About Teachers?

Question

Do they really have it that bad?

I dont think they do, whats your opinion, and please provide facts to supprt your view.

What exactly would be good pay?

I make 39K a year and i dont get time off to get a second job to make even more. I pay for rent, utilities, car, insurance (health and auto), 401K, credit card debt from when i wasnt making as much and taxes of course and i survive just fine, so to the guy saying he cant live on 42K a year, bullcrap. i also work 12 hour days sometimes- All year round. If you dont like the pay of what teachers make, why in the heck did you become a teacher?

My parents taught me to read and write. And they also taught me to form my own opinions and stand up for what i believe in.

Answer 1

Teaching is a difficult job, but they do not have it bad. They work hard just like most others do. It is all in the perception of the teacher.

Answer 2

OK I am an Agriculture Teacher and for getting my summers off yeah right. The county I am in has a summer fair so I spend a week there with the kids and all the time it take up until then to get the projects ready. I also run a FFA program that required many nights a month and at least 2-3 weekends a month. Yes I make 52K a year but I am on a 11 month contract and end up working 12 months because there are things that must be done for the kids I teach. I knew it going in that I would work alot harder than some of the other teacher at my school.

Just running the FFA program at my school can be a full time job in it self. Teaching is tough work. I end up seeing most of my student more than their parents do. if I actually got paid for all the hours I put in and got some of the credit for what I do, but that is not why I got into teaching.

Dont tell me that I and other teachers complain about what we make and we all get summers off because we dont. Believe me if I was making lots of money I would have a new car and own my own house. but I dont because I am making ends meet.

Answer 3

I would say the emotional toll that teaching takes is the worst thing there is. Then again, there could never be the emotional payoff either without the level of involvement that leads to such weariness.

As for pay, let me just say that I do not even make $30,000 after my third year, and summers are times for meetings and enrichment where we can occasionally get a few hundred dollars--not thousands. Further, the amount of time between summer school and the new year does not make me an attractive prospect for employers. Please also bear in mind when considering pay that there are different costs of living in different parts of the country.

Teachers devote hours of unpaid overtime each week to be sure they do their jobs right. We believe in the importance of what we do and wait patiently for the day that we are compensated accordingly. There are things more important than pay to good teachers, and we go into the field for reasons other than pay. That does not mean we believe we are fairly compensated, but somebody has to step up, for not every child has parents who can or will teach them to read, write, and stand up for themselves.

All in all, as a young person without a family or serious loans to pay off, I do not feel the financial crunch. At the end of the day, however, I often feel beyond crunched by attitudes and failed plans. Yet I would do nothing else. My paycheck does not reflect how hard I work, but I am there to help young people grow--even through the growing pains.

Answer 4

Not all teachers. It depends on the level you teach, the characteristics of the students, the demands from the principal, the parents and the community, etc.


My personal experience: Teaching was tough job because of the psychological strain (if this kid ends up in jail one day it's all my fault!), physical tiredness (I stand and walk for hours at a time, had 30 minutes for lunch break and sometimes no bathroom break; most other professionals who have a master's degree will be sitting down, have 1 hour lunch and bathroom break whenever they need one), and the out of pocket money that I had to pay if I want any reasonably good lesson done (in my school things have to be ordered months ahead of time and never reimbursed afterwards). Also, because you have to be prepared for every lesson, it's like you're constantly under pressure for meeting a deadline. There is also the problem of managing student behaviors (ever heard of a shoot out in a businees corporation?) and the worst is that you have to make decisions constantly, I mean like every 5 seconds. There is also the problem of sickdays. Many times I was sick but couldn't take a sick day off because no substitute was available. Same with vacation days.

On the other hand, the summer and winter vacations are great, although professional development workshops take place then. Also, the job is fairly stable. I mean you don't travel a lot, you can predict and plan for what is going to happen (more or lesson) for the whole school year.

I know some teachers who don't have it bad. They come in at 8:00 and leave at 3:00. They do their lesson preparations in class (instead of working with the kids, they sit at their desk and do the paperwork, while better teachers work with the kids in class and use the evenings to do the paperwork). Some even surf the internet while the kids are working. I know teachers who spend hours and hours after school to tutor kids who are slow learners. I also know teachers who get slower learner out of their classroom by putting them into special ed, when they have no disabilities. So it's a job that can be as tough or as easy as you want it to be, and the demands vary a lot from school to school.

Overall, I think teaching is a bit like motherhood. You have to put in a lot of care and effort and discipline. From an outsider's point of view, how hard can motherhood be? You just keep an eye on the kid and cook and wash for them, that's it, right? No, few understand the challenges until they become a mother and wants to be a good mother. The same goes with teaching.

