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When I taught school, I felt like I made pretty good money. I was at the top of the pay scale, making $68,000 a year. I also got pay for working in the summer, and OT pay. I think my hourly rate of pay was about $52 an hour...is that right? 184 day contract, working 7 hours and 10 minutes a day. That is more than I make now. And I retired with a 90% pension, after 25 years. So, I felt pretty well paid...the key to making more money when you teach, is get as many credits as you can in the beginning of your career. I was a school fiend for my first three years of teaching, I got two Masters degrees, that were paid for...I also did the National Boards, which added extra to my salary, and I did an additional track that my district had for an extra lane.
90% pension? I WISH. We get 1.5% per year we work up to 45% and we pay 11.4% of our income into the fund all the years we work. 45%'s not bad but I'd rather have that 11.4% in an account in my name.
When I taught school, I felt like I made pretty good money. I was at the top of the pay scale, making $68,000 a year. I also got pay for working in the summer, and OT pay. I think my hourly rate of pay was about $52 an hour...is that right? 184 day contract, working 7 hours and 10 minutes a day. That is more than I make now. And I retired with a 90% pension, after 25 years. So, I felt pretty well paid...the key to making more money when you teach, is get as many credits as you can in the beginning of your career. I was a school fiend for my first three years of teaching, I got two Masters degrees, that were paid for...I also did the National Boards, which added extra to my salary, and I did an additional track that my district had for an extra lane.
Where did you work?
OT pay? Not here.
Most contracts in VA are between 194-200 days. Those are regular contracts. Not super long, but not 184 days either.
90% pension? Not here.
Masters degrees paid for? Not here. We used to get one course reimbursed, but not anymore.
Most people that think teachers are overpaid dont have a clue about how many hours they work. Many hours are spent working at home not to mention the time used to call parents etc after hours..Plus they often are required to go to out of town workshops and be gone for days at a time.Days working
Contracts in our district are 194 days. My brother and his wife have 200 day contracts. Those are standard, not extra days. You get paid for the days you work. It would be nice if 30K = 60K, but it doesn't.
Now, the math is flawed if you say teachers only work for half a year. Half a year would be 26 weeks. Most people don't work a 7 day work week. So let's go with a 5 day work week and a 194 days contract. That person would be under contract to work for 39 weeks out of the year.
Contracts in NH are 180 days. It was just in the paper. That's almost 4 months of the year totally off. No teacher here works 7 days a week, nor 6.
No, I got masters degrees in areas that were subsidized by the federal goverment, with grants and stipends. I got OT because I covered a half a district teaching a low incident disability, if my hours were on an IEP, I had no choice, the district had to provide the services, I had to do it, I did not have a prep period, I was paid for that, and usually had a 212 day contract. Most of my students had ESY, and I had to provide services in the summer. Special education is the best job in the district, but it is also the worst job. I did transition and IFSP plans, and had to balance making everyone happy all the time, parents, administrators, other teachers. It was exhausting. I felt like I made good money, but I was beat every day, working in Special Ed is physically demanding, and emotionally draining.
I will agree, until you have a masters or masters plus 32, the pay is very low. That is why new teachers need to identify how to get those creits paid for, with grants and scholarships, it can be done.
Contracts in NH are 180 days. It was just in the paper. That's almost 4 months of the year totally off. No teacher here works 7 days a week, nor 6.
And you work weekends in your job? Most people don't either. 52 * 2 = 104.
365 - 104 = 261. 180 is not 1/2 of 261 and that doesn't count the fact that most people do get at least 2 weeks of paid vacation. 261 - 14 = 247 which is what *most* people work.
If teachers were only working 1/2 that they would be working 124 days.
At least get your math right.
Aside from that you are only counting the work teachers do *in* school. Do you really believe that all the grading and planning is done during that time? I wish you would teach for a year and see.
Contracts in NH are 180 days. It was just in the paper. That's almost 4 months of the year totally off. No teacher here works 7 days a week, nor 6.
Really? No teacher works 6 or 7 days a week? I do it all the time. Here's a math lesson for you.
If it takes a teacher 5 minutes to read and grade one lab report, how many hours will it take the teacher to read and grade 140 lab reports? How many 50 minute prep periods will it take the teacher to grade the stack of reports? Will the teacher be able to grade the reports, using only her prep time, and have the grades in the grade book within 7 days of collecting the reports (Parents would really like to see them in the day I collect them but that is NOT happening).
