A recent survey of over 1,100 public school teachers found that they spend an average of $673 per year on classroom supplies. Teachers typically spend between $500 and $750 of their own money annually on supplies their students need. In 2020-2, teachers spent $750 of their own money on their classrooms, the highest amount ever. Republicans have agreed to preserve a $250 tax break for teachers when they buy classroom supplies, but teachers tell us they typically spend more.
A federal Department of Education survey released on Tuesday revealed that 94% of public school teachers in the United States reported paying for school supplies. Many educators’ classrooms are underfunded by the districts that employ them. Public school systems typically provide free education, but teachers do not have to pay for their children’s education in most cases. Teachers are allowed to deduct up to $300 in out-of-pocket expenses on their taxes, while some schools offer instructors additional funds to help buy extra supplies.
No parent is required to make a contribution to their child’s education, and the rules are clear on this. Having your own children attend your school for the past eight years has been stressful at times, but it has also made you a better teacher. Funneling money won’t solve all of education’s woes or demand automatic results, but there are studies that show a correlation between spending money and improving education.
📹 Why Teachers Are Paid So Little In The U.S
Teachers earn nearly 20% less than other professionals with similar education and experience, according to the Economic Policy …
What is the value of teacher in our life?
Teachers play a crucial role in shaping our lives and shaping our understanding of business, politics, and society. They help students learn and gain knowledge, shaping our perceptions of the world. Teachers are celebrated on Teacher’s Day in India on September 5th. They serve as educators, caregivers, and friends, helping students with personal issues and fostering personal growth. Teaching is both challenging and essential, requiring educators to be prepared with the necessary skills and techniques to effectively educate their students.
Do you pay for kids school in Canada?
Canada offers free public elementary school for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, while international students must pay tuition fees. Private day schools have their own fee structures. Canada ranks among the world’s best countries for education, starting with elementary school where children learn academic and life skills in safe, inclusive classrooms. Teachers foster a love for knowledge, reward curiosity, and build confidence in students.
Canada’s globally recognized curriculum equips students with skills to thrive in today’s world. The country has one of the strongest student achievement records in the world, ranking ahead of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand in reading, math, and science. Canadian elementary schools provide services to support students throughout their education journey.
Which country respect teachers the most?
In Eastern countries, including China, the status of teachers is held in higher regard than that of doctors. China is the most esteemed country in this regard.
Which country has the richest teachers?
The profession of teaching is highly valued globally, with top-tier educators earning an average annual salary of around Rs. 72, 63, 240. Countries with robust educational infrastructures and competitive teacher remuneration tend to have higher esteem for the profession. However, regions with economic hurdles and inadequate funding may have lower social status and compensation for teachers. The top 10 countries where primary and secondary school teachers get paid the most on average in 2024 are Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada, and Germany.
Luxembourg ensures its top-tier educators receive competitive pay and perks, while Switzerland offers an average annual salary of around Rs. 64, 99, 200. Canada, with its strong economy and public schooling system, offers a competitive annual salary of around Rs. 63, 70, 560. Germany, known for its demanding academic standards, invests significantly in education, offering teachers an average annual salary of around Rs. 62, 80, 320 to maintain quality education and fair compensation.
What do teachers value most?
Teaching is based on four core values: dignity, truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, and freedom. These values are rooted in ethics, encompassing the teacher-student relationship, pluralism, and the teacher’s relationship with their work. Dignity involves respecting humanity, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, appearance, age, religion, or social standing. Truthfulness guides learners in navigating life and their environment, while honesty and mutual respect are essential in communication. Fairness promotes equality and non-discrimination, avoiding favoritism, and is crucial in both individual and work communities.
Are teachers underpaid around the world?
Education unions are expressing concern over the overwork, underpayment, and undervaluation of teachers worldwide, despite the increased public appreciation of their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Education International report on the Global Status of Teachers and the Teaching Profession surveyed 128 leaders and officials in 94 countries and across all levels of education. The report highlights system-wide conditions that are failing to attract a new generation of educators to the profession, undermining the right of every learner to be taught by a qualified teacher.
David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International, stated that governments need to make urgent investments in teachers and the students they educate, increasing teacher salaries and reducing workload to recruit the best people into the profession and ensure quality education for all.
Is school free for children in USA?
Public schools in the United States offer free education to children, funded by local taxes, state money, and federal resources. They cater to children from diverse cultures and languages, regardless of citizenship or residency. Public schools are divided into different grade levels, starting from kindergarten to 12th grade, with children starting school around age 5 and finishing around age 18. Elementary school, ages 5 to 10, focuses on basic skills like reading, writing, and math.
Is education free in the UK?
Primary and secondary education in the Philippines is free of charge and not influenced by a child’s or parent’s immigration status. Children aged 5-11 must attend primary education in a primary school, while children aged 11-16 must attend secondary education or training in a secondary school. Both are compulsory and take place in a school, regardless of the child’s or parent’s immigration status. This ensures that children can attend school, regardless of their ‘no recourse to public funds (NRPF)’ condition or if they are undocumented.
What is the best value of teacher?
Good teachers in elementary education are passionate about their students and strive to improve their lives for future generations. They respect and make them feel special, important, and unique. They create a welcoming environment where children feel safe to express their feelings and listen to their concerns. Effective teachers are prepared to teach, not only assigning homework but also completing their own lesson plans.
They listen to students and parents, building a nurturing classroom where they feel a sense of belonging. In essence, good teachers are committed to creating a positive learning environment for their students.
What are the strongest qualities of effective teachers?
A good teacher possesses skills in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy, and patience, as well as an engaging classroom presence, value in real-world learning, exchange of best practices, and a lifelong love of learning. These qualities can significantly impact a student’s life, impacting their classroom learning and long-term success. Research from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that good teachers are the most important factor contributing to student achievement in the classroom, more important than facilities, school resources, and school leadership.
A study from the American Economics Association (AEA) found that improvements in teacher quality positively impact various aspects of a student’s life, including college quality, future salaries, neighborhood quality, and participation rates in 401k savings plans.
📹 Why teachers are managing more student needs — and struggling to pay for their own
New teacher strikes and walkouts are making headlines this year, but the issues they are raising are familiar. Educators are …
I brought up this topic to someone & they replied “well, they don’t care about the money. They’re passionate about their job, they do it because they love it. Not for the money” and while that is true, that most teachers go into the education system because they are passionate about it, THEY DO DESERVE BETTER PAY. Teachers are so important!!!!!!
