do teachers really have anything to complain about?

Question

tell me honestly cause i dont know. Teachers complain about their salary a lot. But they get a good salary with benefits plus 3 months off.

Answer 1

ok... i have been a teacher for several years. i love my job!! Do I complain about parts of it... absolutely.

1. I have a college degree and I make less than other professionals (in different fields) who have the same amount of education that I have.

2. People assume that I have 3 months off.. i do not. I have to use that time to continue my education (professional training or coursework,) or I can lose my certification.

3. People assume that I work from the beginning of the school day.. (30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the school day is over) However, I teach special education and have 15 different subjects, there is no way I can plan for all of my lessons, get materials, and hold meetings with parents and staff, modify tests and coursework in during my one plan time a day. (If I do not have to cover someone else's class or assume other duties)

4. Most professionals get an hour lunch. I get 25 minutes... assuming that I do not have lunch duty or lunch detention duty.

5. I get the priviledge of assuming responsibility for children who are not mine, and can falsely accuse me or question my professionalism. However, when I ask a question about study habits, bedtimes, evening routines parents feel that I am invading their privacy. (when a child tries to sleep or never ever has homework finished, i feel i have the right to ask some questions)


Yes, there are some issues that teachers complain about. However, if they complain in front of their students, then that teacher needs to reflect on their choice of profession, and perhaps make a change.

Answer 2

Feel free to compare my salary with anyone else who has a BS and a masters degree in science or Mathematics. You'll find I"m making what they started at... It took me 16 years to get there.

I have not had a summer off ever. I have responsibilities I have to take care of to keep my job.

Now that said, I do not complain about my personal salary - I chose this profession, and would not change it for the world. I do feel I have the right to complain when I see that the salaries offered do not attract enough candidates to the positions.

Los Angeles has a standing offer of 45 thousand with 10 thousand in incentives to any science and math teachers who come. I have three open positions in my school NOW. It is a disaster to those kids who have been stuck with no teacher since September.

Do you think thats something to complain about?

Answer 3

I second McKayla's answer....there is truth to every word he or she posted.

You may also believe that we get all this "time-off" but, those summer months off are spent preparing for the entire next TEN months with TWENTY to THIRTY more students...all with different needs and capabilities. AND some of us work summer session....so 3 months turns into only a few weeks...

I am a Teacher of the Deaf and I am constantly building on learning American Sign Language and learning about the Deaf culture, since it is not my own language nor culture. Being a teacher requires constant upgrading to our skills.

Also, in the state I live in, our certificates require us to have 175 hours of professional development outside of our workplace (staff meetings don't count!) every 5 years. You do the math and total how many workshops and courses we must attend and PAY FOR ourselves to keep working in our career field year after year. How many other professions have to do that?

Did you ever think about college loans? On top of my lower-end salary, I must pay back the state $407 a month towards my student loans. Yes, I wish our salaries were higher because we start off working for very little, yet we have high loan bills to pay back....and our jobs REQUIRE Bachelors AND Masters degrees! There is no way around it. We also have familes and bills to pay....so come on....what are you talking about that we "complain"?

We (teachers) just wish for things to be less bumpy in the financial department. Three months off is NOT the issue.

Are YOU a teacher yourself? No?....didn't think so.

Answer 4

Think before you speak! How many people have a college degree and make, not bring home, $37,000 a year? How many professionals who have been with the same company over 3 years make, not bring home $37,000 a year? We get not 3 months off, but from June 18-August 15 off. And we don't really get paid one penny during this time period. They pay us much less during the school year so we can get paid during the summer. And no K-12 academic teacher works 8 hous a day. The average teacher works much longer than that. And teachers bring home about $12 an hour after taxes. And they take money out of our check each pay day to pay for benefits. We only get 10 days of sick leave and 2 days of personal leave each year. Teachers pray each day that they don't become sick, their children or parents don't become sick, or their spouse doesn't get hurt. If you run out of sick leave, your pay is deducted. If you don't use your personal days, you lose them. I'll save the academic issues for another topic.

Answer 5

At my college human beings are not getting each Thursday afternoon. i think of instructors say that they are underpaid b/c we do a lot of stuff exterior the common day, fairly easy instructors. we could desire to consistently do report enjoying cards (we actual write out long remark sections in assessment to center and intense college instructors), we plan, and are available early or stay previous due. All of those issues ensue exterior of the common day. So in spite of the incontrovertible fact which you think of you're calculating our hourly fee, you rather are not. As an easy instructor I actual have around 40 minutes of "making plans" an afternoon. that factor is spent employing the restroom (we will not pass except somebody is observing our classification) checking digital mail (a obtain a minimum of one an afternoon from a parent) checking my mailbox, assembly with different instructors, making copies, and in basic terms taking a breather! So whilst do I plan? At night. whilst do I best papers? At night. human beings could desire to be responsive to that instructors do a lot of artwork exterior the common college hours. How plenty is your toddler's training nicely worth?

Answer 6

I have never complained about my salary, and most teachers that I know don't complain about it. Mostly we complain about all the stuff we have to put up with.

Answer 7

The salary isn't the issue. It's the problems with the education system and the lack of resources that are. So yeah, we DO have things to complain about, but pay really isn't one of them. If you want to talk dental insurance, I could complain then. :)

Answer 8

I agree with all of the above....except on really busy days I get about 15 minutes for lunch. So I can't add any other items to the list. Sorry!

Answer 9

AT HYDERABAD IN INDIA, A TEACHER (NONMUSLIM TEACHER WORKING IN A MUSLIM DOMINATED COLLEGE) WAS HARASSED BY MUSLIM BATCH OF HER COLLEGE. THEY COMMENTED A LOT BADLY ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF THE TEACHER. SHE WAS A GOOD TEACHER AND DEDICATED FOR WORK. INSPITE OF THAT , SHE WAS SENT OUT FROM THE COLLEGE BY THE COMMUNAL GROUPS.AN MLA OF ISLAMIC COMMUNITY ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE ACTS AGAINST HER, ONLY BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT AMUSLIM.

WHAT TYPE OF COMPLAINT SHE HAS TO GIVE AND ON WHOM?

Answer 10

Teaching has its cons just like any other job.If they could TEACH they wouldn't complain! They have to put up with discipline problems,parents, paperwork and etc...
If you broke a teacher's salary down by hours,it really wouldn't be that much. per hour. And it isn't 3 mos. off--it is like June 2nd-Aug. 12th....and they are not paid for this time off....