Posted on 06/17/2006 5:15:15 AM PDT by wintertime
Tell you what. Go teach then. I grew up every summer watching both of my parents take summer jobs to supplement their 'exorbitant' salaries just to make ends meet. We didn't live in a mansion, didn't have the best vehicles, just an average middle class family. This of course was in part because teachers pay was frozen for close to 15 years here in NC. I remember watching my parents grade papers until late in the evening, PTA conferences and parent/teacher conferences where parents blamed their childrens' inherent stupidity on my parents.
Let me tell you they didn't do it for the money, they did it because they loved teaching.
Add to this that teachers can work more years because they can enter the job market with a B.A. degree and if a masters is needed can often acquire this degree in off hours and during their generous summers..
Yes let's not forget the required conferences teachers must attend during the summers to be re-certified, learn of changes in the curriculum, or work to supplement their salaries
..and again big name colleges are not needed for these advanced degrees ( that are the joke of the academic world)
And of course being the academian that you are you know this how?
Your's is a weak argument: most daycare workers in my area make minimum wage.
Gee, South Dakota pays its teachers the least yet its students are typically among the top achievers. Go figure!
And if you had read my previous post, I admitted it was probably not a good analogy. But, then again with over 150 posts, I don't blame you for missing it.
so go be a teacher since they have it so good, you got a serious case of envy going on there ....
And if some tax breaks encourage businesses from fleeing our stagnant state economy, then I'm not entirely opposed to them.
My views are shaped by my personal experience as a teacher, and are confined to what the problems are in my state. We have higher salaries than anyone, more strikes than anyone, and a very poor ranking in the student's SAT scores to show for all of this money wasted on inflated salaries and bloated administrations.
The bottom line is, IMO, until the funding follows the student and NOT the school, positive change will not occur.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Then you wasted a lot of money.
Damn, that comment makes you a gigantic sucking asshole.
Most of the teachers I know try not to miss days, but the ones who have small children and the ones who have aging parents in poor health have a harder time of it than those who don't.
I do know a very small number of teachers who feel that "sick days" are there to be used and try to use them all. They aren't nearly the majority, however.
Mr. Rogers, An amendment to your statement;) I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night...
Teachers' salaries are not a small part of the school budget. In fact, you can make the argument that they represent the largest part of a school system's operating budget. Here's how:
School budgets are classifed by funds and the sources of these funds dictate how they can be spent. In most states, the bulk of salaries, benefits, utilities, gasoline for buses, purchased goods, and so on are in the general operating fund. Costs for property and buildings are in a separate fund, sometimes called capital outlay. There are other smaller funds in school systems - but these two funds are usally the biggest.
Employee costs (salaries, benefits such as retirement, insurance) range from 65 to 80% or more of the general operating fund of a school system. You can verify this yourself using Algor's invention;)
Employee costs (salaries and benefits) can be further classified as:
Next, some other data:
Therefore... teachers represent the bulk of operating expenses for a school system.
When people discuss *operating costs* of schools, the initial costs of the building or land acquisition are excluded. Building utility and building maintenance costs are usually folded into operating costs.
Don't interpret any of the above as a call for higher teacher salaries. Just wanted to correct the perception that teacher salaries represent a small part of a school's budget.
Depends on how you define the school budget.
If you look at it like a business, then I conceed your point.
However, many posters express outrage over the high cost of education, and use the cost/student figures of 8K on up. While the cost of education is darn high, teachers make up well under half of it.
For example, here in Arizona, the local district has spent millions on computer software to track student attendance. They also build schools covered with mosaics and elaborate landscaping.
Since people express outrage over the high cost to them in taxes (which is justified outrage, IMHO), they ought to realize it doesn't go for teacher's salaries.
BTW - my sister recently took up teaching. She says about a third of the school's employees are teachers.
"Teachers are WHINERS:"
Hmm, so ALL teachers, everywhere are whiners. Gotta #$&king link for that?
"Teaching does not require a degree from a highly ranked university"
Gosh, this doesn't sound like liberal BS at all...
If teaching is so plum why don't you try it? Both of my parents teach at a public school and have to put up with kids whose parents are elitist morons like you all day. Oh, and combined they make about $78k a year...or 10K less a year than I make in marketing.
Great post, why don't you move along and attack some other hard-working Americans like firefighters. Like every profession there are bad teachers, but there are A LOT who work to make a positive difference in the lives of young people...and they aren't in it for the money.
Actually, there are usually openings for math and science teachers,and I live in one of the better districts in the state. Probably no issues with student discipline but I'm sure many issues with parents and their perfect child who deserves only an A.
Here are a few issues that I haven't seen discussed and I have read about half of the post.
1. Teachers teaching subjects which they don't have a degree. Teaching math in elementary school doesn't require a math degree. If your kid is being taught Geometry and Calculus, I want a teacher who has a math degree.
2 The phoney stats the teachers union always quotes to say their teachers are the lowest paid in America. In Colorado, the teachers union always say we rank around 40 in teachers salaries. Funny thing was according to the national teachers union, we ranked 25th. One year we need to keep track of what each teachers union says they rank. They cant all rank between 40-50th place.
3. Administrator salaries. In Colorado, we have some small districts but their superindents get paid the same as the super in Denver. These smaller districts have half the students, faculty, etc but want the same salary as the super of the largest districts in the state. It doesn't just apply to administrators. The board that runs the buses for the Denver Metro area always compares their salaries to places like NYC or other large metro areas. The board will say they deserve an pay increase to be comparable. The denver RTD board has a fraction of the employees and equipment of NYC but want a comparable salary.
There are many more. Heck most professionals have to take additional classes on our own time and dime to stay current. Its part of the price of being a professional.
My brother recently sold his condo in Newport for a million dollars to a single (30's) high school teacher.
"when was the last time you saw a teacher wearing a beeper because they were on 24/7 emergency call?"
Seen a lot of plumbers wearing pagers/beepers, but then again, it IS their chosen profession...
BTW I teach Life Science.
You are correct however and I should have checked my grammar before posting.
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