I don't understand the "not enough" mantra. Seriously, even the lowest of the lowest states are in the 40's which is excellent when you remember that these states are not expensive places to live, and teachers are only working 180 days (about 9 months) but collecting a paycheck for 12 months. So, the poorest get about $3333 per month. If the teachers received pay only during working months (dividing by 9 instead of 12) they'd be gross at about $4444. Either way, the math TOTALLY works for me, especially considering the low cost of living in those states. My husband's summer has been occupied by a side hustle or two ever since he started teaching. It's not a matter of having to, it's a matter of getting to... so I guess it's all about your perspective.
A couple of things... I'm not sure how they collected their data, but it has to be skewed. I'm not familiar with every state, but I am familiar with Virginia where I live and have taught, and there is no freakin' way our average teacher salary $68,000. Perhaps that includes the value of benefits. As an example, here's a link to the salary scale for the county where I live - http://nucps.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_5986517/Image/School%20Board/201803291906.pdf - Even with 40 years of experience a teacher maxes out at $66,746, and I can tell you, most teachers in the commonwealth do not have 40 years of experience. In addition, the statement that teachers only work 180 days is a fallacy. Again, in Virginia, there are 180 instructional days. Those are the days the kids are in school. That doesn't count the weeks before and after the school year is in session, or the work days and professional development days that are scheduled throughout the year and during the summer. Regardless of the hours worked, considering what teachers have to deal with on a daily basis, they definitely deserve more. We live in a country where education is just not valued the way it should be, and that is just unfortunate.
Averages are easily skewed, but we also have to keep in mind that salaries can vary by school district and region. I lived in one area in Texas where the starting salaries for teachers were around $45-50k. Less than 1.5 hours away, the starting salaries were $38k in an area with a higher cost of living. Teachers also complain about having to buy school supplies for their poor students. The new tax law does not help teachers with this. For a job that requires a bachelor's degree and an internship, teacher salaries are comparatively low. Additionally, many teachers work 10+ hours a day without overtime. I recently came across a district that has teachers work 220 days per year.