One of the things that makes this worse is the fact that many teachers aren’t given enough money to get supplies for their students so they have to use their own money. I vividly remember a teacher nearly in tears when she was talking about how there were no more public pencils for us because people kept taking them
i will never forget my 6th grade history teacher. he made learning fun. he played pranks on us, we did plays and engineering projects and i learned so much that year. but the one thing i will always remember is when my friend asked, “mr wilson, why are you a teacher if it makes so little money?” and he responded ” i don’t do it for the money, i do it to help kids learn.”
I was recently at the mall for Christmas shopping with my wife and daughter. I only work 1 job and financially do pretty good. I was disappointed to see 2 of my daughters elementary teachers working at bath and bodyworks because they have to work 2 jobs just to live. They are ELEMENTARY TEACHERS. They work with young children to mold them and teach them and help them and yet we pay them so little they have to work 2 jobs. This is depressing and needs to change immediately. I will start a campaign to raise teachers wages today and make sure they are paid well.
I was a teacher for 3 years and my salary was around 27K. That’s what they paid starting out. I taught HS Math and subed whenever needed during my planning period. I was expected to be at sporting events/games as much as I was able, have lunch duty one week a month and do carline morning and afternoon one week per month, and have help/tutoring class once a week for one hour. So most days I was working from 7am to 4:30 nonstop. All that in addition to checking tests and HW at home in the evenings and weekends, and having to stay even later due to a meeting or making sure I had my planning done for the week when many teachers fell sick and was expected to be subbing everyday.
I’m a teacher in Germany and I’m always shocked by how little my colleagues in the US earn… I’m paid really well and teachers in Germany are also treated well in other regards (paying less taxes, better health-insurance and most teachers are state-servants so we can’t be fired unless we do something really bad)… However, we also have a shortage in teachers over here…
I’m a teacher. My sister stayed at my house for a month. The first week she stayed with me she told me that she was thinking of going into teaching. The last day at my house I told her that I would help her with her classes once she got started. Then she said “I don’t want to be a teacher anymore” startled I asked why…she said that she saw me work everyday after school at home including weekends and that she didn’t want that for her. In that moment I realized that she was right… I don’t want that for her either. The stress and the pay is not worth it. Now I’m thinking of leaving teaching behind…and this makes me sad because I truly love teaching.
It’s been two years since this article. I check back in on this from time to time. I’m a teacher. I fall into a pit of despair knowing nothing changes. I’m tired and trying to get out of this hole. I want to be able to afford a family of my own and a home of my own. I work hard and do a needed service in this country. Why can’t I as a teacher have those things?
I don’t understand how teachers are paid so little and in charge of shaping the entire world. I remember my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Condry came to my home after my mom passed away to read to me, “Everybody Dies” Or Mr. Billings in high school telling me he thought my writing was interesting. Or Mr. Blank for teaching me symbolism in literature. My teachers changed my life. Pay them wayyyy more. Way way more.
This is why I always tried to be a kind and courteous student to all of my teachers. I saw the stress on the faces of the ones working so hard for our best educational interest, and as I got older, I learned how they aren’t paid nearly what they should be. Wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the amazing educators I have crossed paths with in my school years. Teachers/professors – THANK YOU, from a very grateful (almost) nurse!
I’ve had some amazing teachers Shoutout to Mr. Semus, Mr. Killion Mr. Rosenberg, Mrs. Lockart, and the Top G himself Mr. Farkas Y’all make me love Math, History, and Music! Plz keep doing what your doing and inspiring kids Here’s to those good teachers who somehow find away to make it fun and memorable even with all their life stuff going on!
I am a teacher at a public school who has 2 part-time side jobs. By the end of the week, I usually work about 75-80 hours a week. That doesn’t include the time I spend grading papers and doing lessons. Also, it doesn’t include being a mom, which is another full-time job in itself. Tired is an understatement.
Don’t forget often times, a teacher buys supplies for the class. Need to print out a worksheet for the class? Buy your own paper (which is while I hated it, I understood why they had to ask students to bring in reams of paper for extra credit). Extra pencils/pens for students that can’t afford it or forgot one? Guess who funds it (not the school). And good luck getting it back. And that’s not even getting into the science teachers that try to keep their students engaged with interactive experiments. I can’t begin to imagine how much they have to spend on more complex experiments – for multiple classes at that. It’s sad to see how teachers are treated. Most good teachers I’ve had slowly got worked in by a combination of dealing with disrespectful teenagers all day, low pay, unlikable faculty, etc. and either A. Leave the profession. B. Leave for a different school/area. Or C. Slowly turn into a teacher that hates their job and has the class read textbooks and do worksheets all day instead of making learning engaging.
Teachers are like every other profession: some are great and some are not. I interned in a middle school for my M.Eds. degree; some teachers were tenured and did almost nothing, the principal unable to fire them. On the other hand, some teachers were heroic, even buying school supplies and books for the needy. Some teachers worked thru the pandemic while others sat back and used the school closure as a free holiday. So, it’s a mixed bag and I never criticize, or laude, ‘teachers’ as a group.
Mississippi teacher here. We lose about 2-3 great young teachers each year to better paying and less stressful jobs. I talk to every young teacher that walks in the doors at our school about looking at the future and think about it financially and not just “you are doing something important” or “you are doing something you love”. The truth is after your teaching career is done, while you may have enjoyed it, you still want to “live” and even with a pension it’s almost impossible to justify the lost potential wages by changing careers. Fifteen years ago I made that choice and at this time I’m more than a million dollars down, pay wise, compared to what I could have made at a job I was offered. I don’t want another young person to make that same mistake. And the line, “we need to invest more to get better teachers” is just pure BS. Young teachers that I see are way more qualified to handle the modern education system then most veterans. Ninety percent of them are better than most of us veterans were at their age and experience. I’m out at the end of this year and can’t wait. I’m not tired of the kids, I’m tired of the admins, testing, parents and all the other constant crap that makes what was once a great job just pure misery.
Since leaving the teaching profession, I have nearly doubled my salary, while simultaneously reducing both the number of jobs and hours worked. While teaching, I worked two jobs, as well as a seasonal job and coached athletics year round. Factoring in lesson plans, grading, and regular phone calls made to parents, I averaged 60+ hours per week for my primary job as an educator. In my current profession, I work a single job and average 45+ hours per week. My general health has also improved due to a reduction in work related stress. Teaching is a challenging profession and many individuals fail to understand its complexities. Edit: Because it has been mentioned several times below…money was not a primary factor in my decision for leaving the teaching profession. The article is centered around teacher salary so my response merely reflects the topic of the article. I have a family and finding a balance between work and life with my family is most important. I can work less hours in a different profession, thus allowing me to spend more time with my family. I’m merely fortunate that my income increased from changing careers. Personally, I feel that money only matters up to a certain point and after that it yields diminishing returns.
