Are the teachers at my school being paid enough?

Question

Yesterday my teacher told our class that she and most of the other teachers would stop teaching and go on strike if the school district didn't raise the teacher wages. my teacher said that she and other teachers get $60,000 a year. She is outraged because she says she has a masters degree and works really hard. She believes that she deserves at least $100,000 a year.

Answer 1

Well, I'm judging from you userid, you are in Texas. I taught in Texas and had to move home to Missouri this past year because of my husband's job. Coming from Texas to Missouri, I took a $9,000 pay cut. So sorry she's not going to get any sympathy from me. I work just as hard. Tell her to join the NEA (teacher's union) and fight for all teachers. Because as low as my pay is here in Missouri, I know that there are other regions that are paid less than me. NEA is fighting for a nationwide starting salary of $40,000 (that is for a 1st year teacher with only a bachelors) therefore everyone's pay steps would increase accordingly.

Answer 2

I would love to get $60,000 a year! She can come work in my place, I am getting $36,000. My aunt has a Master's degree and has been teaching for 15 years just this year started making over $50,000 because her district gave all teachers a $3000 raise because the STATE raised teacher salaries. I know many teachers that started out making less than $18,000. A teacher that is unhappy about $60,000 and expects $100,000 needs a reality check. Exactly how many teachers in this country will ever come close to making $100,000? Maybe if they become the superintendent. She needs to rethink her choice of profession if she wants a 6 figure income!

Answer 3

60K! The average household income $46,326 (this is household were both parents work). Only 17% of the households in the US make $100K or more, 20% earn between $7,900 and $19,178 and 12.1% earn less than $7,900. I would say she is very much overpaid. 40% of the students that graduate high school can't read, perform basic math or comprehend science well enough to start even a community college without catch-up classes. 71% of the youth in this country cannot afford to go to college because of the extremely high tuition, brought on, in part by outrageous salaries for tenured teachers and administration personnel. Tell her that a lot of people have graduate degrees and are flipping burgers for $5.15 hr.

Our education system is so inbreed that it, like the UN, needs to be dismantled and reformed.

Yo CT: Just pull up national income on the web, that's what I did. I can believe you're a teacher based upon your erroneous conclusion. Teacher 60K and wants 100K, get real. I know you folks think that you "teach the nation" but in my opinion you drag us down. Teachers spend more time sticking their nose into families than teaching. I have absolutely no respect for teachers at all and my mother was an English teacher who retired in 1968; but it's totally different now. Like I said, the system needs to be torn down and rebuilt. How many jobs can you quote that requires only a Bachelor in Elementary Education (of all things, not even a real degree) with only 6 months experiance, 9 months a year, full health bennies and you want to start at 40K! Get a grip! And I said TENURED teachers and administration. I won't quote any numbers for you cause you'd just call me a liar agian. Pull up the numbers, I did. Teaching and administrative costs have soared in the last 5 years. Maybe you should read my entire posting again or else spend some time looking for that 100K teaching job; I'm sure you think you're worth it. If I'm blasting you it's because I don't like being called a liar. I knew about what the numbers where but I pulled them up anyway, numbers from 2005, it's even worse now. Get a clue and start living in the real America.

Answer 4

You'll make enough. Most teacher I know are paying off debt for a 4 year university and a 2 year masters degree on top of that. The pay is enough to live, which is enough. You'll make a little extra money coaching and teaching Summer School-depending on where you live-but it probably won't bring in any more than an additional $5,000 a year (if that). It is workable. It is not extravagant, but it is enough to go on a few vacations (plus you have time to go on vacations) and go out on the weekends. Don't count on a designer wardrobe, though, and pack your lunch. Ta da!

Answer 5

Well, it would help to know what grade she teaches or how many years experience she has. But that's a problem, isn't it? You can't just have teachers going on strike because who would teach? I do think that $60,000 is reasonable. But those who quote the "three months off" are way wrong. Teaching is a job in which the job goes home with you everyday and even on days off, teachers have to go in. Also, teachers are a kind of second parent assisting in the development of your children. How much is that worth?

Answer 6

Teachers will never be compensated for "services rendered" because society believes a teacher's job is tantamount to a "minister of the gospel". Preachers choose to preach, teachers choose to teach. The joy of "spreading the gospel" and the "joy of teaching" are not to provide a living for one's family; just give and give and give to parasites.

My yearly salary, when I began teaching in 1965, was $4,250. After 22 years in the same school system, and earning a Master's degree, my yearly salary was $26,000; and I was the highest paid classroom teacher in the school system! There is no public school teacher in the United States who is being paid enough!

Answer 7

That depends. If she is a good teacher, inspires others, challenges her students, and does her best, then she is very underpaid.

If she's just putting in time, doesn't care, and bores her students to death, then she isn't worth 5 cents a year,

I believe in merit pay, but the teachers ;' union would never sit still for it.

Answer 8

Do teachers make enough? NEVER. We are the people who educate everyone from the burger flippers to the astro-physicists. With out teachers the world would take giant leaps backwards.

That being said, I live in Texas, and I and several of my friends are teachers both private and public. None of us make near $60/yr, even w/ Masters and years of experience.

And if your teacher is telling the class her financial issues, she has some problems that have to do with herself and not the pay she is receiving.

Answer 9

Teachers are paid more than doctors and lawyers, when you take into account that they have a three month vacation every year. They have great retirement, dental, medical, and more paid holidays than bankers. Most teachers do not merit half the money they make, and are a bunch of arrogant snobs. I should know. I was a music/history teacher for several years and a school principal for 2 years.

Answer 10

That's nothing... Our teacher get paid only $35,000 a year. Which of course this is the lowest paid county in the state for teachers.