It is a good read on the subject of education.
it's for the kids...*sniff sniff*
Good article, of course, but perception is the key, and the article notes that teachers are perceived to be underpaid because of their annual salaries.
Most interesting, I thought, was the brief paragraph discussing gains in students scores when teachers' pay was tied to student performance. Perhaps this should be the model of the future.
But $47.00 an hour in Detroit! Wow!
Teachers work about 9 months out of the year. That's why $34/hour makes "low pay". That $34/hour is equivalent to $25/hour(12 month) (math: p * 9/12 = s)
Remember, that doesn't include ammunition, bullet-proof vests, riot gear, taser, mace and self-defense classes.
They also get long vacations in the summer months, and long stretches off for the holidays. I'd be willing to bet they only work 8.5 months out of the year, and that doesn't even count whatever personal off time they might have. Sounds like a European type job to me. In contrast, I work around 11.5 months out of the year. My employer can't tolerate me being gone for more than a couple of days at a time.
Moreover, the earnings data reported here, which are taken directly from the National Compensation Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, do not include retirement and health benefits, which tend to be quite generous for public school teachers relative to other workers
Here in WI many teachers pay close to zero for a golden cadillac insurance plan (conveniently provided without competitve bid by WEAC) with very low deductibles and copays PLUS they receive fully funded pensions. They are eligible for retirement at 55. And many of them whine like it's indentured servitude.
WOA NELLY....... Let's consider the flawed logic here:
Teachers work (and are paid for) 9 months out of the year, not 12 (like most other jobs we are comparing it with.
So the teacher might teach 1,400 hrs in the year (40 hrs week times 36 weeks), while a worker in another job works 2,000 hrs in a year(40 hrs week times 52 weeks).
Let's say a teacher makes $47,000 a year, and you divide by the 1,400 hrs.... you come up with $33.57/hour.
But the other worker, working for $33.57/hour would be making over $67,000 in a year.
So saying that because the math shows a teacher makes $34.06 is deceivingly high. And I don't want to hear the argument that "well, a teacher can go get another job to fill the left over 3 months!" Sure, but will that extra job earn anywhere near $34/hr, NO! Teachers often have to spend a portion of the summer taking the courses they need to keep their certification and they have to foot the bill for those couses sometimes.
Then there is the other little matter of teaching jobs not having anywhere near the perks of the white-collar jobs the article wants to compare with. Teacher's health insurance is not as good, there are no 401Ks and stock options awarded, etc. And let me tell you... teachers do not get coffee break time, stand around the watercooler time, and lunch break time. They work from the moment they enter that door in the morning til time to leave... and often are expected to attend evening PTA meetings, sports events, club meetings, etc and these extra hours are not counted and not figured into that equation when they come up with the $34.06/hour.So many times they are working many more hours than they are getting paid for.... example, my son who teaches high school in Savannah area.... he is expected to cover the following duties over and above his school day: coach track in the spring and run the track meets, be at and do the scorekeeping for every football game, and every basketball game (and they had regular and JV teams for both boys and girls - 2 games each/wk, that's 8 games a week!) and they wanted him to take his turn driving the activity bus for spoting events as well. These NUMEROUS extra hours do not equate in extra pay at $34.06/hour.
It's not politically correct to say that teachers are ever paid enough.
In many schools, particularly inner-city schools, the high pay is justified. They call it combat pay.
I feel slighted by this article . I made at least $79.00 as a teacher with medical, sick day accumulation, and a great retirement package to boot .
Here I go, letting fly the flames of war.
I am a public school teacher in a rural S. Georgia county. I am compensated very well for the service I provide in respect to the overall average income (Somewhere around 19-24K/year).
Am I overpaid? Perspective says yes, based on my cost of living and other extrinsic factors.
If I taught in Detroit/Atlanta/Chicago, maybe I would be underpaid, taking cost of living into account.
Since there are so many ways to skin a cat or argue about teacher pay, what I am saying can and will be distorted to fit whatever way someone wants to look at it. I accept this.
That said, I went into teaching because I *wanted* to be a teacher. Period. I could have gone to law school/med school/business etc, but I *chose* to become a teacher.
And if you really, really think about it, how much is anyone truly worth? Considerably more than what they are compensated for, indeed, but that is another post.
Although there are many wonderful, hard-working teachers, the ubiquitous perception that teachers are underpaid clearly demonstrates how well the teachers' union propaganda resonates with the masses.
Personally, I think $100/hour isn't enough. But that's just me. I'd like the teaching profession to pay enough to that we get more than the people who fit the classic cliche, "those who can't do, teach".
$34/hr wouldn't be subject to questions and complaints if most turned out a good product. Fact is, most do not teach the children adequately for any suitable purpose.
(Teaching the kids to be good global citizens doesn't qualify as suitable.)
There are obviously people with strong opinions on both sides. Some say teachers are paid too much; some say teachers are paid too little. How do we square this circle and find the real answer? Easy! Let the market in, break the union, and introduce vouchers. Then teachers will be paid exactly what they are worth. No more; no less. No more arguments.
If teachers are so well paid for easy work, how come the education majors are supposedly the dumbest, not the smartest college students? Why would anyone with a 120+ IQ choose to become an engineer, attorney, or doctor, if teachers are the best paid professionals around?