I’ve been teaching for over 15 years. In that amount of time I’ve seen a lot of changes in education and none for the best. Teachers have been bogged down with more paperwork than ever before due to someone in admin’s idea of programs that are sure to “cure” our educational issues. I average about 10 hour days and give up one entire day of my weekend every week…and this was before the pandemic. I’m afraid of more pay because I think someone is going to say, “Show me the proof that they are worthy of this increase” and we have more paperwork, data collection, and testing to do. Standardized tests that are grossly not age appropriate for most child’s level of cognitive thinking are really in place to see if the teacher is worthy of their meager 1% raise each year…these tests aren’t about student achievement when a teacher’s raise is tied to these scores by 30+% of their yearly evaluation.
I loved almost all of my teachers. I hadn’t seen my high school history teacher in over 12 years and he hollered to me in Walmart not to long ago. 12 years later and he immediately recognized me. He was in the military and deployed my freshman year. I keep in touch with my 5th grade teacher. She was amazing. When my 2nd grade teacher passed away, over 700 former students turned out to her funeral. My middle school math teacher, Mr. Crowley was also a memorable guy. He worked at the gas station with my uncle because teaching didnt pay enough. Sad he had to do all that.
Not only do they want you to be a social worker, a therapist, a teacher and learn safety skills, but they also want you to be a data entry clerk, a monitoring/evaluation specialist (i.e. grading and commenting in a meaningful way on assignments), and in some cases, they also want to micromanage you, and ask you to break the kids’ spirit. I taught middle school math (pre algebra, algebra, algebra 2) and at one school, I was evaluated poorly for taking 20mins to review a topic that I estimated would take 5 mins in my lesson plan. It was a review of what they learned the week before. When confronted, and asked what did I think that said about me as a teacher, I said I think it says I’m student-centered and dynamic/flexible. I noticed a few glaring misconceptions and addressed them right then and there, and I was able to do so thoroughly, on my toes, because I am so familiar with my subject. I nipped the misconception in the bud and re routed my whole lesson so as not to move on to more complex things before the kids were ready. My principal said she thought it showed I was a bad time manager and should have moved on with the lesson as planned and set aside time at a future date to address the misconception. I said that approach might be best in other subjects, but math builds on itself. You cannot move on without certain foundational skills, of which this misconception was one. She said no. Then she made me role play with her acting as the student and set a timer (that she explained was set up purposefully so that she could see it but not me).
When I first started as a teaching assistant, I came to the school early to plan and stayed later planning and getting things together. Since I worked by the hour, I figured I put my time in for the hours I worked. Then the secretary told me that I only put in the school hours even though I invested at least 3 extra hours a day to get things together for the students. And that’s not including stuff I did at home. Plus I had a second job. And that second job was getting higher raises than my TA job. So I had HS kids and people coming off the street working at my second job getting almost as much as my TA job which I got a degree and experience for.
In NJ teachers were villainized by Gov Christie simply because we thought that the state should honor its contractual pension requirement for educator retirees after an entire career of low paychecks. We are constantly told that we are failures– “those who can- do, those who can’t- teach.” We are told we are lazy because school ends at 3 pm, not taking into account everything that happens after school from tutoring to coaching to leading clubs to taking work home and grading and lesson planning deep into the night. We are told we are leeches because we get two months off in the summer and that we’re “paid to do nothing”, while not understanding that the “pay” we get in the summer is money we gave permission to the local Bd of Ed to deduct from every single paycheck we receive during the school yr and hold in escrow for us so that the Bd can then release that money to us in July and August. Lastly we are always told to shut up because teaching is a privilege and if we don’t like it to switch to “a real career. ” I love what I do, and I’ll deal with your high schooler and their problems all day long if necessary, it’s the constant disrespect from the adults and society around me that I and other teachers don’t appreciate. During a school shooting I’m supposed to die for your kids. During the worst of the pandemic, when people were dropping like flies, I was expected to accept the possibility of getting ill and dying so that your kid could go to school and you could work and society could function.
I’ve been teaching for 17 years and my salary barely goes up. I’m at a point that I might be looking elsewhere. My own kids tell me that they want to be a teacher like me, and I have said many time, no because it doesn’t pay the bills. Unfortunately, we have bills and responsibilities. It’s sad that our future’s education is not a priority. Hopefully this will change in the future. I know I won’t see it but I really hope the teaching career changes for the better.
I recently retired after 32 years in teaching. I didn’t make a living wage until the last 8 years of my career. For each of those 32 years, I routinely spent at least $1500 a year on supplies (sometimes more) out of my own pocket, worked from 6 am to 9-10 pm at night, worked weekends, worked during our so-called “summer vacations”. The workload is crushing and my wages didn’t keep up with the cost of living. You have no personal life during the school year and barely have one during the summer. Why did I do it? The kids. I miss them every day. Those 32 years meant something more than money. But younger teachers are quitting before they get locked into the system because being an educator has become more and more difficult each year. Parents and the administration often don’t support us, but they are happy to thwart us. Don’t get me started on the politicians, who conveniently beat up on our profession for votes and cheap applause. Our schools are broken because as we veterans retire, younger teachers are NOT taking our place. I don’t blame them. We need more money, but also more autonomy and respect. I won’t hold my breath.
I’m a teacher in CA. The curriculum has been dumbed-down in the name of “equity” that’s it’s now a complete joke! Teacher’s can’t hold students accountable for missing due dates, missing assignments, disruptive behavior; we’re strongly encouraged to give them points for anything they turn-in, even if it’s wrong, incomplete, or rap lyrics. “F” grades are arbritrarily changed to “No Pass.” It’s a sad, sad affair out here.
As a former teacher, I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, many teachers are underpaid, but I’ve met some who were overpaid. Taking education courses should never be a substitute for solid training in history, math, foreign languages and English grammar. Secondly, I feel our society should take a much closer look at school administrators and their bloated salaries. Every citizen should check the salary schedule for their local school district and should demand to know the ratio of the number of students to the number of students.
This doesn’t answer the question, “WHY are teachers paid so little?” Elected officials, when dividing up revenue that doesn’t increase at the rate of population in their districts, know that reducing crime rates is a much better strategy for reelection than trying to track the success of high school graduates over 6-10 years. Delaying or neglecting investment in education is also better, politically, than neglecting the demands of members of chambers of commerce.
