Parents...Why don't teachers get paid more?

Question

I'm teaching my @!*#! off but the pay is not comparable to the work at home and on the weekends and the stress your children (not necessarily YOURS) bring...

Answer 1

they really, should. i dont know what state you teach in, but
some of the bigger ones (new york, michigan ect) has highered
the salary for teachers.

Answer 2

Why the "low" pay?

1. Location. My elem teacher friend in Slidell, LA makes less after10+ years than a newbie here in Michigan.

2. Supply and demand. If you do something that no one else can do, or will do, then your pay increases. Teachers somehow think that supply and demand doesn't affect them, but it does, and the truth is that there are a lot more people who can teach algegra than can be a mechanical engineer (as an example).

3. What low pay? Quite frankly, I doubt your "work at home" comparison.

If you take the total compensation package (including bennies), divide it by the number of hours that you are required to work (summers off, holidays off, etc etc), you'll see that it's not that much lower (at least here in Michigan) to comperable per-hour pay for various other professionals (MDs and atty's tend to be the exception).

Here in Michigan our teachers get $1150 per month per teacher in benefits, including a killer medical package from the high-cost bidder (the MEA controls the medial coverage).

See the link below for a better discussion of the subject.

4. If you don't enjoy your job (any job) then it's time to get a new job. If you count on a paycheck to keep you happy then there is no paycheck that is big enough to compensate you for being unhappy. This is why I am no longer a pastor, for instance.

Answer 3

i think it is because a lot of teachers feel like they arent getting paid for overtime so once class is over it is over that is that. i was watching a dateline type show and there were teachers demanding more pay AND saying that they werent going to teach as well as they should untill the pay got raised.
my opinion is (and please email or respond to me to say if you agree...i would love to get a teachers opinion on this) that there should be a base pay (say 30-35k/yr based on experience) then there should be incentives for test scores. so your pay is based on the job you are doing. if kids dont learn the teacher doenst get the extra money.
i think teaching is the most important job there is. i want to be a teacher (as soon as i can afford not to work full time i am going to enroll in school to be a teacher) and i know the pay is low. but i think people would be more will ing to pay higher taxes if they felt the teachers were actually teaching their kids nad not just babysitting them...i am sure you are a wonderful teacher but i personally dont think people become teachers for the money...that isnt why i want to be a teacher anyway...

Answer 4

I think most teachers are paid plenty and some are even payed too much for the amount of work they do.

If we got rid of the unions and booted the old "mentally retired" teachers, the competition would encourage better pay for better performance.

So if you aren't happy with what you're getting, go to a private shcool or a charter school and you'll be paid more for your hard work.

Answer 5

To be honest if you don't like your job then quit or find a different area to work in.

You and I both know that people who become educators don't really do it for the money, but for the reward of your students being successful one day. That and some job security.

I wouldn't complain about your paycheck. Band directors and music teachers make less than a regular teacher does in most states (even with a higher degree).

Answer 6

My sister is a teacher, and her salary is more than most people's that I know, including my husband who is busting his butt in the Army. My husband works weekends, 24 hour shifts, pulls guard duty, etc. and doesn't get paid extra, and he also deals with a lot of stress and crap, as do all others in the military, as well as cops, fire-fighters, EMT's, social workers, etc. The reason my husband doesn't complain about his pay, he chose this career, and for the most part likes his job.

Answer 7

My husband is a tecaher, and I a work in the social work field. We both spent the same amount of years in college, yet he gets to work less and get paid more. I'm not saying that teachers get paid a lot, but they get paid more than a lot of other college educated people, and they get the summers off, and they have a strong union who at least here in California gets them really good benefits and good pay increases. You take the job because you love it , not for the money.

Answer 8

Are you kidding me? Here in NY, teachers, for the most part, are grossly overpaid. So many of them don't care and aren't really interested in whether or not the child learns anything, let alone properly. For every GOOD teacher, or every teacher that gives a d*mn, there's five that suck.

I remember as a child, teachers would send letters home, and they would be so grammatically incorrect or have so many spelling errors that my father would take a red pen, correct it, and send it back.

Answer 9

well, i've been a teacher for about 6 years.

we get paid enough when you think about it. i'm almost at 50K in Los Angeles, but i get 2 1/2 months off at summer and 3 weeks off at xmas...all paid.

soooo what other kind of job lets you do that?

change your district...go to a higher paying one. and stop your bitching. no one teaches for the money.

Answer 10

Depends on your degree and where you live. I know Chicago public school teachers don't make much..but if you live in the suburbs you do make a lot ....i see my daughters teachers who drive Mercedes, volvo and porcha...well.. you think they could afford luxury cars if they did not make enough? I mean they are all white. I think white peopel make more money than any race! that sucks.

Ifyou have a Bach. or a Masters i think you can make up to $30,000-40,000 right?

I have a friend who is a spec.ed teacher and she has a BS and she teaches HS and she makes about $50,000

HS teachers with Masters make up to $60,000 to $70,000!

Answer 11

Maybe it's cos you get so many holidays???? Most people don't get 3 1/2 months off a year!!! And the hours? I don't knock off at the 4.30pm but teachers do!