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Fine Arts paying more than teaching? Not even close. Not knocking you, Ivorytickler, but this article is a joke.
Furthermore, I don't know anyone in the Fine Arts (a field in which I have been working for more than 20 years) who does not work at least one additional job to supplement income. I would love to make a teacher's salary.
I didn't collect the data, but given they're right on the mark for chemistry and chemical engineering, I have no reason to believe they're off elsewhere. I have no clue what constitutes a "fine arts" career nor what they pay. I just picked out the careers that pay better than teaching from the list that have teaching majors.
I know these people did not inherit money. The professors that teach at this university live in a specific area within the city. The professors are paid well. There are many school districts that pay per major. Special Ed teachers make more than an art teacher. Pay scales very greatly around the country. I think its a combo of both.
Here, everyone but special ed teachers get the same pay based on years of service. Special ed teachers are paid more.
Still, I find it very hard to believe that someone can afford the extravagance you describe without inheriting on a teacher's salary. I don't know of any teachers who could carry the mortgage on a $300K house, have vacation property and drive a Porsche. The highest paid districts around here don't break $100K even with a PhD and 15+ years in service. IMO, there's something else going on there. I just don't see it on a teacher's salary alone.
Professors are a bit different. Here they are paid for their area of expertise so they could make more. They also publish and may sell text books. I've had more than one prof who wrote the book we had to buy for the class. What a racket, lol.
Until the economy as a whole went south, I agreed with you that teachers were underpaid. I don't think that anymore. 40 or 50K for working 40 weeks a year sounds great to me now.
Teaching is a tough job and I respect teachers. Teaching is now a sweet deal compared to what a lot of the rest of us have to do to make a living.
Here, everyone but special ed teachers get the same pay based on years of service. Special ed teachers are paid more.
Still, I find it very hard to believe that someone can afford the extravagance you describe without inheriting on a teacher's salary. I don't know of any teachers who could carry the mortgage on a $300K house, have vacation property and drive a Porsche. The highest paid districts around here don't break $100K even with a PhD and 15+ years in service. IMO, there's something else going on there. I just don't see it on a teacher's salary alone.
Professors are a bit different. Here they are paid for their area of expertise so they could make more. They also publish and may sell text books. I've had more than one prof who wrote the book we had to buy for the class. What a racket, lol.
Fallingwater was referring to a college professor, right? The spouse doesn't work though. Hm. It's hard to say, who knows? Depending on where they are, a $300k house might not be much of a house. I know it's not here.
Fallingwater was referring to a college professor, right? The spouse doesn't work though. Hm. It's hard to say, who knows? Depending on where they are, a $300k house might not be much of a house. I know it's not here.
yes, I was. The cost of living here is pretty cheap IMO so that definitely helps but I think this professor makes a pretty decent living.
I have two family members that are teachers in the public school system. One works at a high school and teaches Lit. She makes around 75k a year (what she told me 2 yrs ago, might be more now). The other is an art teacher and makes around 50k. One of the parents in my son's group at school teaches computer science at large University in town. I have no idea what he makes but he lives in a subdivision where the houses are between 350k-400k. He drives a Porsche, his wife doesn't work and drives a Lexus SUV, they have two children and own a vacation home on a lake that is about as nice as their regular house.
I think majority of teaching positions are underpaid. I think it really boils down to what you teach and where.
I'm in one of the lowest-paying states. After 26 years, I have yet to break $47,000 for a 187-day contract. And I am certified in fields that usually start at that or higher. I am doing it because I want to teach. It's not fair to others who need to make a market rate for me to accept such a low rate of pay, but that's what I have to do if I want to be a teacher.
I'm in one of the lowest-paying states. After 26 years, I have yet to break $47,000 for a 187-day contract. And I am certified in fields that usually start at that or higher. I am doing it because I want to teach. It's not fair to others who need to make a market rate for me to accept such a low rate of pay, but that's what I have to do if I want to be a teacher.
We have 194 days and that's about where a new teacher starts. I'm always curious: What is the starting pay? What is the top of the scale? It must not increase much from step to step. Is your cost of living really low?
Until the economy as a whole went south, I agreed with you that teachers were underpaid. I don't think that anymore. 40 or 50K for working 40 weeks a year sounds great to me now.
Teaching is a tough job and I respect teachers. Teaching is now a sweet deal compared to what a lot of the rest of us have to do to make a living.
I guess my perspective changed. A lot!
It's about the same. As I've said before, I work as many hours as a teacher as I did as an engineer for half the pay. I just work them from late August until Mid June. The long summer break is deceiving. It's more like comp time to make up for the weeks on end when I didn't see my family during the school year only you can't really make up for that can you?
And it's all relative. YOU may think that $40K-$50K for the kind of work schedule a teacher has is a sweet deal but what if you could make twice the money for the same effort and actually have a job that is respected by society instead of one that is dissed by society? We live in a society that pays for what it values. It's all relative.
We have 194 days and that's about where a new teacher starts. I'm always curious: What is the starting pay? What is the top of the scale? It must not increase much from step to step. Is your cost of living really low?
It's amazing how different teacher starting pay and step raises are from place to place. I would hope that the cost of living is really low in places that pay teachers little but I know that isn't always the case.
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Fine Arts paying more than teaching? Not even close. Not knocking you, Ivorytickler, but this article is a joke. 
The cost of living here is pretty cheap IMO so that definitely helps but I think this professor makes a pretty decent living.
