Our Nation’s Teachers Are Hustling to Survive

[ditcherman]

I worked with craftsmen, electricians, millwrights, pipe fitters and others that chose to have farms, cattle and side gigs. Every one of them made plenty to provide for their families. But that didn't stop them from b*tchin' and moanin' about they had to mow hay or plant on the weekends. It's all about choices folks. Figger it out !

Haha, I was tempted to bring up farmers when people were asking for examples of complainers, but I have this problem of derailing threads…
Beans are 16$ and corns 7+ and we don’t know how we’re gonna make it.

One of our rules is to ALWAYS keep your old truck. You need it to go pay your cash rents. Never take the new truck.

I’ve known some farmers who chose to work at Chrysler or Allison and paid for a farm that way, similar to your story but different…

 

[churchmouse]

And let’s not forget, there are some people that actually LIKE to work all time.

I think the article in the OP is typical media shrieking about something they think is unfair, and I’ll guarantee you that some of the teachers who are working side gigs are doing so because they plan to retire at a certain age, or maybe they’re doing it to help out a family member or friend that owns a small business.

There are a lot of reasons someone might choose to work a second job besides the “I’ve made **** poor decisions and now I HAVE To work a second job to survive.

Living inside one's means is a factor.
Having a stay at home mom spouse is a factor.
Working like a madman planning early retirement is also a factor.

 

[ditcherman]

Living inside one's means is a factor.
Having a stay at home mom spouse is a factor.
Working like a madman planning early retirement is also a factor.

A stay at home mom is worth more than any amount of money in the long run.

 

[JCSR]

That’s me, I like what I do and live it.

I want to clarify my position some, my only beef is with the assumption of working hours, it’s like driving a truck long haul, it looks good until you divide the hours and then it’s like $8 an hour, literally, that’s what my wife’s first semester usually looks like. Second semester the little heathens are lined around a bit better.
It’s the hours assumed worked vs the actual hours worked.
And that translates to not having the best and brightest as teachers but moving on to something else.

Your wife should be commended for the work she does. I'm afraid a lot of teachers don't put in that kind of effort. A lot of kids suffer for it.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

If you want more that means unless you are a born rich guy you work harder.

I often wish I was born rich instead of so good looking.

 

[churchmouse]

There are also jobs that are performance based. The higher your performance the more you see on payday.
CKW was in this for years. Loan officer for a natl. mortgage co. She was writing paper in near every state they had an office in. But she had to be licensed in all of those states. She had to keep abreast of the ever-changing business due to Gov. manipulations. Those manipulations kept the revenue streams going to the proper pockets dontcha-know. But she made bank if she put in the hours, and she did. She is retired now and the work she did has been cut and slashed but if you put in the effort the rewards are there.

 

[churchmouse]

I often wish I was born rich instead of so good looking.

You realize I know you right.....

None of us are trust fund baby's either.....

 

[ditcherman]

Your wife should be commended for the work she does. I'm afraid a lot of teachers don't put in that kind of effort. A lot of kids suffer for it.

Thanks, I commend her most every day, and for her it’s a deeply felt calling.

This kind of goes along with CM’s comment about stay at home moms, but a lot of parents need to put a lot more effort into their kids and not leave it up to the teachers.
Over the years the disparity has grown between the parents who parent that have well balanced kids, and the kids you know that just don’t have any fetching’ up. That fetching’ up bar just keeps getting lower and lower with drugs and general laziness.

 

[bwframe]

My wife started at 36ish 10 years ago, new hires are coming in this year at low/mid 40’s, same as she’s making.
That’s a great morale booster too. /p

I've never worked in the public or union sectors, but learned very early in my working career that keeping my mouth shut to coworkers about my pay rate was quite positive for my wallet. Always told the coworkers to discuss it with the boss, if they "needed" to know my pay rate.

IIRC, the coworkers so concerned about my pay rate vs theirs were the same one's that would tell me to slow my production rates so that I didn't make them look bad.


.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You realize I know you right.....

None of us are trust fund baby's either.....

I figured you'd get the joke better than those that haven't met me!

 

[churchmouse]

Thanks, I commend her most every day, and for her it’s a deeply felt calling.

This kind of goes along with CM’s comment about stay at home moms, but a lot of parents need to put a lot more effort into their kids and not leave it up to the teachers.
Over the years the disparity has grown between the parents who parent that have well balanced kids, and the kids you know that just don’t have any fetching’ up. That fetching’ up bar just keeps getting lower and lower with drugs and general laziness.

Social media Amigo. Walk a WalMart and see Moms with a cell in their mugs and the kids running amok.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

My wife started at 36ish 10 years ago, new hires are coming in this year at low/mid 40’s, same as she’s making.
That’s a great morale booster too. /p

If she's been at the same school corp for 10 yrs and is making what the new hires are making something ain't right I'll agree. Even with 10 yrs experience coming into a job at a new school corp she should be making more than a new hire fresh out of school, but a lot of that would be negotiations. Per the contract linked above, they would be paid the same but experience or hiring into a hard to fill position can increase starting pay by up to iirc $5k.

 

[ditcherman]

If she's been at the same school corp for 10 yrs and is making what the new hires are making something ain't right I'll agree. Even with 10 yrs experience coming into a job at a new school corp she should be making more than a new hire fresh out of school, but a lot of that would be negotiations. Per the contract linked above, they would be paid the same but experience or hiring into a hard to fill position can increase starting pay by up to iirc $5k.

Yep, same corp.
It’s just the new inflation. What it takes to get bodies in a classroom on a tight labor market.
One of the newbs opened her mouth at the beginning of the year.

 

[bobzilla]

Teacher pay should be open for all to see iirc. Their contracts are posted so if you know how long someone has been teaching you know what their pay rate is.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Yep, same corp.
It’s just the new inflation. What it takes to get bodies in a classroom on a tight labor market.
One of the newbs opened her mouth at the beginning of the year.

Yeah, I know a few places that have done that or similar. New hires starting at 3-5 yr worker pay. I'd say she has a valid complaint.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Did they stop paying teachers when they shut down the schools? Did they nick the pay when they went "virtual"?

Honest questions.

 

[littletommy]

I often wish I was born rich instead of so good looking.

It’s a curse that only a select few of us must deal with. Sometimes it gets tiring fighting off all them wimmens.

 

[littletommy]

Did they stop paying teachers when they shut down the schools? Did they nick the pay when they went "virtual"?

Honest questions.

Lol, I think it was the Jefferson county Kentucky school district that went back to in person learning on a Wednesday or Thursday, then went on fall break the following Monday.

They have it rough in Louisville!

 

[Indyhd]

My wife's aunt was a teacher and all she did was spout off about how teachers were the most important people in the world, and how hard their job was and how little they made.
Then she allowed her daughter to become a teacher. I couldn't figure that one out.
At one point I told her that I thought construction workers were the most important because without them she wouldn't have a school to teach in.

I did have an older teacher at a school addition and remodel I was in charge of several years back who I thought was going to retire. School started again in the fall and there he was. I asked him about it and his response was "I can't justify quitting with the amount they pay me."

 

[actaeon277]

"Important".

Yes, teachers are important.

But look at a LOT of jobs out there.
Also important.
The doctor working on a cancer patient... important.
The janitor that keeps the hospital clean... important.
The electronics/instrument tech keeping the equipment working and calibrated... important.
The "transportation" guy at the hospital that helped me get into a car at the hospital when I had a herniated disc, I thought he was also... important.
Construction.
Waste disposal.
Fire/Police/EMT

Important.

Heck, get into trouble with the "old lady", the florist is important.