak from personal experience on that matter.

It's rather like changing any other part of the government, the wheels turn slowly.

[BoozeHag]

I am contracted to work 196 days per year and I work 7.5 hours a day, with a 23 minute lunch. I've been teaching 20 years and I have a Master's degree. I make around 52,ooo a year with weekends and most holidays off. The 8 weeks in the summer I vacation, work part-time and lounge around my cement pond. It's a great job if you do it right. One of the few jobs with a pension.

[liberalnot]

difficulty is relative.

get a master of science degree in electrical engineering, and then get back to me.

[Yardstick]

For the life of me, I don't know why a person of talent would belong to a union.

I'll tell you why ---> liability insurance.

The union offers a multi-million dollar policy for its members. My dad is a special education teacher, extremely talented and hard working, and a hard-core conservative. He detests the union, but he's a member because of the liability coverage. He says that's why many, if not most, teachers are in the union.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

No , you are refering to a post where I was describing one reason why. You have overlooked the rest for many posts now. I have based my findings upon my years as a school social worker, as a Therapist's aid in a mental health out patient clinic working with kids who had the mysterous ADD and ADHD, upon four years volunteer work in the school district and upon homeschooling. Based upon many years of research on the internet involving alternative learning styles overlooked in the school system, talking to many different people over the internet about their experiences. Being related to three teachers and having a bunch of people I know who are public school teachers.

Of course it makes your attacks of me much easier if you ignore the rest of what I have said and insist that I am making these claims based upon a couple of neighbors. I believe in my stats. class we were taught it is accurate to make assumptions about people based upon the evidence you have gathered on 100 people. I believe I have hit that quota.

I have repeated to you over and over again I did not say all teachers.I did say all teachers in the NEA and I stand by that. I did say teaching is a cushy job, and then clarified by saying compared to the levels of pay and the levels of work and pay of other jobs.

YOu have done all of the attacking, and you also have called many outrageous names. I never called you a bigot, which I believe is off the topic. Talk about Susan Sarandon. Please my sides hurt from that one ROFLMAO.

[SoftballMominVA]

Many special education students who fall under the catagory "learning disabled" have average to above average IQ's--even up to the genius range.

I teach LD children at the middle school level. Every year I end up with one or sometimes two students who are brilliant in one area (such as math) but who read very poorly.

Why can't they read? The reasons are as varied as the kids--I have one who has a visual perception problem that manifests itself by making letters blurry, faded, or uneven. This is sometimes corrected with color overlays. Sometimes.

As far as my salary goes, I have no complaints. My salary spread out over a typical 260 day year is about $17 an hour. For my 196 day year, it's about $23 an hour. I figure, I sign the contract, I take what comes with it, good and bad. When the job is too hard, I can vote with my feet and choose another career.

And I am not a member of the NEA, I am a member of the AAE, a conservative group which provides insurance liability, advice, ect. at a much lower price.

Fellow teachers, check out http://www.aaeteachers.org

[Amelia]

"Most of all, perhaps, we need an intimate knowlege of the past. Not that the past has anything magical about it, but we cannot study the future." - C.S. Lewis

I like this quote!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

It is hard to say but he is supporting the union then. I know it is hard to resist the union thing but people have to start gettin gserious about this if ther are ever going to be changes. There are alternatives. There are other ways to get insurance. Someone posted an insurance resource for teachers on another thread. Anyone have that?

[SoftballMominVA]

Sorry I agree with Amelia. I've had SEVERAL instances over the last 5 years where parents refused special education services.

It is their right, but still sad to see the kid continue to struggle

[Diva Betsy Ross]

See this is what I am talking about. I give you much credit and thank you for your contributions to society. I understand what you are saying about LD,however none of that applies to my situation. This was the early 1980's, so there was no gifted program. I was one who fell through the cracks.

I do have issues with typing and spelling.. I blame whole lanuage for that one. :} I have great respect for you and what you do. I can tell because you are a rational person. Please spread the word about the insurance. I am sure there are many good teachers and people out there who will benefit from the info.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

see post 393 for insurance info.. I hope that helps your Dad.

[SoftballMominVA]

Well, get your asbestos suit on and get ready for the flames for daring to touch the sacred cow of homeschooling!

But as a special education teacher for over 10 years, I'll just say I've see poorly homeschooled children every year-including one who was pulled out of our school in Janury because the parent claimed that we weren't able to meet his "unique" needs. She lasted 6 months with him and she registered him for school next year.

He has to repeat the grade however, because she kept NO records of anything he had done during that time. She let him educate himself by "exploring his own interests via the Internet."

Some parents and children do not have positive homeschooling experiences.

[luckystarmom]

The teachers in our district work at least 10 1/2 months. My son's teacher is there by 7am and leaves at 4pm. That's a little more than 6 hours a day.

The one thing that I'll complain about is that my son's teacher is a new teacher, and she is on the cutting board for next year because she is brand new.

There are other teacher's that need to leave, but they have tenure. Thanks to the union rules the new teachers will be laid off, and not the old ones. It is not based on who is the best teacher. My son's teacher has been excellent!!!