Why do people think public school teachers don't make much money?

Keep in mind a lot of those stats with the BoLS are averages. I can tell you in my area an RN starting out makes almost 20 grand more than a starting teacher. Nurses are in demand, and that's probably the reason for that. Of course, Nurses aren't paid with tax money the same way that Teachers are.

Also, not every school has marble floors, swimming pools and huge stadiums. Lord knows we don't. Hell, our school doesn't even have real walls. We have tin sheets that are moveable, and you can hear everything the teacher's doing in the next room. (But, on the positive side I can stick magnets on it!) I'd give anything for a window.

Reading through these posts, I think we can all agree that educational funding is out of whack. The question then is how do we fix it?

-Matt

 

That all depends on whether the local hospital is public or private.

 

One of those high paid teachers....

I never thought I would post on a forum but I have to........

I am a teacher in the state of Florida. I have a BA in English and a Masters in Education and 11 years of experience teaching at the high school level, and my salary is 40,259 a year. I have not seen a pay increase in 3 years, actually my salary has decreased by 5% in the last two years. Yes, my benefits are good, but they have also increased in cost to me and less to the state tax payer each year. For those who think I am making a lot of money, rest easy I am making less and less money each year and working harder for it if that makes you feels better.

As far as teaching not being a bad deal for only working 9 months a year and only 7 hours a day, it is actually much longer than that. For those 7 hours a day I am teaching, not sitting grading and planning. So guess when that gets done? After school and on weekends... so I actually work a lot longer than what is perceived. That does not include parent phone calls and meetings explaining what I am doing to ensure that their child is entertained and learning at the same time. I am expected to "make learning fun" if I want them to do any work.

If a student is a discipline problem I am required to justify what actions I have take before sending them to the office. And if a parent yells loud enough they are not punished.

Those teachers who say they only work 7-8 hours a day are probably not doing a good job or just don't care.

I could go on, but please do not think good teachers do not work hard. And those are national averages, the Northern states tend to pay more because of a higher tax base, Southern states usually pay less.

For those of you who think teaching is an easy job, and doesn't take much energy, time or intelligence I invite you to join the profession.

Sorry for the length, but I am on this cite trying to find a degree to get out of the profession when I saw this thread.
p.s--I am observed 7 times a year, I think that is more than someone in the private sector.

 

I never thought I would post on a forum but I have to........

I am a teacher in the state of Florida. I have a BA in English and a Masters in Education and 11 years of experience and my salary is 40,259 a year. I have not seen a pay increase in 3 years, actually my salary has decreased by 5% in the last two years. And my benefits are good, but they have also increased in cost to me and less to the state tax payer each year. For those who think I am making a lot of money, rest easy I am making less and less money each year and working harder for it if that makes you feels better.

As far as teaching not being a bad deal for only working 9 months a year and only 7 hours a day, it is actually much longer than that. For those 7 hours a day I am teaching, not sitting grading and planning. So guess when that gets done? After school and on weekends... so I actually work a lot longer than what is perceived. Those teachers who say they only work 7-8 hours a day are probably not doing a good job or just don't care.

I could go on, but please do not think good teachers do not work hard. And those are national averages, the Northern states tend to pay more because of a higher tax base, Southern states usually pay less.

For those of you who think teaching is an easy job, and doesn't take much energy, time or intelligence I implore you to join the profession.

 

I, personally, don't think teachers make too much money.

 

they deserve to get much more but the government policy is muchg blammed for giving them much less amount than expected. thats also the reason for poor teaching quality of those teachers

 

That's great. You choose the two degrees that are the easiest to obtain and take the least amount of effort.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37245744/heres-the-nations-easiest-college-major/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37241878/5-hardest-and-easiest-college-majors-by-gpas/?tag=mwuser

I have not gotten a pay increase in 5 years either as have many in the private sector.

Mine has gone down as well. So Have many in the private sector.

Your benefits are still better and cost you much less than the private sector

Makes me feel better. Seriously, find another solution to increase teacher pay without raising taxes. I as a tax payer am tapped out. Over 30% of my gross pay goes towards federal, state, local and property taxes. This doesn't include sales tax, gas tax, phone tax, cable TV tax, electric tax, etc.

For the 8 hours a day I am at work I am working. I am on call after work and on weekends.

No job is easy. That's why they are called jobs. If you are unhappy with your career choice then change it. You picked one career so you can pick another. Nobody is stopping you. This is America. We still have some freedoms left.

 

Granted, Florida is one of the lowest paying states for teachers. In 2011 they were ranked 47th in the nation. In the 2010-11 school year the average teacher salary (not including benefits) was $45,723. That is for 9 months of work. Converting to 12 months of work that would be $60,964 in salary. Throw in another $20,000+ per year in current and future benefits. Plus the job security nobody in the private sector has and I'd say that's not too shabby.

I suggest you read these articles thoroughly. They are very enlightening
Biggs and Richwine: Public School Teachers Aren't Underpaid - WSJ.com
Assessing the Compensation, Salary and Wages of Public School Teachers

Other sources:
http://communications.leeschools.net/pdf/Fl%20DOE%20Teacher%20Salary%20Report%202011.pdf
Florida teacher salaries headed to No. 47 in the nation - Tampa Bay Times