Our Nation’s Teachers Are Hustling to Survive

[ditcherman]

It should be:
"What ARE your thoughts?"




Anyhow, I would say it is the teachers unions that appear to be hustling to survive.

As far as Rothrock is concerned, her story sounds like a long series of bad decisions. Borrowing money to get a degree that lands you a job with a starting comp roughly equal to the debt? WTH was she thinking? It doesn't sound like her parents helped her much in letting her make such poor choices. Oh wait, they're teachers too!

No way in Hell I would want folks with this history of decision making "teaching" anyone I cared about, let alone pay for them to do it!

But, that’s exactly what you get at this salary level, unless you happen to find that pure soul that just wants to make the world a better place.
Can also replace “pure soul” with “highly motivated liberal activist type”

 

[Timjoebillybob]

I haven't checked this time, but I've checked several times before. Teachers make comparable amounts compared to nurses and mechanical engineers when factoring the shorter work year. Their yearly salary is about 3/4ths of the other two. From the articles figures just under half (47%) of the teachers that have a second job it's another position in k-12 such as coaching/tutoring/etc. That would be the rough equivalent for most other jobs to a person working overtime. Everyone posting in this thread raise your hand if you've worked overtime .

 

[bobzilla]

Did not read. Did it factor in public sector benefits and retirement pensions?

This. Full retirement. Superior healthcare. Wife has been a teacher for 25 years and she’s just shy of 6 figures for 185 contracted days. She will be able to retire at 56 with full benefits and a nice monthly check from the state if Indiana.

Sorry, the whining about teacher pay just rings hollow to us. Poor decisions for sure

 

[Leo]

I was never a teacher for a career. I did teach night classes at Navarro College in Texas for a few semesters. It was a side job. All the career teachers complained, and most complained to the students. I consider that extremely poor character. The full timers made a good wage and had good insurance and retirements. As an Adjunct, I did not make much or have any benefits. The job was clean, well lit, safe, and full creature comfort with very little stress. Nothing like a salaried position in a factory,

My niece wanted to be a teacher, went full boat to college on borrowed money, never worked a minute during college but did go to all the events, parties, spring break trips, etc. 3 weeks in to her first teaching job she started with the complaining. She felt she was grossly underpaid, overworked, and hated kids. I was glad when she quit, not so much for her, but for the kids that she would ruin before they had a chance to make any decisions for themselves.

 

[chipbennett]

I'm not sure how accurate this article is but a motorcycle trip to Polly's Freeze is on my schedule. Actually the teachers I know in my area do pretty well for themselves. What's your thoughts?

Our Nation’s Teachers Are Hustling to Survive - EdSurge News

Nearly 1 in 5 American public school teachers work a second job outside of the classroom. Why is this their reality?

www.edsurge.com

A. Teachers have a job that only requires work for 9 out of 12 months
B. Indiana gives over half of its regular budget to K-12 education, but 2/3 of that is consumed by local administrators. Blame your local school board for overpaying far too many non-teachers.

 

[chipbennett]

The article didn't address 9-month versus 12-month earning potential. It recounts how teachers with college degrees earn so much less than a comparably degreed career and as a result have to have evening and weekend jobs to make ends meet. No doubt they can kick it up to full time in the summer but that's not justification for shortchanging the people we glibly extol as shaping the future. Good feelings only go so far. Then the ones that finally have enough of the financial struggle leave education entirely because it just won't get better. The heart of the article is how this side hustle for teachers is often unspoken but basically socially accepted as the norm.

The teacher who is the main subject of the article appears to teach elementary school. Perhaps part of the problem is that teaching elementary school is not a skillset that requires a 4-year college degree, with its attendant, six-figure cost?

 

[chipbennett]

It should be:
"What ARE your thoughts?"




Anyhow, I would say it is the teachers unions that appear to be hustling to survive.

