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Underpaid, overworked, and bashed ?

Sure, whatever you say. I suppose you think showing up at 7:30 AM, leaving at 4:00 PM, getting 90 minutes plus a lunch period during those 8.5 hours as "prep" time and all this only consuming 180 days a year is overworked ? Performing half a year's work at the equivalent pay of someone who doesn't get long Christmas, Easter or summer vacations ? Who also has tenure and can't be fired from their job no matter how poorly they perform ?

Lady, get a gander at the real world. We are all sick of the usual cry of boo hoo by public school teachers. Most of us in other professions work 2000 hours a year at work, not to mention unpaid overtime, and only get a few weeks plus the usual 12 national holidays off, for pay similar to teachers. Very few of us get the outstanding benefits including retirement packages given to public school teachers. Additionally, I don't know a single teacher who doesn't at least get COLA every year, whereas I know a lot of people in other professions who have taken pay cuts or lost their jobs since 2000.

Here in SE PA teachers with 20 years service and a master's degree in Ed. makes over $85 K not including benefits. That's underpaid ? In whose world ? If you think that's insufficient, get another job that where the pay is better. You are not forced to be a teacher.

If teachers would stop whining and teach, and accept that we resent that we are all forced to subsidize their product whether they are good at their profession or not, you would hear no complaints about teachers on this board.

Dear cinives,

It's difficult to generalize about compensation for public school teachers. In some jurisdictions, teachers can make more than $100K per year, and have truly generous benefits.

In other jurisdictions, pay for public school teachers is, at best, barely adequate.

I suspect most jurisdictions fall somewhere in the middle.

In Prince George's County, Maryland, teachers start in the low $30Ks, and if they stay in the classroom, can earn up to somewhere near $70K, with a couple of decades of experience. Their pensions are pretty good, comparable with the better pension plans available in private industry, but not as generous as they were years ago. Benefits are also comparable with what you'd get with good private sector companies.

That doesn't seem unreasonable to me for college-educated folks who never get into management positions.

As well, public school teachers actually work about 75% of what other folks work, not half. Most folks work about 240 days per year. That's five days a week, all year, with two weeks off for vacation, around two weeks for federal holidays, and up to a week of sick leave.

But you're right overall. Public school teachers are not generally underpaid, and in fact, when all things are considered, are on the high-end of the pay and compensation scale for similary-qualified professionals.

The scandal isn't that most public school teachers are paid reasonably well but rather that education majors perennially fall at the bottom of folks who go to college and get degrees. Unfortunately, for some reason, on average, the folks we attract into education degree programs are the dregs of the folks who actually go to college and achieve degrees. Fortunately, there are some exceptions. But nowhere near enough.

sitetest

Sure, whatever you say. I suppose you think showing up at 7:30 AM, leaving at 4:00 PM, getting 90 minutes plus a lunch period during those 8.5 hours as "prep" time and all this only consuming 180 days a year is overworked ? Performing half a year's work at the equivalent pay of someone who doesn't get long Christmas, Easter or summer vacations ? Who also has tenure and can't be fired from their job no matter how poorly they perform ? Lady, get a gander at the real world. We are all sick of the usual cry of boo hoo by public school teachers. Most of us in other professions work 2000 hours a year at work, not to mention unpaid overtime, and only get a few weeks plus the usual 12 national holidays off, for pay similar to teachers. Very few of us get the outstanding benefits including retirement packages given to public school teachers. Additionally, I don't know a single teacher who doesn't at least get COLA every year, whereas I know a lot of people in other professions who have taken pay cuts or lost their jobs since 2000.

I just speak from experience. My daughter puts in well more than a 40 hour week. She is a high school math teacher, who takes her profession seriously. You seem very touchy on this subject, as do so many others.

Other downsides to teaching:

-When she taught at an inner city school, she was physically assualted by a female student. She has since moved to another school district.

-She is MADE to pay $900 per year to be in a union, which has an agenda that goes (politically) against everything she stands for.

-Her salary is not that great, believe me. Factory workers make much more.

-Much of her summer is filled with lessons plans for the following year.

-She does not have time during the day to post on internet websites.

-Grading papers fills most of her evenings, so not much internet posting then either.

-She does not work HALF a year. Are you kidding? Summer vacations are getting shorter and shorter.

And these are only a few points. Which I'm sure will go right over your head.

I love this website, but homeschoolers are getting more radical all the time. And like I said before, seem to have PLENTY of free time to post their feelings.