Answer 5

I cannot believe how misinformed people still are regarding a teacher's workload! Most of us - at least at my school - get there at approximately 7:15 and leave around 5:00 or later. Therefore, we average 50-55 hour work weeks. Throw in shopping for supplies after we leave work, taking home papers to grade, PTO meetings and special programs we go back for at night, not to mention the weekend hours spent back at school and our work week averages more like 60-70 hours. I always get a laugh when I hear people talk about the "whole summer off"! Our last student day was June 6. I attended a math seminar for the next three days after that and then spent another three days rewriting science curriculum. Therefore - my summer vacation began on June 13. I will start working again next week - August 2 -getting my room ready for the first day of school and attending in-service training from Aug. 11-19 when the students return. Yes - I agree the 7 or 8 weeks we do get off is more than most people - but without this extended break - I fear the incredible stress level of teaching would make most people leave the field. I love my job - obviously, since I have taught for 32 years - but do wish the pay were more. I have a Master's Degree plus an additional 24 hours toward an EdS and am still making only a few thousand more a year than my husband who has only a high school diploma. If the public does not get more supportive of teachers - I fear those of us with advanced degrees will start to go elsewhere. If you have a child, who do you want teaching them? An experienced and dedicated teacher or someone fresh out of college who is only teaching until something better comes along? No - those of us who continue did not get into teaching for the money. We get paid many times over when successful students come back to visit, and write us letters and e-mails telling us how much we meant to them. For those of you out there who think the job is easy, I suggest you sign up to substitute teach in your districts or volunteer at your local schools. Then come back and answer this question again.

Answer 6

This question comes up at least 3-4 times a week and it's always the same. The asker says they don't think teachers have it so bad and then teachers write in and try to give a view of what it is really like. It can't be done. The only way for a non-teacher to have a clue is to spend some serious time in a classroom.
To the people who say we "knew" what we were getting into- no, not really. No one can begin to tell you about the exhaustion that comes at the end of the day. No one can convince you that you will spend as much money on your classroom as you end up spending. No one can begin to tell you how it feels to work so hard and then get the disrespect we get from parents and the public. The pay may sound OK to some, but my husband only has an associate's degree and makes way more than I do. As to time off, he gets paid for more than half of the amount of time I have off- I don't get paid for any of mine.

If the job is so great, why aren't all of you who complain about teachers a teacher yourself?

Answer 7

As a high school teacher, I am faced with druggies, teen pregnancies, horrible parent stories, low self-esteem, and then I am asked to teach them about Judicial Activism. These kids need love. I am not a teacher 7:15-3:00 Aug- May. I am a teacher 24 hours a day. I am at the school up to 60-70 a week during the school year. Remember we are salaried... we get paid on the 7:15-3:00 day. I do get paid for some of the extra work, but not most of it. On top of that, I am asked to attend workshops, work on curriculum, develop worksheets, etc. during my summer. Am I complaining? NO! These kids today lack one thing... love. The amount of kids who feel there is no one in the world that cares will surprise. You were lucky... your parents cared. Compare careers that require a 4 year degree. Yes, teachers rank on the lower end. I do not mind, I know I will never be monetarily rich, but I am building my treasures elsewhere. Spend a week with a teacher. You might change your mind. Do you know how long the day seems with your kids on a weekend... multiply the kid by 25. I do it because I was called to do it. Just do not make us to be whiners.

Answer 8

You should go to TEACH, not to stay and look, I mean really try to teach a class one day. And after kids leave, do EVERYTHING you are supposed to do, including try to call Johny's mom everyday for a week before giving up. Or going to the supermarket because you don't have supplies for tomorrow activities paying from your own money.

I received an email time ago saying that there was going to be a new reality show where some CEO would be sent to teach an average classroom with 27 students, 3 can't speak English, 2 with behavior problems, 6 with problems Reading,... the big prize is if they survive a month they can go back to their former jobs.. LOL.

Answer 9

I am a teacher. I get paid 42k per year. After taxes, and med insurance and union dues and pension that comes to about 20k. Yes I work only 9 months a year. but during those 9 months I work about 12 hours per day. I get to work at 6:30 and I don't leave till 6pm. And that 42k is yearly salary, it's not based on 9 months so for those that say I would actually getting like 56k per year are wrong, I get 42k for 12 months. If they only paid me for 9 months I would only get about 30k.

I have to constantly be taking college classes or pdps to keep up my certification. Those classes run about 700-1000 dollars per class. I work a job in the summer, so it's not like a get the summer off. If I didn't work I couldn't afford my rent, car....

And I am held accountable for my performance. I am reviewed 5 times per year. Poor performance means I get fired. Standardized test scores also play a part because if all my students score low, then I must not be doing my job.

do teachers have it better than some...absolutely. Do they have it better than all, no way.

Have a nice day.

Answer 10

what a load of crap... most answers are so typical about how you should do this job not for the pay but because you love it... yeah right! tell that to the next football, baseball or basketball star!!!

Teachers are not respected, because education is not respected. It will not be too many more years before China and India swallow us whole in maths and science... their culture respects education and admires their teachers... teaching is considered the ultimate profession...if the profession is respected then the pay is high, the requirements can be high for teachers, and you get the best quality education that way...

right now teachers are low paid babysitters for spoiled brats... the parents practically throw their kids at the school and wash their hands of them.

HOW many of you commenting here have actually worked in a school and seen the behavior of these kids?? Go work one day in a classroom and see what the teachers are dealing with and then come back and try to say they have it easy!

Answer 11

Well, let's see, they have a pretty cushy work day. The teachers I know get paid about 50gs a year for working 9 months, which actually when you add in all the other vacation days and days off, i think it will amount to more like 6 months, That's a 100g a year job for actual work. They get decent bennies. And they aren't held responsible for thier job. What more could you ask for? I wish teachers were paid on merit and how well thier students do on standard testing, I also wish we would stop lowering the standards because some of the kids can't pass, the teachers should be made to bring those kids up to snuff instead of lowering the rest.