Macman, I know of very few teachers who only work during the actual school year. Some have other summer jobs, some spend most of the summer preparing for the next year, some do other work in their district. Oh, and 10 hours is a low number, I am regularly putting in 12 hour days between actual teaching, grading and creating lesson plans.

One more item, when it comes to funding, teachers spend so much money out of their own pocket even for things so basic as paper and pencils.

Intelinside452-
1) Once, again the 100k number is intentionally misleading and false. How about you take your salary and add in the value of all benefits and post it for us. How about doing that for all jobs.

2) You cite the grad rate but put all of the blame on the teacher, ignoring other factors, such as the parents and the fact that you are trying to have someone learn something that they have the freewill to choose to not learn. How many jobs out their have success rates higher then that? Now how many of those with higher rates involve forcing something on to other people?

It's pathetic how people will only see what they want to see. Walk a mile in a teachers shoes, like I have done, then get back to me.

Originally posted by intelinside451

Am I so absolutely wrong here? Is this the way it should be? Should someone who teaches 1st grade make more than the majority of us who perform highly skilled or physically intensive jobs?

Yes, you are absolutely wrong here.

It is the way it should be. Those of "us" who perform highly skilled or physically intensive jobs should earn more. Its not that teachers should earn less.

Originally posted by backwherewestarted
Macman, I know of very few teachers who only work during the actual school year. Some have other summer jobs, some spend most of the summer preparing for the next year, some do other work in their district. Oh, and 10 hours is a low number, I am regularly putting in 12 hour days between actual teaching, grading and creating lesson plans.

Intelinside452-
1) Once, again the 100k number is intentionally misleading and false. How about you take your salary and add in the value of all benefits and post it for us. How about doing that for all jobs.

2) You cite the grad rate but put all of the blame on the teacher, ignoring other factors, such as the parents and the fact that you are trying to have someone learn something that they have the freewill to choose to not learn. How many jobs out their have success rates higher then that? Now how many of those with higher rates involve forcing something on to other people?

It's pathetic how people will only see what they want to see. Walk a mile in a teachers shoes, like I have done, then get back to me.

Great, so they work 9 months out of the year, for a job that has compensation upwards to $100k a year, then they get to work during the summer to make more money.
What a racket. Wish I had a job that allowed me to do that.
For a Govt paid position, they sure do get alot of perks.
Again, they should stop whining and get back to work.
They should also give back the money they would be paid for the time they wasted protesting, instead of working. Any other job in the US, they would have been fired.
Just another example of how the Govt job and Unions are above the fray.

I'm not argueing pay, but I would be happy as a college grad to take a 35k a year job working 33% less than my peers....
simple math even @ 30k a year, over 9 months time thats over $17 an hour.

Macman, was my question too hard for you?

Originally posted by backwherewestarted
Macman, I know of very few teachers who only work during the actual school year. Some have other summer jobs, some spend most of the summer preparing for the next year, some do other work in their district. Oh, and 10 hours is a low number, I am regularly putting in 12 hour days between actual teaching, grading and creating lesson plans.

One more item, when it comes to funding, teachers spend so much money out of their own pocket even for things so basic as paper and pencils.

Intelinside452-
1) Once, again the 100k number is intentionally misleading and false. How about you take your salary and add in the value of all benefits and post it for us. How about doing that for all jobs.

2) You cite the grad rate but put all of the blame on the teacher, ignoring other factors, such as the parents and the fact that you are trying to have someone learn something that they have the freewill to choose to not learn. How many jobs out their have success rates higher then that? Now how many of those with higher rates involve forcing something on to other people?

It's pathetic how people will only see what they want to see. Walk a mile in a teachers shoes, like I have done, then get back to me.

edit on 20-2-2011 by backwherewestarted because: (no reason given)

They pay for stuff out of pocket. Question for you, what amount towards a teacher, goes to the Union? I am willing to bet that if that amount was removed from the Union, and placed to where it should be going, to fund the school, that issue would be gone.

