Those friggin' high paid teachers

[Maestro]

We actually have some here; Bouncy Ball, Ulysses, Proud2BLib, LWolf and well me.

Look at this!

ARE YOU SICK OF THOSE HIGH PAID TEACHERS?

I, for one, am sick and tired of those high paid teachers. Their hefty
salaries are driving up taxes and they only work nine or ten months a year!

It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they
do...baby-sit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right...I would give them
$3.00 dollars an hour and only the hours they worked, not any of that silly
planning time.

That would be 15 dollars a day. Each parent should pay 15 dollars a day for
these teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now, how many do they teach in a day.... maybe 25. Then that's 15 X 25 =
$375 a day.

But remember they only work 180 days a year! I'm not going to pay them for
any vacations.

Let's see... *that's 375 x180 = $67,500.00

(Hold on, my calculator must need batteries!)

What about those special teachers or the ones with master's
degrees?

Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be fair. Let's round it off
to $6.00 an hour. That would be $6 times 5 hours times 25 children times 180
days = $135,000.00 per year.

Wait a minute, there is something wrong here!!!
(There sure is!)

Of course I jest. I find it very difficult to even make ends meet while my Texas politicians give themselves raises and strap teachers with retirement modifications that make retiring just that more difficult and as far as raises, I'll believe it when I see it. It would be nice if the above were true! :rant:

[LynzM]

That's an interesting way to look at that!

So many teachers are SO underpaid for all the things they accomplish, and all the things they try to accomplish, and all the things they're expected to do... Major props to those who stay in it for more than a few years... and big hugs, too! :hug:

[Maestro]

4. Thanks

Been at it for 13 or 14 years. I really can't remember.

[lolly]

1. Clever!

Have you sent this to any of those politicians?

[Maestro]

3. Good idea! -nt

[Mrs_Beastman]

2. Try not to let it get to you

I'm sure the same people who think you 'babysit' their kids probably think that there are 52 states and there is no reason to learn history.

[Sabriel]

5. that works for me

When I taught high school, I had 170 students. Even now, I average 35 per class.

[ulysses]

6. don't forget LWolf

:hi: :D

[Maestro]

7. Holy Crap!

Editing immediately. :blush:

[ulysses]

9. you can't be expected to remember.

We're all idiots at the chalkboard, after all. ;-)

[Bozita]

8. How's the teachers' retirement fund in Texas?

[Maestro]

11. Oh hell it is very convuluted

I really couldn't explain it except that I pay automatically, as do all public school teachers, a percentage of my salary. Right now it is somewhere like 6.25%. Then there is a multiplier that used to figure pay-outs once you retire. The best I can do is refer to the site.


http://www.trs.state.tx.us/About_TRS/Welcome.htm

I also found this explanation.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/TT/met1.html

[crispini]

10. Great email!

Really makes its point.

[texas1928]

12. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!

They make that much, to torment me like they did.

Well I guess when you are paid to play dungeon master.

Man.

[Maestro]

13. Hahaha

Unfortunately, it was that they were paid very little to torment you. Perhaps if they were paid more, they wouldn't have tormented you so much. ;)

[Deja Q]

14. That twit must love private school then. It'd cost him a helluvalot more.

I'd otherwise tell that guy to raise his children properly, so the teacher can TEACH and not send everybody to the principal's office every 10 minutes.

[Maestro]

15. And actually most believe the crap that the media

and mostly rethuglicans push. Y'now; the idea that education is screwed up and we couldn't teach our way out of a paperbag. Consequently, why pay teachers a decent salary because we are apparently not providing a quality education. Puleeeeeze.

[Bozita]

16. About 10 years ago, an article about judging the quality of dentists was..

... around.

It was actually a thinly veiled spoof about teacher quality.

I remember:

The really good dentists are the ones whose patients have the least cavities.

Patients of bad dentists have the most.

[Maestro]

18. I remember that one

I wish I had saved it.

[izzybeans]

17. underpaid and underemployed-my wife has been scrambling

for three years now trying to find a full time gig. The interviews have been comical. She's been to some where there are 200 people sitting in a cafeteria interviewing for 5 positions. She's been to others where she sits in a line for hours past her appointment and waits to interview for one opening. Now we read in the Chicago Tribune, that CPS has experienced a record number of applications and a record low for openings and par for the Tribune course they claim this is "good for the children".

She keeps landing one year appointments at private schools where the kids have nannies and a a big bag of ritilan and the parents treat her like a servant and yet only see their kids when they are in between work and a trip to their European yoga spa. She's giving up soon it seems. She no longer thinks her passion is worthy of her endless pursuits. It sucks. It really does.

[Maestro]

19. What does she teach?

Elementary, Secondary? :shrug: Hope she finds something permanent though.

[izzybeans]

20. Elementary.

Thank you. It would settle things for us if that would happen. She keeps getting into the final round of interviewing for a permanent position and then nothing. We've had to turn the gallows humor on pretty thick in order to deal with it.

[Maestro]

21. Have you thought about relocating?

Or is your job stable there in the Chicago area?

[izzybeans]

22. Actually I bring up the Tribune because we are relocating from Jersey.

I'm a graduate student and only have my disseration ahead of me. I'm pretty mobile at this point. Chicago was one option of several-but the most desirable. Anything close to family (Indianapolis): we have a 2 year old son and his grandparents were becoming rabid being so distant (New Jersey).

[Maestro]

23. That's fine

Best of luck to you and your wife. I am in Texas and in a position where I influence hiring so I was going to suggest that if you ever had a reason to come here, pm me. I'm always willing to talk to good teachers.

[izzybeans]

24. Thanks for the offer. I may file this one away for future reference.

[knitter4democracy]

25. That went around the ed dept. when I was in college.

I think I have a copy around in my files somewhere. That's something I like to quote whenever anyone says that teachers are overpaid.

Of course, I couldn't find a job in the publics and had to settle for a Catholic high school. Let's just say that I did a major happy dance when I finally broke $20K gross. That was in 1999.

My mom taught high school art in the publics for 35 years, and she can't live on her retirement--and don't get me started on how crappy her med insurance is now.

[ChoralScholar]

26. Lots of jobs here in Arkansas

especially in Art and Music, since the State Leg. passed the law of 40 min/week of each. There is actually a shortage.

There are also a lot of jobs for ESL teachers and science teachers.

And, well, if you teach math, name your price. They are almost extinct here.

Our retirement is great. I will get the average of my three highest-salary years for the rest of my life. Arkansas Teacher Retirement is a pretty good deal.

Our main problem is health insurance... the districts, up to this year, contributed 122 dollars per month, leaving the employee to play over 620 dollars a month for a family plan. I can't afford it, and I'm pretty far up the scale, since I'm a choral director.

The legislature changed the school contribution to 180 per month, but I'm sure the premiums will go up by the same amount, so, why bother?
--------------------
Basically, teaching here is not a bad deal. Minimum pay with a Bachelor's degree is 27K, and minimum for a Master's is 30K. Only the poorest 1% of schools are anywhere near the minimum. Most anywhere you can start at over 30K with a bachelor's.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Way to go, Maestro!!

I love that piece. Needed a new copy of it. Thanks for posting.

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. My mom always loved the editorial cartoon of that :^)

[bleedingheart]

29. I have always been in favor of paying teachers well...

they are really making a difference in the world through educating our children.

[Bouncy Ball]

30. Secondary teachers have anywhere from

65 to 150 kids a day. Just imagine THAT salary.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I don't know how they do that

Honestly, I didn't like having 30 kids in a day. One nice thing about my job now in special ed is I have so few kids to manage. I cannot begin to imagine having 150 kids in one day.