As far as Rothrock is concerned, her story sounds like a long series of bad decisions. Borrowing money to get a degree that lands you a job with a starting comp roughly equal to the debt? WTH was she thinking? It doesn't sound like her parents helped her much in letting her make such poor choices. Oh wait, they're teachers too!

No way in Hell I would want folks with this history of decision making "teaching" anyone I cared about, let alone pay for them to do it!

Another good point. She and I are approximately the same age. I graduated with an engineering degree, with approximately the same amount of student-loan debt as she had. (If you add in the PLUS/parent loan that I took on the burden of paying off, altogether is was roughly 2/3 to twice her debt; I don't remember the precise amount.)

 

[wcd]

From first hand knowledge a lot of the teachers in Wilson county donate plasma on a regular basis to make it. And it’s not because they are living beyond their means.


County commissioner was so gracious to tell teachers they can have a raise if it does not increase the budget. Pretty sure that was a **** *** thing to say given he is up for re-election in May.

 

[chipbennett]

I haven't checked this time, but I've checked several times before. Teachers make comparable amounts compared to nurses and mechanical engineers when factoring the shorter work year. Their yearly salary is about 3/4ths of the other two. From the articles figures just under half (47%) of the teachers that have a second job it's another position in k-12 such as coaching/tutoring/etc. That would be the rough equivalent for most other jobs to a person working overtime. Everyone posting in this thread raise your hand if you've worked overtime .

Until I went back to salary several years ago, I worked an average of 68 hours a week, for almost 3 years.

My norm now, salaried, is 45 - 50 hours per week.

I have never worked only 40 hours per week, on a routine basis, in my entire career.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I think those are things of the past.
My maternal grandmother was a Purdue grad in the early 40’s, had a great teachers retirement and it’s sure not that anymore.

I believe it is alive and well.

New INPRS Member Resources

www.in.gov

 

[Jaybird1980]

I averaged 1300-1500 hours of OT every year, and it was in a heck of a lot worse environment than the classroom.
Plenty of coworkers worked more than that.
You accepted the job.

 

[Leo]

Wouldn't it also be fair to note that a teacher in small town America probably makes less than a teacher in medium town or large town America? Don't know, asking.

When a $10 an hour factory job in Indiana was a good job, elevator attendants in any public buildings in Chicago were making $15 an hour. That reflected what it cost to survive in that city. Teaching jobs are also in proportion to local economies.

Today, the Median teaching job in Chicago is about $65K. Top 10% make $84K Not bad for a short work year, even with Cook county expenses.

Lafayette, IN median wage for school teachers is $58K. Top 25% is $76K.

The tiny town of Greentown, Indiana, Starts teachers at $40K base and the top pay is $69K.

No nights, no weekends, no mandatory double shifts on holidays, winter and spring vacations, summer break. No working in the bitter cold, burning hot. No crawling through greasy pits, no climbing poles or smokestacks when you have to chip ice from each rung. No explosions, no hazmat environments requiring Scott air packs.

Make your own judgement and make your own choices.

 

[bwframe]

People that whine about their pay being so low often have pretty exorbitant cost of living expenses.

Even if they don't have crazy high mortgage, rent or auto payments, they may well be throwing away money at other things? Cellular, cable, eating out bills are just part of normal life, right?

Lotta folks now days weren't raised to live on any kind of budget, let alone cut it. Especially with the Biden inflation, I can attest that all bills have increased. Eating out has doubled, if not more. Around the same as gas prices.

I'm out of touch with the costs of smoking or drinking or junk food these days, but can only guess that they have increased also?


.

 

[Bugzilla]

No sympathy here. Seen too many that are liberal a holes trying to indoctrinate our kids.
If only they could make that elusive $15/hr, life would be good.

 

[wcd]

When a $10 an hour factory job in Indiana was a good job, elevator attendants in any public buildings in Chicago were making $15 an hour. That reflected what it cost to survive in that city. Teaching jobs are also in proportion to local economies.