In case you can't do math, the answers are, a) Just under 12 hours, b) 14 prep periods and c) NO!!! And this is just ONE lab. We do labs every 2-3 weeks in my class. Each lab needs to be set up, make up sessions scheduled (I average about 6 kids absent who need to make up labs after school), torn down, the dishes washed, the waste handled and the reports graded. We're talking 20 hours. I get 4 hours and 10 minutes of prep time per week....and you think NO teacher works weekends. I say, walk a mile in my shoes.
Edited to add....next year, I go up to 165 students as they are increasing my class sizes because of budget cuts so increase those numbers proportionally.
And you work weekends in your job? Most people don't either. 52 * 2 = 104.
365 - 104 = 261. 180 is not 1/2 of 261 and that doesn't count the fact that most people do get at least 2 weeks of paid vacation. 261 - 14 = 247 which is what *most* people work.
If teachers were only working 1/2 that they would be working 124 days.
At least get your math right.
Aside from that you are only counting the work teachers do *in* school. Do you really believe that all the grading and planning is done during that time? I wish you would teach for a year and see.
And most people have several holidays off during the year. When I was an engineer, I had 6 weeks vacation and 15 holidays off per year and rarely worked weekends. I worked 215 days per year. As a teacher, I work about 200 (not counting working weekends at home to catch up) counting the days I teach and my in service days. So, how much of a pay cut do I deserve for 15 more days off? I should be making, a least $80K with great benefits and a great retirement plan BEFORE you account for the fact I work many an evening and on weekends. If you gave me comp time for all the time I work over 45 hours per week during the school year, you'd have to add 6 weeks onto the year in order to give me the same amount of time off I had as an engineer plus my comp time off!!!
I'm not complaining. I'm just tired of being told how easy I have it compared to everyone else. I don't. I work hard. Yes, this is what I signed up for and I'm fine with that. Just don't tell me I work half time!!! I don't!.
And most people have several holidays off during the year. When I was an engineer, I had 6 weeks vacation and 15 holidays off per year and rarely worked weekends. I worked 215 days per year. As a teacher, I work about 200 (not counting working weekends at home to catch up) counting the days I teach and my in service days. So, how much of a pay cut do I deserve for 15 more days off? I should be making, a least $80K with great benefits and a great retirement plan BEFORE you account for the fact I work many an evening and on weekends. If you gave me comp time for all the time I work over 45 hours per week during the school year, you'd have to add 6 weeks onto the year in order to give me the same amount of time off I had as an engineer plus my comp time off!!!
I'm not complaining. I'm just tired of being told how easy I have it compared to everyone else. I don't. I work hard. Yes, this is what I signed up for and I'm fine with that. Just don't tell me I work half time!!! I don't!.
Managers work so long as there is work to be done. Anyone who complained that they had too much work would be replaced. As a manager, I work at home because: 1.I enjoy my job and have satisfaction from it. 2. There is work to do in the sense of responding to clients, staff members, writing business plans, forecasts, P/L. etc. Work is always present. A teacher is either a professional and a manager entirely responsible for their scope of work in/out of daily hours or a para-professional tradesperson paid by the hour and subject merely the job requirements and the time clock. My hourly subordinates work their 8hr day and are done. The middle management people(the ones who want my job some day) on salary work all the time so long as it is needed.
I see it the same as teaching. All of this calculations of hours and days is ridiculous and immature which lends credence to the now widely held view that teachers are caught up in the arrogance of their profession as if it were some exceptional status. Unfortunately, the overall quality of U.S. education prior to university level does not bear out this attitude.
OP - Most people think teachers are underpaid for the job requirements in terms of education, working hours, including home work and having to deal with the brats because they are underpaid. I avoided a teaching career because it would never pay enough and I have less than zero tolerance for bratty children.
FelixC - No wonder I have purposely avoided management positions. They are the class of workers that are very OVER paid considering most management is merely housekeeping and number crunching. They are mostly involved with make work and ass kissing and my life is too short for either.
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Aside from that you are only counting the work teachers do *in* school. Do you really believe that all the grading and planning is done during that time? I wish you would teach for a year and see.
I should be making, a least $80K with great benefits and a great retirement plan BEFORE you account for the fact I work many an evening and on weekends. If you gave me comp time for all the time I work over 45 hours per week during the school year, you'd have to add 6 weeks onto the year in order to give me the same amount of time off I had as an engineer plus my comp time off!!!