My compensation is close to $80k a year. I have more training and certs then the average teacher. My job is not Govt funded. My responsibilities are about 10 times greater then most teachers. You will get no sympathy from me.
Teachers are paid via tax payers. They tax payers have spoken. Don't walk outside into a rain storm and be pissed when you get wet.

I'm sorry, but teachers in most states in the south do not make half as much as that Milwaukee bunch. What's interesting to me is that teachers get bad reputations because the country performs low compared to many others. The problem stems back to political correctness. In my school we do not offer many advanced classes, because of fear of hurting the feelings of parents whose kids don't qualify. Heaven forbid we pull special ed kids away from class to help them with one on one while providing kids who do not struggle more detailed instruction that they can use later. Even if I work my rear end off to help a kid who lays out of school twice a week because mom or dad doesn't make the kid go and fail that kid due to lack of effort guess who is forced to change that grade to passing grade so that the child can move on unprepared...I guess my arguement is that each state has its own regulations for schooling and our country is too big for that. The curriculums do not match up at all from state to state.

Originally posted by macman
They pay for stuff out of pocket. Question for you, what amount towards a teacher, goes to the Union? I am willing to bet that if that amount was removed from the Union, and placed to where it should be going, to fund the school, that issue would be gone.

My compensation is close to $80k a year. I have more training and certs then the average teacher. My job is not Govt funded. My responsibilities are about 10 times greater then most teachers. You will get no sympathy from me.
Teachers are paid via tax payers. They tax payers have spoken. Don't walk outside into a rain storm and be pissed when you get wet.

Interesting how you fail to mention your specific job, fail to add in benefits to tell us how much you "make" like the OP is claiming, fail to tell us your responsibilities, fail to tell us these certifications.

P.S.- Once again you have shown your complete ignorance about the teaching profession.

Originally posted by puppy12
I'm sorry, but teachers in most states in the south do not make half as much as that Milwaukee bunch. What's interesting to me is that teachers get bad reputations because the country performs low compared to many others. The problem stems back to political correctness. In my school we do not offer many advanced classes, because of fear of hurting the feelings of parents whose kids don't qualify. Heaven forbid we pull special ed kids away from class to help them with one on one while providing kids who do not struggle more detailed instruction that they can use later. Even if I work my rear end off to help a kid who lays out of school twice a week because mom or dad doesn't make the kid go and fail that kid due to lack of effort guess who is forced to change that grade to passing grade so that the child can move on unprepared...I guess my arguement is that each state has its own regulations for schooling and our country is too big for that. The curriculums do not match up at all from state to state.

Another reason to abolish the ridicules "No child left Behind Act", and get rid of the Dept of Education. Let the states control it, and scope it down to the local level.
Also, sounds like you need to move to where the teachers have a cushy life.

Originally posted by backwherewestarted

Originally posted by macman
They pay for stuff out of pocket. Question for you, what amount towards a teacher, goes to the Union? I am willing to bet that if that amount was removed from the Union, and placed to where it should be going, to fund the school, that issue would be gone.

My compensation is close to $80k a year. I have more training and certs then the average teacher. My job is not Govt funded. My responsibilities are about 10 times greater then most teachers. You will get no sympathy from me.
Teachers are paid via tax payers. They tax payers have spoken. Don't walk outside into a rain storm and be pissed when you get wet.

Interesting how you fail to mention your specific job, fail to add in benefits to tell us how much you "make" like the OP is claiming, fail to tell us your responsibilities, fail to tell us these certifications.

P.S.- Once again you have shown your complete ignorance about the teaching profession.

Simple SA.
Pay is around $21-23 an hour. I am a Telecom Tech II for an ISP.
Certs range from Nortel/Lucent Switches to Cisco CCNA/CCNP. I am 1 of only 2 techs for all of UT, I stated that , maybe go back and look. I support about 40k customers, 1 switch site, 35 remote sites.
What else do you want?