TL;DR: The biggest issue in education is that the experts (teachers themselves) are rarely consulted in what works and what is best for children. Instead, because many people seem to think it’s a job that anyone can do (due to the history of education in the US), most decisions are made by lawmakers. Here’s the thing – the US, when it comes to education, has a much different education system than most of the rest of the countries we’re compared to. We are one of only a handful of countries that does not sort out our students at the end of 8th grade, and we were one of the first to provide specialized education services to children with disabilities that allow them to be in school with the general population. What I like to say is that when comparing the US to other countries, we’re comparing a random bunch of apples with a group of apples that was specifically cultivated for excellence from the best seeds, best fertilizer, etc. What people don’t tell you is that most major education decisions are not made by teachers – they’re made by state and federal lawmakers. Most teachers know best practices, but are often handcuffed from using them due to initiatives imposed on us by politicians, both right-leaning and left-leaning. The testing fiasco from No Child Left Behind, while possibly well intentioned at first, actually ended up bringing test scores DOWN instead of up. Why? Because the insistence and focus on raising test scores in reading and math led to the cancellation of activities that actually promoted brain development in young children – play (at recess) and the arts.
My husband is an educator and his salary is for birds to peck at in the mornings. The citizens of the United States care more about entertainment and football. The ticket sales and newly constructed stadiums speak for itself. The entire educational system needs a makeover. The model is outdated. The racial inequality of redlining zip codes in the 20th century didn’t help. The state of our public schools is scary. That’s why I have now chosen to homeschool.
One thing that was common in Illinois for a long time, was the practice of RIFing new teachers. That’s Reduction in Force. What that is as a district will offer you a contract for three years, then going into your fourth year, cut you from staff. That way they don’t have to offer you tenure, and you don’t get into the higher salary range. That way, they can go out and hire a first year teacher and save thousands of dollars. I have several friends I graduated college with in the same field as myself that had that happen several times. Few of us are still teaching due to not having any stability along with everything else in this article.
I loved my students and they loved me! I walked away after 3 short years. The system sucks along with the pay. Districts and many principals just can’t leave teachers alone to do the jobs they’ve invested a lot of years and money to prepare for. Too much micromanaging and always heaping more on your plate yet reminding you to do self care! Biggest lip service business out there!
It sucks. But this is the reality. This is why I left teaching and am now going back to school for Engineering. I was a math teacher. For me it was the low pay and the student’s disrespect. I miss being in the class and working with the kids, but in my future I want to make more money and have financial stability for me and my family. God willing things go well
Teachers MUST get paid more! They have to deal with student behavior and teach at the same time PLUS take work home (lesson plans, test making and grading, bus and recess duties etc.) They also have to set up meetings with parents too. I remember a friend who worked at a bar who wanted to major in elementary education but was talked out of it. She was very glad about the decision. I know a few people who worked side jobs to supplement their teacher pay. Very sad! Without GOOD teachers there would be no doctors, engineers, scientists, culinary chefs, mechanics, electricians, carpenters, nurses, etc. Teachers deserve BETTER salary!
If teaching were such a cushy job with stellar benefits & pension, not to mention all that ‘time off’, it wouldn’t be a revolving door profession with massive shortages. It doesn’t add up. Were the profession actually so cushy, we’d have a massive surplus of teachers and very few vacancies nationwide. Therefore, this argument simply doesn’t work.
Substitute teachers in TN get paid minimum wage – that’s $ 7.25 an hour, paid once a month . And, after working nearly full time ? They will stop calling you in to work to avoid the pay bump that’s supposed to occur . Substitute teaching is a hard job and surely not worth the time and effort for the end pay . Why teachers are so under valued is beyond reason ! Teachers are our children’s and our nations fundamental resource and the US is failing itself . The millions of people who clearly lack critical thinking skills and have fallen for the misinformation over our recent election are a great example of failed education. With money pouring into alternatives to local public schools, we are continuing a two tiered education system for the rich and poor. The end of school vouchers would go a long way to making people invest more in our local public schools and teachers .
Nothing will happen as there is a huge number of people who consider school a babysitting service, who don’t respect teaching as a job and who just don’t care about education. If things go on like this, in fifty years we’ll be back to a situation where only 10% can read and write and the rest will work in factories for a dime an hour.
Yes, as a former teacher, I’ll testify to the truth of this issue. At its root, the issue manifests itself as another demonstration of social inequity, i.e., rich communities have rich schools while poor communities have poor schools. One’s destiny is tied to the zip code one is raised in! This is due to the reliance on local taxes for funding and on state legislators, dominated by the wealthy & powerful, refusing to honor funding commitments at the state level. The wealthy folks I know don’t hesitate to ask me, especially when they have a few drinks in them, WHY should they fund OUR communities when THEY themselves already fund their own education, security (living in gated communities!), housing, etc.. No amount of demonstrating to them matters showing that the shared infrastructure of the nation is the basis to their wealth & power. The ultimate answer needs to come from a national commitment of centralized & well-funded authority on the federal level that over-rides the local structural inequities as do other nations who have demonstrably successful education systems. And, if someone tells you that the price of real education is too high, then show them the devastating cost of ignorance we see every day in the US.
I was a teacher for 35 years and had to retire do a nervous breakdown. I was a construction laborer for 13 Summers to make up for poor pay. By the time I retired, I had two master’s degrees but only retired with a top income of $89,00. It’s only gotten worse…still, I loved my job. Would I recommend it for the next generation…NO…not until things change…they won’t…sorry to say
This is my personal experience. I was a physics teacher in Arizona for 2 years, with a master’s. My annual salary was about 45,000 USD including bonuses. I was not rich by any means, but living comfortably. I was getting paid over the summer as well. With that pay, I got a nice car and rented a nice place to myself. I lived in an affluent part of Arizona and had savings every month. Sure, I can’t splurge every month, but I get to go out every weekend with friends. I just had to be careful with my money. I did not make poor decisions prior, hence I had no crippling debt coming into the job. If I wanted to get married and have kids, I probably could, but my spouse had to also work. I left it to further my education.
If you’re a teacher in the U.S., I highly recommend taking a job in East Asia for a few years. Your pay will double. Your employer will probably provide an apartment for you. You won’t have to take work home nearly at all. Your students will be 10X more respectful than in the U.S. None of your students’ parents will harass you or claim you’re “just a babysitter”. On the off chance you do end up in a bad situation, 50 employers will be fighting to give you a better job. Honestly, I was an educator in the U.S. for a decade, and moving to East Asia not only gave me a chance at retirement, it made me care about teaching again.
