Teachers And Pay Raises

[MainerMikeBrown]

When I was in high school, teachers constantly complained about their pay to just about everyone, including us students.

First of all, our school district is rural and economically poor. So these teachers should've known what to expect regarding pay when they first took the job.

But what really gets me is that regardless of whether they should've been given pay raises or not, you don't complain about it to the students. That's a bad example to teens. If I complained about lack of pay to customers at my job, I'd be in big trouble with my supervisors. So teachers talking about how they should've gotten a raise to us students was a bad example. It sended the wrong message to youths.

 

[Panacea]

I feel it's tacky to discuss workplace politics (pay, hours, whining about breaks and coworkers) in front of customers; be they students, shoppers, clients, etc.

 

[Darrell]

I feel it's tacky to discuss workplace politics (pay, hours, whining about breaks and coworkers) in front of customers; be they students, shoppers, clients, etc.

:shesaid

Teachers are without a doubt underpaid though, and that's a real shame.

 

[Panacea]

Teachers are without a doubt underpaid though, and that's a real shame.

Definitely

 

[dancingpotato]

It pisses me off when people at my work complain about nightshift, weekends, cant work this day cos of childcare, need more pay etc. You knew what you were getting into when you took the job. I think there are a lot of people who are underpaid, I just count myself lucky that I have a job in this current economical climate. Be grateful to what you have and stop wishing the grass is greener, cos it never is.

 

[Kyle B]

Teacher pay varies a lot based on where you're talking. North Carolina and Nevada might have low salaries, but teachers with tenure and experience can make quite a bit in states like NY, NJ, CT, Michigan etc.

To be fair too, I never remember my teachers complaining about pay and such. I suppose you don't have to when you have an enormously powerful union backing you.

 

[darkcgi]

who as a child would want to become a teacher after hearing your own teacher complain about how they dont get paid enough
and what happened did they take the job and then find out how much it pays and then keep it anyway so they could bitch about it
I remember my teachers saying the same thing when I was in school

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

Back in high school, the majority of the teachers who complained about pay were the ones that didn't do such a great job.

 

[Abcinthia]

:shesaid

Teachers are without a doubt underpaid though, and that's a real shame.

Yeah definitely.

I could never be a teacher. Kudos to those who do it.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

With the exception of pro athletes, I don't know of any other group of professionals who complain as much about pay as teachers.

 

[Boomerang]

With the exception of pro athletes, I don't know of any other group of professionals who complain as much about pay as teachers.

I see your point and I agree that complaining about pay to students is ridiculous. I love what I do so I don't complain about the pay but so much more time and money goes into teaching than I ever imagined. Want your students to get passing test scores so you keep your job? You better come in and tutor every Tuesday and Thursday before school. Teach in a middle or high school? Well you have to sign up to work several games a month otherwise you are frowned upon by your administration. Want to do that really cool science project you saw on Pinterest with your kids? You have to find something you can cut from your monthly budget to fund it. Like I said...I love what I do so I don't mind but I KNOW that I am severely underpaid. I also had no idea I was signing up for a profession that would soon be publicly bashed by the media and the government. On tv they make it sound as if we are responsible for everything wrong in America. Haha.

 

[Joe the meek]

With the exception of pro athletes, I don't know of any other group of professionals who complain as much about pay as teachers.

The average pay for a high school teacher in my county is 43k a year.

When I see the work my son's elementary school teacher has to prepare for, it gave me a whole new perspective of the job.

I can think of a couple of auto worker unions who probably complain louder than both teachers and pro athletes.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

Many talk of how tough it is to be a teacher. They forget to mention that all jobs are difficult. There are no easy ways of making money.

 

[Joe the meek]

Many talk of how tough it is to be a teacher. They forget to mention that all jobs are difficult. There are no easy ways of making money.

The easiest way is to use your brains and utilize an education when you have the opportunity. Guess who is doing the educating?

 

[Boomerang]

Many talk of how tough it is to be a teacher. They forget to mention that all jobs are difficult. There are no easy ways of making money.

You are right. All jobs have their own issues. Maybe I am reading into it too much (I get defensive over the things I love), but it sounds like you think just because teachers knew what they were getting into, it makes it okay that they are underpaid. And that their jobs are tough, but who's job isn't? Can you not recognize the unique difficulties and injustices teachers face? Don't you think some of the things they have to go through are wrong?

 

[Alien Allen]

some pay is out of line when one can not pay based on ability.

wages are not the issue though in most places. It is the legacy costs

There is no way to be able to continue legacy issues based on defined benefits. My tiny company abandoned the defined befit program 20 years ago. An as a result the employees ended up with far more benefits in the end. A 401K plan is far less costly and much fairer.

In time i have not doubt the feds will raid it to get solvent.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

I don't think underpaying teachers is OK. However, there's plenty of other professions where the pay isn't so great either. A lot of chefs, police officers, fireman, etc. don't make as much as they probably should. But they don't whine about it nearly as much as teachers do.

 

[Boomerang]

What can I say? We work with children all day. Maybe we learn how to "whine" from them.

Not going to argue anymore. It is clear that your opinions are set.

 

[AnitaBeer]

I don't think underpaying teachers is OK. However, there's plenty of other professions where the pay isn't so great either. A lot of chefs, police officers, fireman, etc. don't make as much as they probably should. But they don't whine about it nearly as much as teachers do.

Teachers sit in a class room all day long doing the same thing over and over again, they took the job because they wanted to teach and make a difference. If people went by your mentality we'd not have any teacher because the pay sucked...well what about our future? The kids who need to lead this world one day? Sometimes listening to a teacher complain is going to have to be done, because guess what.....they are human too. Teachers and students have a much different relationship than a customer service rep or an police officer. With those jobs you do what you came to do and leave. Teachers spend almost every day with these kids...so what if they decide to be open with them and teach them that teachers are underpaid.

 

[Johnfromokc]

some pay is out of line when one can not pay based on ability.

wages are not the issue though in most places. It is the legacy costs

There is no way to be able to continue legacy issues based on defined benefits. My tiny company abandoned the defined befit program 20 years ago. An as a result the employees ended up with far more benefits in the end. A 401K plan is far less costly and much fairer.

In time i have not doubt the feds will raid it to get solvent.

I get really sick of hearing this type of mantra that we can't pay working people what was promised to them by contractual agreement. Middle class people like you, Allen, readily come out and essentially demand give-backs from lower and middle income class people while ignoring the screwing the middle class is taking from the top 1% - the banker types that pay themselves multi-million $$$ salaries while they bankrupt the municipal and state pension funds that they themselves run.

During this current economic meltdown, the CEO's and other "producers" of these mutual fund investment banking corporations did not lose one fucking dime of their multi-million $$$ salaries - and nobody is saying jack didly shit about that - but by-fucking-god we'll bitch and moan about a teacher getting $45,000 a year salary and some pissy quality, but extremely expensive health insurance and a $15,000 per year pension when they retire after 40 years.

WTF is wrong with peoples perceptions??? Why does the working class and middle class continue to fuck what is left of itself and let the Wall Street plunderers get away with financial murder?