Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!
Posted by teaching in PA on 7/14/09

You are absolutely right...as a teacher I get upset when I
hear other people (and they are usually teachers) complain
about how underpaid we are. In my opinion...it is WAY TO EASY
to become a teacher. I do consider teaching a profession, but
there is no other profession that I know of where students
right out of college can jump right in. I graduated from
college and spent three years working with at risk kids, and I
went back to get my teaching certificate.

I was recently hired at a public school at the age of 25...and
the lifestyle I now have compared to the lifestyle I had prior
to teaching is a thousand times better. Think about this...my
fiance and I both teach...we are both extremely young. I
teach in the state of PA and my starting salary is 43,000 with
a bachelor's degree, and my fiance's starting salary at her
public school is 44,000. COMBINED we are making close to
90,000. We are currently taking grad classes together working
towards our masters degrees, and when we complete it right
before our 3rd year of teaching our salary bumps up to 54,000
and 56,000...just three years into teaching! imagine if I
were to be like everyone else and begin teaching at the age of
21 or 22...I would be making 54,000 by the time I'm 25.

Summers off (and don't let teachers try to fool you with the
notion that they work on grad school stuff during that time)
and big breaks during winter and spring...teachers are being
paid very very well. And do not forget that many school
districts will actually PAY FOR their teachers to obtain their
masters degrees and doctorates. The school district benefits
when their teachers take graduate courses, and tuition for my
fiance and I are 100% paid for. No other company that I know
of would pay 100% for a professional's graduate school.

Benefits are better than anyone else's, and there is the
teacher's union that will always support us and make sure that
we are more than adequately compensated. The myth that
teachers are underpaid needs to be stopped...My fiance and I
are just started our educating careers and combined make
almost 6 figures. And dont even get me started on our
retirement!!! it's the best in the land...and if you teach
(especially in the state of PA, you know exactly what I'm
talking about)


On 6/17/09, job-seeker wrote:
> Hi. I'm throwing this out for discussion......
>
> Years ago, teachers were considered underpaid, overworked,
> generally a lousy profession. But this seems to be a thing
> of the past.
>
> Since teachers have been unionized, they have a pretty
> good situation. Benefits, pension, tenure, union lawyers,
> paid training, long vacations...As for salaries, in my
> state (new hampshire....a rural state) the average salary
> is $50,000.
>
> To become a teacher, you only need a bachelors in
> education. This is why the job market is flooded with
> teachers and it is no longer easy to find teaching
> positions.
>
> Getting a teachers contract in a public school is VERY
> desirable, not what it used to be! Any thoughts?

Posts on this thread, including this one

• "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by job-seeker.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by Elena.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by pixie.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by Marina.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by WEK.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by SpecEd Teacher.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by Mark.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/17/09, by Mark.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/18/09, by job seeker.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/18/09, by NC teacher.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/18/09, by mark.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/19/09, by Marina.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/19/09, by NC teacher.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/19/09, by kate.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/19/09, by mark.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/20/09, by julia.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 6/20/09, by Catsister.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/01/09, by mel.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/14/09, by teaching in PA.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/14/09, by Compared to what?.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/14/09, by mark.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/14/09, by anon.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/14/09, by sped.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/15/09, by PA Teacher.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/16/09, by sped.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/20/09, by maybe I'm bitter.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/20/09, by deal with it.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/21/09, by Sympathetic.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/21/09, by deal with it.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/21/09, by sped.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/21/09, by maybe I'm bitter.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/21/09, by sped.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by No one gets a "contract" here.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by Pa Teacher.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by Joe.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by let me clarify.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by Not as easy in ALL states.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by Elena.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by let me clarify once again.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/22/09, by Oh New York.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by Joe.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by Clarification.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by Elena.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by don't like tests.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by NBCTer.
• Re: "the myth of underpaid teachers" no longer true!, 7/23/09, by Clarification.