It’s because they’ve accepted it. “We’re not in it for the income, we’re in it for the outcome.” I spent 10 years as a special education teacher. Started at $45,000 ended at a whopping $50,000. Went to a corporate job with an aircraft manufacturer where I am a learning specialist and literally doubled my income. I’m respected by my peers. I get my own supplies and equipment. If I want to go back to school for additional training, they pay it 100%. I feel like I’m making more of a positive impact here than I ever did as a teacher. I start at 9AM and am done at 5PM. No homework grading interrupting family time. No stress of unstable parents and how they may retaliate. No dealing with students throwing desks/chairs/scissors across the room, no principals stabbing me in the back, no fellow teachers targeting my students because they “bring down test scores.” Teachers accept being treated like sh!t because they feel so strongly about the purpose of what they’re doing. There is this lingering worry among them that demanding more pay or better treatment will bring in the “wrong” type of people who ARE in it for the money. Um… no. It’ll bring in people who are talented, DEMAND respect, and DEMAND respectable pay. And then there’s the unions… it is virtually impossible to fire a terrible teacher. I worked with one gentleman who was a 5th grade teacher and had zero classroom management. In one corner kids were vaping, in another they were taking turns punching each other, one kid had climbed up into a cabinet and was sucking her thumb, almost all kids were on their cell phones sending pictures to each other.
WA when I became a teacher, required a masters degree and equivelent of a bachelors degree on the subject you wanted to study, (making it impossible for new teachers to switch subjects as jobs opened) on top of a new assessment on teachers that teachers had to pay to apply for. They raised the requirements to have skilled teachers without ever touching the support of schools in either building and supplies or the number of teachers. The thought of raising the pay wage of teachers was something of a taboo with the unions. I substituted for nine years in that system with no job opportunities because older teachers that were close to retirement could not afford to retire, and newer teachers were struggling to meet these new standards or were locked into one subject they were ‘qualified’ to teach with out going back to college after a $60k plus debt with no garunteed job. I left the education system not in frustration, or a lost desire for teaching, but the demands of the debts I incurred to become a teacher. I still owe over 50k easily in loans with no other skills to my name other than ‘Masters in Curriculum and Instruction’. There were transferable skills in organization, but little else when I had reenter the work force from the bottom again in my mid thirties.
I think the best way to help improve the pay rate for teachers is start their pay rate at the normal pay rate on their first year. Every year they stay they should get a raise by 5%, and another raise based off their performance (behavioral, emotional, and knowledgeably towards their students and school). The reason I say this is because I know teachers who have their masters but are some of the worst educators, yet those who had just received their bachelor and even those who are assistant teachers are much better educators. Teaching is extremely important and having amazing teachers is even more important. Having a higher pay rate and more benefits for teachers would allow more teachers to stay in that field.
Workers everywhere else get paid more than teachers… Teachers are under valued, we are consistently lied on by students and coworkers. Our value is placed on the grades of student test achievement or our master(5 yr) degree. We stay up at night until after midnight to 5 am. We pay our own summer salary… people say,” you get paid in the summertime…” no it’s taken out of my check to cover my summer living. Regardless of how passionate we are about how much we love our children or how educated we are…. It’s hurtful and almost not worth it anymore! We deal with students, parents, administrators, coworkers, etc mistreatment and devaluing our talents. We can be the best teacher in America and still have 4 jobs, no sleep, no peace!
this kills me, as a student in high school who wants to become a history teacher. i want to inspire the children i want to teach, like how mine are. some teachers have saved me from many bad decisions and help me out to talk things out with them. one especially she lets me talk things out that i can’t tell my parents or anyone else, it gives me some release. these people need to be paid higher, they teach the future and inspire them
People in the comments clearly haven’t done their research on how much time teachers actually take off and how much they get paid. There is a lot of off the clock grading, planning, prepping, research, continuing education, etc. And most districts max out around 80-100k per year with advanced degrees and 15-30 years of service within the same district. I don’t know where any teacher would ever make as much as the 150-200k you all are citing. Btw, you can look up the salaries of teachers online. The pay scales are available for all to see. I’m sure it’s less than you all seem to think it is.
My excellent teachers taught me early on that a topic sentence should be followed by supporting evidence. For example, if I state that I’m going to explain why teachers are paid so little in the U.S., the rest of my paragraph or essay would go on to explain why that is. I think CNBC had different teachers.
I taught public HS for 5 years, then moved into Info Tech as a programmer. My first year in IT, I actually made LESS than I did as a teacher when you considered that I only worked 9 months out of the year. It gets further complicated when you consider some IT fields you are “on call” 24/7. When a system goes down, you get woke up at 1 AM to fix it…working on it for 2-3 hours, then try to get back to sleep before waking up at 5:30 AM to do it all again. In contrast, I was never required to interact with school or students outside the hours of 6:30 am when I arrived past 3:30 pm when the kids left. Occasionally, I would hang around after school to help with yearbook or do the occasional weekend tournament judging, but that was compensated via a stipend and/or it wasn’t really a “work” duty. Stuff I volunteered to do because it was fun.
I come from a family of educators. I’m the son and nephew of college professors, my great Aunt was a teacher and I have two cousins who also teach. I think two fallacies that too many people buy into is that teachers only work a few hours a day while they are at school and that they only work 9 months a year. My mom literally had 12 hour days even on days she didn’t have class and often worked on Saturday and taught every summer to put food on our table and cloths on our backs. I actually wanted to be a teacher at one point but when looking at the salaries of teachers when I decided to go to grad school I went completely in a different area. From pre K through college a LOT of people chose different professions because of the pay and I’m not even talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars. It really comes down to do I want to start at 35k and hope to work my way up to 75k or do I start at 45k and within a short amount of time work my way up to six figures.
The U.S. is digging it’s own grave. Compared to teachers in N.Europe and Asia, who are RESPECTED and PAID more, it is abysmal. The nation should realize the FUTURE of our country is on the line. We cannot adequately compete, economically and technologically, if we are NOT well-educated. The starting salaries for teaches should be $70,000 with the caveats that they are certified, motivated, and know their target subject well. Why would a person today become a teacher if there are competing jobs that pay double the salary of a teacher?
It’s a choice that a society have to make. Do you want a “big government” (horrible word btw) who enables good education, free healthcare and social services? Or do you only care about getting tax cuts. Since Americans (at least the ones who voted Republican) only seem to care about the second thing, this is the result. Your education is so terrible because you refuse to pay for it as a society.
My husband teaches on the college level, he teaches 2 classes/ semester because he is only allowed to teach 6 classes/year as a part time instructor, on a good year he brings home $43,000. He has a masters degree, he wants his Ph.D so he can teach full time but we can’t afford more student loans so he is stuck.
