Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Interesting article: Teaching as Self-Sacrifice

Teaching as Self-Sacrifice
My mother was a teacher, and I know how hard it can be. But this article made me think about how treating teaching as an act of charity isn't good for the students, either.

The NYT recently hosted a debate on whether teachers are *overpaid*. You need to consider

(1) the value of tenure, pension benefits, and health benefits for both current and retired teachers
(2) summers off
(3) the fact that education is one of the easier majors.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebat...re-than-they-would-in-the-private-sector
Are Teachers Overpaid?
New York Times
JANUARY 2, 2013, 3:38 PM

Average teacher pay in our school district is ~$75K per year, as it is in all the neighboring districts. Except for Saratoga/Los Gatos, where average teacher pay is $93K. And Mountain View, where it is $103K. Sure, that's only an average, so for each teacher in Mountain View making $123K, there is some poor stiff getting by on $83K.

Check California teacher and superintendent salaries here.

That is NOT underpaid by ANY standard, not even for people who work 50 weeks a year.

Agreed. If I understand correctly, teachers can receive their compensation in increments which are paid throughout the full year so they do not lack a paycheck in the summer. They may also receive lifetime post-retirement health insurance benefits? And in some areas they may "retire" from one district with full benefits and continue to receive those retirement benefits while working full time in another district? Sweet!

Just checked my child's public school. It's also about $100K per year. Can't believe the salary is better than many university professors, considering the poor quality of education my child is receiving.

Um. not here!
We should pay our teachers more and reward those who re good. Here it is a crap shoot. Good, bad, whatever -Low pay cross the board.
Ugh.

From the "study" linked in the NYT opinion page referenced above:


Yes, because then we'd have to look at college debt in the mix, and that would be inconvenient to our partisan mission.


I think we've covered the "achievement is a confluence of a number of factors, of which cognitive ability is just one" topic in this forum pretty thoroughly, so, moving on.


Yes, and private school teachers are generally required to have less credentials ($$).

Flawed analysis = flawed conclusions.

Yeah, I gotta say, unless a TON has changed in 20 years (and I concede that in some ways it has), teachers aren't getting rich.

Starting salaries around here are just out of the 20's. Yes, really.

In the metro districts, it's a little higher than that... but I know a lot of teachers, and many of them are not even self-supporting on what they make.

While this discussion of whether teachers are overpaid or underpaid is interesting, I think we've had it before. The article is not really about that question, but about whether we are potentially doing harm to kids by sanctifying the work that teachers do.

Practically my entire family on my husband's side are teachers. The teachers in my family are rich. I am not even kidding - motor yachts and all! Really nice lives. But mostly because they ran/run businesses (particularly summer type businesses) during all of their time off. One had a bike shop. The other has a pool installation and supply business. They retired at 50 get their benefits and run their businesses. We do have ones who are not rich in the family - just middle class. Some seem to be struggling a little depending on how many kids they have and where they live. The ones who do not do a business during in addition to teaching are often criticized by the ones the do behind there backs. And then there is one family who was kind of struggling, no additional business but once he bacme a principal they seem to be very well now. Not weighing in on either side here but just adding how it looks in my family. Definitely not a bad gig from my view here! But I will add none of them ever taught in the inner city - all are in very nice districts.