Today, the Median teaching job in Chicago is about $65K. Top 10% make $84K Not bad for a short work year, even with Cook county expenses.

Lafayette, IN median wage for school teachers is $58K. Top 25% is $76K.

The tiny town of Greentown, Indiana, Starts teachers at $40K base and the top pay is $69K.

No nights, no weekends, no mandatory double shifts on holidays, winter and spring vacations, summer break. No working in the bitter cold, burning hot. No crawling through greasy pits, no climbing poles or smokestacks when you have to chip ice from each rung. No explosions, no hazmat environments requiring Scott air packs.

Make your own judgement and make your own choices.

Not sure where you motion of no nights or weekends came from? Certainly not the case here! Summers off no not quite there either. No working in the bitter cold ok maybe, no working in hot weather no not quite.

Let’s talk about unpaid hours there are plenty of those as,well, professional development hours yeah those are with out pay, prep periods, no not those either, then throw it the having to deal with the let’s be Gay crowd( the LGBT club that will not accept that not everyone is pronoun)

volunteer hours as well, so yeah that $45k a year that is living large.

 

[wcd]

No sympathy here. Seen too many that are liberal a holes trying to indoctrinate our kids.
If only they could make that elusive $15/hr, life would be good.

So what about the teachers that refuse and fight against boiling the frog with stages of CRT seeping into the curriculum.

What about those that simply state I teach Math, there is no they them in my class, nor do my views on politics have any business being discussed in a math class, you here to learn math, not to be my friend etc.

 

[jake blue]

The teacher who is the main subject of the article appears to teach elementary school. Perhaps part of the problem is that teaching elementary school is not a skillset that requires a 4-year college degree, with its attendant, six-figure cost?

I think the degree requirements come from the state dept of education and while I agree that it shouldn't take a 4-year education to teach elementary school what IS the minimum education requirement? Also not advocating for a six-figure salary for elementary teachers but again the article even included polling which suggests many teachers would enjoy simple $10k increase which is probably about all they're making from their side gig. This would allow them to maintain their current standard without sacrificing every waking moment just to survive.

Now speaking to bwframe's post I do agree that we can't keep raising pay just to have irresponsible people continue to live outside their means but when the issue is not a few outliers but the fundamental lifestyle of an entire career field then we have to decide as a society how much do we really value the role educators play in our future as a nation. I'd like to think we could connect better earning opportunity to quantifiable excellence in education but I'm pretty sure teachers unions would kill that notion before it ever had a chance.

 

[Magyars]

My issue is that many teachers are more concerned with feelings than with teaching.
My Grandchildren will be taught morals and values by my children..not leftist teachers.

 

[wcd]

I think the degree requirements come from the state dept of education and while I agree that it shouldn't take a 4-year education to teach elementary school what IS the minimum education requirement? Also not advocating for a six-figure salary for elementary teachers but again the article even included polling which suggests many teachers would enjoy simple $10k increase which is probably about all they're making from their side gig. This would allow them to maintain their current standard without sacrificing every waking moment just to survive.

Now speaking to bwframe's post I do agree that we can't keep raising pay just to have irresponsible people continue to live outside their means but when the issue is not a few outliers but the fundamental lifestyle of an entire career field then we have to decide as a society how much do we really value the role educators play in our future as a nation. I'd like to think we could connect better earning opportunity to quantifiable excellence in education but I'm pretty sure teachers unions would kill that notion before it ever had a chance.

Oddly enough I wonder if being under paid is not a gateway into the false belief that Unions are the only way to ensure adequate compensation?

Not pro union by any means but I think the argument could be made that there was a time and place for them. However many like our government has strayed far away from representation.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'd like to think we could connect better earning opportunity to quantifiable excellence in education but I'm pretty sure teachers unions would kill that notion before it ever had a chance.

Bingo. But then that also encourages "teaching to the test".