The whole premise of this article is that raising teacher’s pay is the most effective way to better education. Not false but far from being the only factor. They showed how the asian countries ranked above the U.S and tried to correlate by pointing out how foreign teachers are relatively better compensated (wont waste my time to fact check but iam pretty sure its using some dumb metric to manipulate numbers). Ever wondered why asians statistically top the academic charts everywhere? Asian parents don’t expect schools to teach their children. Raise your kids people, nobody can do it for you.
My advice: Become a Home School Teacher. I took both my Special Education sins out of public school. They werent learning squat, bullied too. After reading the book ” DUMBING US DOWN” : The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling” by John Taylor Gatta, I felt sure my decision was correct and my sons would learn more and be happier in home school. Ask any high school kid basic questions on different subjects and you will get a blank stare or ridiculous answers. Ask them ” What was the Underground Railroad” or ” What was the war of U S Independence called” or ” Who is the Vice President now” or ” What planet is the hottest” or.. but they know Kim Kardashian wore yesterday. So sad.
The average teacher as I remember works only 180 days (look it up, this is pretty standard). The average professional works 251 days (365 – (52*2) – 10). 52 weeks in a year minus weekends and 10 holidays. The issue is not the salary of the teacher it is that they don’t work year round. The average professional is working 14-15 weeks longer than the teacher.
These articles / articles about discuss teacher shortages rarely mention how the cost of college and the resulting debt load could actively discourage people from entering the profession. When the cost of college far outpaces inflation and student debt loads increase, there’s pressure to choose a career that will pay enough to service that debt. When the choice is a teaching position that pays less than a job with equivalent education in the private sector, the private sector will win unless a student is really intent on becoming a teacher.
It’s really amazing to know US can spend budget on military spending that exceeds the next 26 biggest military budget combined but they can’t increase their education budget and everyone from teachers to students suffer from it. Well recruiting becomes easy for the military when you have a broken system.
What isn’t pointed out is the amount of tuition teachers must pay for their teaching credentials. University tuition/fees have dramatically climbed over the past 50 years which has led to this pay gap because of the loan amounts teachers must pay back. Since the 80s, university fee increases have consistantly outpaced inflation by a wide margin. Yet, unions, lawmakers and the public never address what prospective teachers must pay to earn their teaching credentials. And teachers do have some perks: we work 9 months out of the year (i.e. 3 months paid vacation); have Cadillac insurance on the very day we are hired; are among the highest paid government empolyees in many suburban areas and most rural areas. We also can claim a permanent, yearly $500 federal tax deduction for classroom supplies (implemented in 2018). Don’t overlook what we do have. I recognize the cost of education, but that is directly on the universities who charge the same amount of tuition for all degrees, whether I am going into engineering, nursing, or teaching. They never stop their inflationary fee increases. Those interested in teaching need to consider the tuition costs and ROI on their education before committing. Maybe we need to go back to teaching colleges that train teachers and cost far less? And, state legislatures must ditch some of these punative policies on testing to prove merit. That policy is sufficiently out of whack. If I am working at a jam-processing company on a line canning blueberry preserves, every person on the line, including myself, has input on the blueberries being used in the jam.
I switched between schools for a while, 5 schools in 6 years, counting moving up to high school. Because of that, I did have some issues making friends so the teachers were always a welcome face. Because of my 8th grade English teacher, I made one of my best friends to this day. My 8th grade algebra teacher was proud of habing her masters in order to teach her students well. My high school teachers saved my life from my depression and self-isolationg from when I wasnt with my friends. My 12th grade history teacher was so kind when my father (labor intensive job) fell asleep during the parent-teacher conference and I was holding my sister in my seat next to me as I went over my planning for the next parts of the year so I could graduate without worry. That same teacher came from a family of lawyers but she wanted to teach history. She is one of the best women I have ever met, and certainly one of the best teachers that I have ever had. She helped my sister a lot when my sister became her student, and when she organized a trip to Europe, she invited my entire family (sister, me, parents, etc) to come along. When my sister and I got lost in Europe (for like 10 minutes), she stuck by my mum to make sure she didnt worry while the other teachers went to find us. This woman hadn’t even met my mother (nursing school) while I was in school. 5 years later, when they met, they developed a really good relationship. My mom actually liked her very much once they met. The teachers aren’t caretakers, sure, but they take care of kids while at school and they get them ready for the future.
This epidemic needs to ✋ stop! My dad was a physics teacher and football coach and he absolutely loved his profession. I grew up admiring him and all that he did and he was a single dad on top of that! But as a kid…I literally saw how much work he had to put in with both teaching and coaching and eventually he started working at the community college to make more money. He then had ro quit his job at the high school ( a job he loved) just to make ends meet. This was in the early 2000s. Now I am a teacher and omg…my poor father, everything he went through. I understand too much now. 🥲
It’s so messed up. Took that teacher 20 years to get to $90k… I got there after 6 months of tech sales experience. Also have a master’s degree and was a former private lesson teacher. And $90k was just my base, earned commission on top of that, too, while getting to stay at home. Priorities in this country are backwards and upside down.
As a teacher (though not in the USA), I would prefer a salary that grows with time over a salary that grows with responsibility. I took a leadership role in my school this year, but I’m going to step down from that role next year because it’s adding too much work to my plate. I already have a part-time evening job in addition to my teaching job, and I find there isn’t time for me to take that responsibility as seriously as I would want. The other element is skill set: I’m very good at the teaching part of my job, but the bookkeeping and business administration aspects are not things I’m trained for or would naturally find intuitive, so taking a role like a department head is not appealing to me.
As a person who is currently in college to get her math degree and is in a college program to become a high school teacher, I can tell you that to become a good effective teach is hard. There is a lot that goes into being a teacher. It is not about writing problems from a book on the board. It is about how can I make meaningful content that engages a student that does not what to learn this and is confused by all their hormones. There is lesson planning education, teaching philosophies, early development psychology, classroom interactions, the 5E training, and more that I still have to complete. On top of that I still have my regular college general education classes and almost every math class that the campus offers. This includes Calc 1- 4, Differential Equations, Abstract Algebra, and much more. All of this to go into the worse paying field in the US, and I do it because I want to help kids have a better and brighter future.
That depends on where you teach. Like in my town is made up of mostly upperclass with people working in NYC and commuting back to NJ daily. Teachers are paid well and those with tenure even more. I think salary depends on what the school district can afford. Those that can pay more can if they choose to. But those that do not may not have the right or enough funding can not. That’s why most teachers in my town stay for decades.
