[HELLRAISER II]

I'll tell you another thing, teachers have to provide 60-70% of their own teaching supplies including copies. I bought a copier for my wife a couple of years ago after finding out she was only allowed like a thousand copies per year and belive me they count every copy she made. Bunch of cheap Ba$tards.

[sirshackleton]

A lot of my friends seem to have gone into teaching out of college. The biggest draw for them is the summers off on top of the automatic week off at Christmas. Plus, they love the field enough that the pay isn't the mot important thign to them.

[newgeezer]

One thing is true: In Iowa, we're getting a real bargain. There's plenty of talk about how our teachers' salaries are sub-par. But, our students remain consistently near the top, nationally, as they've always been.

Maybe the reason we're doing so well is in some small way because of the sub-par salaries. Those who choose to teach here must truly (1) love to teach and (2) appreciate Iowa for what it is (for one thing, a wonderful place to raise a family). They're not attracted to the vocation for the money, and not looking to carve a notch on their resume.

As much as I appreciate our kids' best teachers -- and believe they should be justly rewarded by grateful parents -- I'd hate to see well-meaning (or not) politicians upset the apple cart by making all teaching positions attractive to the sort who today naturally gravitate mostly toward the overpaid and too-numerous administrative jobs.

[abclily]

$43,250/180 days = $240.27 per day/8 hrs. per day = $30.00 per hour.

[alisasny]

A elderly kindergarden teacher in my kids school is retiring finally. Her salary is over 100,000. She is so frail now that she has been unable to keep up with her kids for years. It costs over 90 million in my district to educate a little over 7000 kids yearly. No wonder with Mrs. So and So making over 100 K.