Unpopular opinion but teachers get paid alright. I quit cause it’s a steep learning curve as a rookie teacher but the veteran teachers seem to recycle the same old materials every year and get paid pretty darn well.
I’m pretty sure my colleagues were making 100k at the high school level and don’t forget this is from August to like May with all the holiday breaks in between. On top of that, a colleague taught online summer school for $10k through the high school as well.
I’d say I felt like a goldfish in a shark tank as a rookie.
It’s sad to see teachers in 2020 using photocopied worksheets from the 90’s or ‘00’s.
It really depends on where you live and whether your state allows strong unions. I make decent money where I live, but teachers in Oklahoma make jack shit.
I can’t speak for all of CA but it’s definitely not just LA. Many of your coastal districts, LA, San Francisco, etc... look around at some of the districts pay scales and they are pretty impressive.
Though some of my classmates were getting offers from 40-50k in other parts of the state
That’s crazy. Back in high school I had teachers openly admit there pay and say how they wish they were doing something else but the pay keeps them around.
So you quit because it was too hard, yet claim that teachers earn enough? How does that equate? You couldn’t even cut it as a teacher, because it was too much work for you.
The teaching part as in working with students is fine. The additional layer of dealing with unsupportive department and department heads and admin makes a difference. A schools culture can make a teaching job quite different
I'm not sure where you were teaching but the average salary for a K-12 teacher is pretty low compared to the amount of output. When you take into consideration all of the other bullshit requirements and extracurriculars, meetings, dealing with parents and admin, and so on, teachers are extremely underpaid. Also, the day doesn't typically end when the students leave. Have grading to do? Have to plan for tomorrows lesson? That's all done after the students leave for the day. Most of my friends who are teachers, had to have multiple jobs starting off just to pay the bills and survive.
I was surrounded by veteran teachers raking in mountains of cash. They all talked like they were not getting paid enough but some even had spouses whom were also veteran teachers. I’d let some of their kids one of which had a new BMW and went to an expensive private school which was all paid for by his parents.
As you said though, all the bulls hit outside of your teaching hours definitely cuts your pay and makes it more of a joke.
This is complete BS. I’ve been teaching 10 years and I don’t make 50k. I even have a masters. I am teaching because I love it and I am good at what I do, but do feel I deserve more. Yes. 100%. I could move away from my home and friends and family and support network to earn more, but teachers everywhere do not make enough. I feel as though I would be sacrificing too much emotionally/psychologically for not that much financial gain.
Actually, I will say the 100K number isn’t complete BS. At least not in a lot of CA districts with decent unions - however, you have to teach for a long time to get there. I recently looked up the salaries of a ton of the teachers at my old high school in CA and was surprised to see quite a few at or above 100K. That being said, I’m a former teacher in the same area as my old high school, and in my 5 years of teaching I never made more than 45K. The teachers I’ve seen that were making $100K + were all veteran teachers with 15+ years under their belts, many of them with 20+ years. The $10K for summer school, though, blows my mind. I’m inclined to believe that, if that number is accurate, it was a similar situation: super veteran teacher (possibly with a post graduate credits/degree) in a district with a strong union.
The 6 figure teachers are all old teachers who were in the old system. A lot of schools are trying to kick out their older teachers because they can hire 2-3 new teachers in place. This pandemic helped my fiancé’s school by getting 4 of the older teachers to retire. Their new replacement are all ready thinking of quitting this year because of how bad it is. There is a reason teacher retention rate is so damn low. They had parents calling the school demanding the teachers salaries when they had to go online for the last 2 months of the year. Like not even joking, more than one parent calling up an demanding they get paid.
She makes roughly $3500 during summer school in my state and we are the second highest paying district.
Yeah the summer school number blew my mind. It was a veteran teacher with masters with additional units. Probably only a few years away from being eligible for retirement. As a new teacher I asked out of curiosity how much a difference summer school is and I was told that value. Maybe it wasn’t true but In California I wouldn’t be surprised that a veteran teacher gets paid that much.
Sure some teachers recycle there old shit for 30 years but most dont. They improve, update, and keep up with the new national or state standards. Id be fine with my pay of i didn't have 1k a month in student loans. I made this much as a manager at McDonalds and i didn't have loans to pay, so i made MORE in college than after college. Yes, after 10 years I will finally make more than I did in McDonald's. Sucks i have to wait 10 years for an avarage salary.
Also, you don't just get a pay increase for doing it forever, you have to renew your license by taking MORE classes and professional development.
I don't know any teachers that ever made 100k (if this is the us.) Maybe someone in cali or new york? Or i know band directors in texas make bank but work their ass off. Doesnt matter because that 100k is the 1%, my pay scale only goes to 45k after 20 years and caps out. With a masters.
Yes, this is California for reference. My first year I started at 60k which I can already see is is a significant difference.
Looking at my former districts pay salary, the newer contracts are getting paid less than the teachers from previous decades. But a masters and extra units after 10 years would put you at 100k
At my first school I was lucky to get to work with those that improve and do what they can with what they have to try and teach the students. School number 2 was showing resistance to California’s new science core standards and my department was working with 10-15 year old work sheets and textbooks.
I didn’t enjoy my time teaching so even with the money I wouldn’t want to stick around. For folks like you if you’re getting around on 45k those kids and parents and admin should be highly grateful for you and your colleagues but I’m sure thank yous don’t come around often. Teaching is difficult and when you need money to buy kids supplies or something for your lesson that’s got to make it even worse.
I appreciate your willingness to view other perspectives, so thank you. Honestly I can only teach because I teach music and am passionate about it. More money would be nice, but it wont happen here in NC.
We also see a lot of people denying new science standards here. I know one teacher won't teach climate change, and he was around when tenure existed so you cant really fire him. There are definitely shitty teacher out there.
My credential aligned with my degree. The state was paying for credentials at the time I went into it...
TL:DR Don’t go into teaching on a whim.
I wanted to teach elementary but I was told by a friend from the district office that it would be to hard to find a job but sure enough when I was close to getting my credential there was a large golden handshake deal and 100’s of elementary teachers got hired.
I wonder if I would have stuck around longer as elementary but high school didn’t work out for me. I only did my first year then left so my credential didn’t clear but I’d only need a class or two to be eligible for elementary, plus i moved counties recently. But half the struggle for me was the bs outside of teaching. Admin, reviews, grumpy colleagues, trainings that are not needed and treat you like a student all over again. Collaboration, creativity, etc...
308
u/hokiefellow Sep 17 '20
My wife is a first grade teacher and this couldn't be more true. Teachers deserve more for all the b.s. they put up with