I use to be in the teaching field. Graduated right before the ’08 crash. Unless I moved halfway across the country (and the wages weren’t great) all I could get was being a substitute. I was bluntly told by an administrator that I shouldn’t do Graduate level classes (needed in my state for a level 2 license- which you needed to teach) because I wouldn’t be hired. Did a long term substitute position and was bluntly asked how a 8th grader could fail learning support math (and the student did not do ANYTHING- no homework which the student could put random numbers and I would have accepted, just sat in class and did not take notes, and cause they refused to do anything, failed the test. I stated all the above and got chewed out and told I had to let them make up everything- they didn’t BTW. Honestly after that administrator- I lost all faith in teaching. I’m was still new but was in before all the other teachers arrived and was one of the last ones to leave. I had an open door policy and stated the students could come before and after school for any questions, issues, etc. No one showed up. Sad to say but it just wasn’t worth the mental toll and the pay for the amount of hours I put in.
I do wonder how much of the wage problem with teachers goes back to the time when most teachers were young single women? It used to be very common work for young women 100+ years ago to teach for a few years before setting down, getting married and starting a family, and I cannot imagine that the wages were very good at all.
Unsurprisingly, this has been a problem that dates back decades. One of my favorite books, The Thread That Runs So True, is written by Jesse Stuart, a teacher in rural Kentucky. I don’t want to spoil the book for those who haven’t read it, but he was an incredibly passionate teacher who regularly took money out of his own pay to put it towards his school and his students. I have a feeling he’d be deeply ashamed of the U.S.’s current state, considering how much he attested the importance of teaching.
I’m working on my secondary mathematics degree right now and plan on going into math teaching when I finish. I understand what’s in front of me and all the financial hardship that can come from it, but I don’t see myself doing any other profession. I plan on the possibility of having an extra job or two on top of it, working 7 days a week if needs be. I hope things get better, especially when I graduate, but until then I’m preparing myself for what looks to be coming
I’m not a teacher. My guess for what’s going to happen: Salary for teachers don’t increase enough >>Not many people wants to become teacher and existing teachers leave their jobs >>The number of teachers decrease and don’t have enough teachers to teach >>Parents cannot send their children to school as there is no teacher to teach in the school or the school with teachers are far away >>Government tells people to do homeschooling(they will talk about homeschooling during the pandemic amd say “we have done it, we could do it again”) >>The result of homeschooling: Family with low income-they cannot do homeschooling at all as both parents have to work full day to make living Family with average income-they can do some homeschooling but it can be done only late evening or some weekends, so kids don’t get enough education Family with high income-they hire “private tutor” to do what TEACHERS do and their kids get enough education >>About decade after homeschooling, children from poor(low income) family started to work full time at the age of 15-17 with minimum wage as they don’t go to school and children from rich(or high income) family can go to college to get higher education and get a job requiring college degree(or higher) with high salary >>Another decades later, the education is ONLY for the rich and their sons/daughters and their grandkids
Reasons why I left teaching: Physically, Monetarily and Mentally Exhausting to the point of burn out with little aid, NO Bathroom Breaks, rarely a solo lunch break, or even a planning period. AND STILL I was considered PART TIME- then they dont have to pay as much or provide benefits. I might have liked teaching if it was at all sustainable AND don’t even get me started on the restrictive propagandized didactic curriculums! (Vocabulary no thanks to the American Public School System- I wanted to teach- but I truly didnt know the poverty hole I threw myself into when I made that decision) My degrees are useless. Retired Circus Performer (For real)
I always give my kids teachers gift cards for every holiday and I mean 100th day of school, day before Easter, teacher in service day etc. If there is any excuse at all they get a card hand written by my kid telling them they are loved, valued and they get a gift card, usually small like $10, but something so they know we are thinking about them. I want my kid to value her teachers just as much as I do. It’s not just babysitting, it’s actually a profession that people go to college for.
$29B to close teacher wage gap. They’ve given $50B so far to Ukraine to defend their land. No questions, no political dialogue, no nothing They talk about nonsense that we heard trillions of time before, of how they are so important, how they paid so poorly, how they are not valued ad nauseen. The bottom line WE DONT CARE ABOUT THEM, why is that so hard to understand? Full stop, next topic please.
Pay for performance is a very slippery proposition, although it “matches” the private sector. Teacher’s rarely have control over their student population in teaching and measuring a baseline of performance, behavior, skills is nearly impossible in some settings. If you can’t measure a baseline then you can’t measure improvements. And we know from experience that if you measure teacher performance on tests then there is a massive amount of manipulation of data or teachers manipulate their schedules to get certain kids. Like every profession there are ambitious/manipulative people who are motivated by money and any financial incentive actually encourages teachers to get out of the classroom, to limit responsibility, and find themselves in “leadership” positions that actually have a smaller impact than if they had a schedule of 150 normal students. Sure, make it easier to transition teachers out of the profession, but the job is an absolute foot soldier grind, pitting soldier against soldier for a pay raise destroys morale. And no, teaching shouldn’t be treated like a business…this isn’t an exchange of goods, it is the area where young humans are socialized, educated, and fostered.
I believe that K-12 teachers are very important and that good teachers should be rewarded while poor teachers should be encouraged to leave the profession. Businesses do this all the time. Measurable performance metrics and relationships with their team (other teachers) and students (clients, which arguably might or might not include parents) are the business criteria. I had some great teachers, some not so great, one that I think hated the students. It was interesting to see how much students paid attention and how hard they worked for the teachers they liked. The noise level in class was a good indicator.
No wonder the monster children are failing. They are failing basic math science history and language. Children whether due to stress and trauma or bad parenting are bullying teachers. Teachers are just not paid enough to deal with the abuse and stress. Pay the teachers more and maybe you’d get better results. What is sad is I still remember the teachers that made an impact on life. They deserve more. Society takes advantage of them.
Teachers in America are like scraping the bottom of the college barrel. Teaching is a path of least resistance and a place of comfort for they who dont want to work hard, yet have security and long term benefits. Working 60hrs a week doesn’t mean you work hard. 60hrs a week is the BARE MINIMUM for a professional. If you want to be successful in any trade you will be “working” 90 plus hrs a week. Working into the night and weekends is NORMAL for professionals and they who wish to be successful. I honestly cant remember meeting a highschool teacher over the past 20 years with an iq at or above 120. Teachers are not our best brightest or our hardest workers…in fact over the last 30 years it has been the exact opposite. Different states have very different standards for education. If you live in a red state you have no one to blame but yourself. If your district (red or blue)has a deplorable school system you are to blame.
