The teaching profession is an honorable commitment by millions of men and women at all levels from prekindergarten through college and graduate school, and no one goes into the profession expecting to become wealthy!
Rather, they are mostly idealists who love the world of knowledge and wish to impart their enthusiasm for knowledge to the younger generation. They sacrifice the possibility of acquiring wealth because they are drawn to the wish to affect the future in a non profit way.
They should expect respect and dignity from their supervisors, from parents and students, from politicians, from the news media, and from the corporate world!
After all, corporate chief executive officers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants, engineers, professors, police officers, nurses, social workers, fire fighters, and EVERYONE ELSE not specifically mentioned, ALL are educated by teachers at all levels.
It is outrageous that conservatives and Republicans have the gall to insult and deprecate our teachers, who are unable to support their families as it is because of low wages compared to their educational preparation, and often have to work at second jobs to survive, but still are committed to do good for their students and for society!
It is about time that the vicious attack on the teaching profession come to an end, and we start treating teachers with dignity, decent pay and working conditions, and honor those who have a greater impact, much of the time, than do parents on the development and success of their children!
Teachers already, on average, receive decent pay and shouldn’t have trouble surviving from only that job. Working conditions can and should be improved but by redirecting how education funds are spent rather than increasing them.
You have a very interesting comment, but obviously you are NOT a teacher, and do not appreciate the value of educators in our lives!
If teaching is such a great profession in pay that teachers do not need to work elsewhere, then why is it that a large portion of teachers do other work?
Why is it that very few males are in the teaching profession, if the pay is so good?
And to say that teachers should not have to work elsewhere, you are not factoring in the fact that many states are now forcing low paid teachers to pay large portions of their health care and pensions, when such was not the case before the Republican governors declared “war” on public sector workers in so many states this year.
And, needless to point out, but stating it anyway, your governor, Rick Perry, has never cared about teachers or education, and is in the process of destroying the teaching profession and public education in the Lone Star state, making Texas one of the worst states educationally in every statistical way, including promoting false teaching of science and history, among other wrongs! Cutting billions of dollars for education is shortsighted, and will affect the future of millions of Texas students!
I don’t know why teachers would do other work. From this website (http://teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state), the incomes of two teachers at the lowest (average) starting level would be over $48,000, more than half the U.S. For teacher salaries overall (rather than starting salaries), the lowest would be $34,709, more than a third of workers get, and if there were two teachers, or a teacher and someone else earning the same figure, they would again be well ahead of 50% of the workers.
That’s the lowest average conditions. While I don’t agree with Perry on much and think cutting $4 billion (6%) on education in one step is excessive, two average Texas teachers (or a teacher and someone with the same income) would make well over what 2/3rds of the population; two average teachers in New Jersey would be in the top 20% of income. Texas was, relative to the cost of living, one of the best states for teachers.
The requested pension and health care contributions are significant but, according to their proponents, comparable to those paid by private sector workers.
In Wiscosin, controlling for education, experience and hours worked, public workers earn 4.8% less than private workers. Not overpayment but not vast underpayment either.
Your defense of your position is strong, and I commend you for that!
But again, why is it so few men become teachers? Why is it that very few top achievers decide to go into the education profession?
The answer is, compared to other professions, teachers are NOT paid well, and should not be compared to workers who have fewer educational attainments. They also are not given due respect by students, parents, boards of education, and administrators!
We need to treasure teachers at all levels, who educate doctors, lawyers, police officers, accountants, senators, governors, Presidents, etc.
Only then will teachers be recompensed properly for what they do, and their educational accomplishments!
Many “top achievers” go into other fields because they do pay more but the difference isn’t very great (4.8% less in Wisconsin was compared to equivalently educated private workers, not all private workers) and doesn’t mean that, as you initially claimed, they are paid disrespectfully low wages insufficient to support their families.
That Texas does pay teachers pretty well in absolute terms and very well in relative terms but performs badly in educational statistics suggests other factors are more significant in determining educational outcomes.
That education is important doesn’t mean teaching must be one of the top-paying jobs, and anything less is disrespectful, especially when good teachers are important but other factors are more important.
I’m not saying teachers are overpaid and should make much less but that they are, on average, paid the right amount and could make slightly less during a recession.