Do teachers "really" have it that bad???

[Pokinfun]

Thank you for that. Sometimes it seems pretty thankless. Most don't do it for anything but the love of kids and the job. However, there are those who want the time off, and do as little as possible to keep the Job. It's sad.

Thanks again though. It's nice to hear from time to time.

I sponsor(for free) our school's academic team, some of our best and brightest students. It cost me money to take them to New Orleans for the competition.
The wife and I are going to two different week long teaching conferences this summer. I will get $50 for mileage to one of them. My wife will not get anything, besides extra hours next year teaching a new AP class.
I do not think people realize how many hours we spend grading and preparing for our classes. Or, how many games and performances we go to because we have students that need to know someone in the world cares about them.

 

[sh00ter]

55k at a public school in OK is laughable. My wife is a department head in her 12th year teaching and makes nearly 10k-20k less than the figures that you quoted...at one of the higher paying districts in central OK.

Well for teachers that have made a carrerr out of it like your wife, I support a raise if what you report is the case. I support people who have paid their dues being treated the best and the millenial noobs who have only been teaching for a few years are not in the same universe as your wife in my opinion. A lot of cops do pretty well after they have paid their dues...but a guy fresh out of the academy isn't going to make a lot either...it is the way the world works unless you are highly specialized or your daddy hires you right outta college LOL. Even then, you still may have to pay dues first.

Upon retiring, both my folks had their Masters degrees and 30+ years, they never touched 45k. The money simply isn't available in rural Oklahoma. That's one reason why Oklahoma's 2016 Teacher of the Year just got hired in Texas.

I never even considered the differences between districts...admittedly I don't know much on this topic. But same goes for cops..the plrger city departments tend to pay more than the rurals in most cases I think. But even still, 30yrs on the job I would want them to make more than what you report regardless of the district...again, I think of the "me" generation and liberals when I seem critical of teachers asking for money. The people who have paid their dues should probably get more (but they do get 3 months off so that should be factored in to the final equation).

It seems clear to me the OPer said he wasnt trying to offend anyone, just posing a honest question that he knew nothing about.

Exactly...I am not bashing anyone; I'm sure any teachers on here are dedicated & experienced people and not noobs mad they don't make 50k and a company car right out of college.

 

[CHenry]

I agree with you to a point, but the parents have the most important job in teaching their children to respect authority, teachers, police etc and many have been a dismal failure and send the kids to school and if the kid doesn't do well in school they blame the schools and the teachers.

Yes your right about that. BUT that is 2 entirely different teaching jobs and you cant do crap with the parents and I know that must be the most frustrating issue teachers deal with. I've heard horor stories from a gal I know who teaches 3rd grade at Western Heights. lota bad kids...

 

[Honey Badger]

Well for teachers that have made a carrerr out of it like your wife, I support a raise if what you report is the case. I support people who have paid their dues being treated the best and the millenial noobs who have only been teaching for a few years are not in the same universe as your wife in my opinion. A lot of cops do pretty well after they have paid their dues...but a guy fresh out of the academy isn't going to make a lot either...it is the way the world works unless you are highly specialized or your daddy hires you right outta college LOL. Even then, you still may have to pay dues first.



I never even considered the differences between districts...admittedly I don't know much on this topic. But same goes for cops..the plrger city departments tend to pay more than the rurals in most cases I think. But even still, 30yrs on the job I would want them to make more than what you report regardless of the district...again, I think of the "me" generation and liberals when I seem critical of teachers asking for money. The people who have paid their dues should probably get more (but they do get 3 months off so that should be factored in to the final equation).



Exactly...I am not bashing anyone; I'm sure any teachers on here are dedicated & experienced people and not noobs mad they don't make 50k and a company car right out of college.

I wasn't offended at all. Some people might be. It's a rough profession to justify at times.

 

[Honey Badger]

I sponsor(for free) our school's academic team, some of our best and brightest students. It cost me money to take them to New Orleans for the competition.
The wife and I are going to two different week long teaching conferences this summer. I will get $50 for mileage to one of them. My wife will not get anything, besides extra hours next year teaching a new AP class.
I do not think people realize how many hours we spend grading and preparing for our classes. Or, how many games and performances we go to because we have students that need to know someone in the world cares about them.

There are lots of extra hours spent at home and during Summer to get better at we do.

 

[Pokinfun]

There are lots of extra hours spent at home and during Summer to get better at we do.

say its not true, aren't you vacationing at you beach house in West Palm Beach?

 

[deerwhacker444]

No, teachers don't have it bad, they have a guaranteed job where they can be verbally abused, physically attacked and some have been raped trying to teach a student after school hours. And if that isn't bad enough, parents come into the picture and sometimes physically and verbally attack a teacher who is doing nothing more than to teach their child a little discipline and respect for others along with teaching.

Bad parents are a Huge factor in why some people leave and go elsewhere. Our generation had parents that would beat our ass if we got in trouble at school and the teacher's word was golden. These days, it's the exact opposite.

Towards the end of my dad's career, one of his students didn't go home after school, he rode his bike to another neighborhood to goof off with some friends. When the kid finally arrived home after dark to furious parents, the kid told the parents that my father had held him after school and wouldn't let him call home. Of course the parent couldn't believe little Johnny would lie, it must be true that the evil teacher was picking on his poor disadvantaged youth. The next morning, the parent came to the school loaded for bear, got past security and confronted my father in the hallway. Luckily other teachers were present. Cops were called, it could have very easily turned bad.

Stories like this are commonplace. Lying kids and bad parents seem to be all too common, especially in the urban areas. By the end, my folks could give a rat's ass about teaching kids and just wanted out without getting shanked, which sadly is the norm for lots of long term teachers.

 

[Honey Badger]

say its not true, aren't you vacationing at you beach house in West Palm Beach?

Hahaha! Wouldn't that be nice? Nope.... I am sailing the USS Backporch this summer! Lol

 

[sh00ter]

Hahaha! Wouldn't that be nice? Nope.... I am sailing the USS Backporch this summer! Lol

Good one!

The family members I mentioned who were teachers certainly didn't have the vacation place in west palm beach...they started out with a mobile home at the lake and graduated to a house when they were about half way through their careers; then that house was later remodeled to prepare to retire there and then they bought another house next door they rent out for extra cash for vacationers or let my cousins stay there when they come visit. I'm not claiming to know teachers are paid a lot, but as a kid and then into adulthood, I watched 2 teachers married for 40yrs play their cards right and live better than I can right now anyway I'm sure they made peanuts starting out.

 

[Pokinfun]

Hahaha! Wouldn't that be nice? Nope.... I am sailing the USS Backporch this summer! Lol

I dropped my wife off at the airport this morning, she is going to grade AP essays for the next week.