Facts prove that, in most states, teachers earn a very good wage, based on the hours worked and the amount of days off. An average worker receives 120 days off a year ( if they have vacation or sick time). Teachers average 175 days off a year and that’s only if they never miss a day off work. Simple math. Simple logic. Learn it.
Is it a low salary? I used to be a teacher at University (not even at school) in Russia. I had hour rate about 2 dollars (gross salary). And I don’t take into consideration that I had to prepare materials for lecture, tasks, check homework and colloquiums. Subject – control theory and robot manipulators
I left teaching because I couldn’t pay rent, so I became a barista because I made more money brewing coffee. Now I own my own massage therapy practice, and live comfortably with a much better work/life balance. It’s sad, but I’m just not willing to keep living in poverty just to teach. A caveat: while teaching I split my time between teaching adult classes at an NGO, and working with special needs brown kids at a severely underfunded public school in a low income neighborhood. So there was little incentive to pay us any more than they were legally required to, but that didn’t include the 75% of my work I had to do outside the classroom for no pay at all.
Man, imagine the early childhood educators. They get paid low as well for the work done. People think of them as glorified babysitters when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Teachers in general seem under appreciated…but I do feel things were better prior to NCLB. I get why it was brought about but I feel it’s doing more harm than good.
well…work only 200s days a year (3 months paid vacation), full benefit, no need to update your knowledge, AC condition 100%, …..how much do you want to ask for ? 100k ? seriously ? complain too much about your salary, QUIT…Yes Find another EASY JOB LIKE THE TEACHING JOB….save that position for someone else…please
It really varies state to state. There are teachers in my school district who make over 100k a year. The average pay for the school district for a teacher is almost 70k. We have administrators making 150k to 200k. I think most teachers in my district are getting paid well enough and as the story talks about its not always about pay. A bad boss or personal issues can cause many to leave the profession.
Some teachers do not teach positive education ….some of them are more concerned teaching politics, teaching race issues, teaching faulse third gender issues, teaching to cancel culture, teaching not to embrace god will, Teaching Not To Be Winners By Telling Students They Are Good At Being No Good, They Failed To Teach Morals, Values And Respect to students, Teaching Evolution from the monkey…..Do You or Your Grandma know of any ape in the zoo that conceived a baby man ??? …God Created 2 Genders only Man & Women…. Those Teachers Doing Wrong, Do Not Deserve Extra Pay !!!!
My wife works in the school system as an OT and I had a couple of friends I grew up with who became teachers. The stories they tell me are insane and I do feel for them and I do agree that teachers play an important role in society and should get paid more but where would the money come from? Being in business and running multiple million dollar projects I do have some thoughts. Let me know if these ideas are crazy. As I start to put my kids through school I’m actually considering trying to make a difference in my community. 1)\tSchool boards including the superintendent should not be elected. It should run more like a business where each member earns their spot within a particular area and the Mayor’s office evaluates their job through a strict set of criteria 2)\tTeachers need more respect. We live in a world of content and information. This stigma on teachers could be changed quickly and it needs to. This is just marketing. And I do get it. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is. Marketing is needed and not the cheesy kind. 3)\tInstead of imposing a tax (I’m guessing mostly property taxes) just have parents directly pay tuition to the schools. I hate the idea of giving the gov an interest free loan but at tax time, parents would get a tax credit for the excess amount paid. Rates would have to be based on income and thresholds would be applied. 4)\tSell off portions of the curriculum to companies. Probably more so suited for middle and high school but companies would pay big dollars to teach them what they think would be important in the future.
Regarding teachers being paid so little, I retired this summer from teaching in Mississippi, so I know what you are talking about, firsthand. As a side note, most pre-college schools do not employ piano teachers, so I was very fortunate to have a job in a community college (I still teach privately, post-retirement, and I will as long as I can). As an FYI, a professional pianist who teaches in the academic world usually begins study very young. I began at age 9, which was rather late. It’s a different world, compared to other areas of expertise. For example, when someone decides to major in English, etc., they were likely a strong student in this subject and then decided to major in that area upon beginning their college studies. Such a scenario would practically never happen for a pianist because of the investment in long-term training. All this to say, being a teacher is not about making money. For me, it is a commitment to giving other people a tradition, a specialized language. I was willing to live very frugally so I could be a teacher.
What I don’t understand is teachers create people who go on to have highly paid careers, how would anyone become successful without teachers so how can we pay the most important people in the world so little. The states are messing up because not only do they do this to teachers they do it to care takers, who else will take care of our elderly, they can’t keep workers and I have struggled to get the help I need with my mother because they can make more working at Walmart!!!! Our children and are elderly are in serious trouble if the states don’t change their agenda!!!!!
I feel for the teachers. In a perfect world, society would ensure that people who do such an important job would be well compensated if not in money, some other perks that make the job worthwhile. However, the world operates on markets and economics. If teachers want to be paid more, quit working at public schools. Form your own elite education institutions, offer personal tutoring services, or just quit the field altogether. You have to adapt to supply and demand. If you want money, go where the money is. When there is enough demand and value for teachers (because of scarcity), then the government will fork over more cash, or private institutions will rise, and education will be reserved for those who can afford it. Unfortunately, education is not a right it is a product/service that people pay for. We can talk about unfairness and “what should be as much as we want,” but in the end, we need to adapt if we want our lives to improve.
Everyone wants more compensation and support. Clearly it’s in our countries best interest to produce good students. I’d like to see a correlation between increased pay and improved student outcomes. This story isn’t very comprehensive. It paints a very narrow narrative that teachers are victims or this is a fairness issue. I will point out. 1..Three months off. 2. They chose that profession. 3. Generally very good state benefits. $50-90k is a pretty good wage. Again, if the real goal is to produce good students then CNBC could do a follow up showing how increased teacher pay relates to better students.
I can solve the problem for you. Currently we have 3.2m teachers in the us. Fire all of them. Hire the best 100,000 teachers and pay them $200,000. They will create articles for online learning. This is the new “public school”. If you want to send your kid to a physical building, you have to pay for it. Boom, I just saved the taxpayers $150B per year. And teachers will be making a very livable wage. All the logistics will work itself out.
I have also been told by other, potential employers, that a teaching degree is a “terminal” degree. What that means, in their eyes is it has no use and means nothing outside of the education field. Someone degreed is something like math or a science may be able to find a job outside of the educational field, but someone left me myself with a history degree or other art/humanity degree will end up where I have. Manual labor prior, and retail now.