hear hear!

[acroyear]

The Maturation of Charter Schools and Their Teachers : Mike the Mad Biologist:

For too long, we have been working under an old model, where over-qualified, well educated women had few options--teaching had a very talented and cheap work force. We need to realize that teaching is a skilled profession and should be compensated as such, regardless of the school administrative structure.

Comments

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

AMEN.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

well, I can tell you that in some areas, the teachers are making out like bandits. Esp. since they can receive 'gifts' (bribes?) that I am pretty sure don't get mentioned to the IRS, have shorter chunks of time that they have to be in the building and for a shorter period of time each year. I know people who think that a Christmas gift of a $50 gift card to a restaurant is appropriate for their kid's teacher ... and maybe a $25 card as a thank you at the end of the year. $75/child = $300 (assuming 20 kids). Then add in the 'teacher appreciation' discounts at various places (I've seen movies, amusement parks, and book stores) and you have even more spending power. Now, $300 may not sound like much but it is nearly a full week's pay (before taxes) for some jobs.

Mont County 1st year teacher with a BA $46,410; with a masters it goes to $51,128. Had I started as a teacher in Mont Cty when I got my degree (fall 93) and then gotten my Masters (tuition free I think), I would now be making $84,256 / year. Suffice to say I don't make that.

[faireraven.livejournal.com]

Depends upon where. I can tell you when my dad retired about 10 years ago, he had been working in the school system for 40 years and had capped out at $65K. And by the time you get to junior high schools, teachers no longer receive gifts at holidays, because there's so many teachers that each kid's parents would be shelling out for at least 8 teachers. Those teachers are lucky if they wind up with a candy cane. Personally, my mother never gave me anything to give my teachers, and she's one herself.

Montgomery county seems to be an odd bird when it comes to paying their teachers, because most people I've spoken to say that first year teachers get anywhere from $20-$30K.

Not to mention that teachers aren't just doing their work in school. Yes, they have a shorter "day" than most of us do in terms of what they have to stand up for during the day. Then there's all the grading, lesson planning, and other activities that don't take place during the school day. My mother used to spend most evenings after dinner grading homework and putting together lesson plans. Then there's also all of the things they buy and bring to the school that they don't get paid for (some teachers in some districts bring in supplies because the school doesn't supply them). On top of that there are the things they're required to do by the school they won't get paid for, like extra education (taking teaching classes every few years, or getting a higher degree that the school won't pay for but you're required to get in many areas). A good chunk of their summers are spent preparing for the next school year. Then there's office hours, tutoring... My dad was always at work until 5, despite school being let out at 3, because he was tutoring students after school. And on top of that, there's usually field trips that they aren't compensated any extra for being on (like when we went on a three day trip to DC or Philly). They have to be full-time chaperones for several days on end and they aren't going to get compensated extra for that. They also have to do "extra-curricular activities" of some kind, or they will usually wind up getting problems from their administration. My dad had to do the science fair every year, and videotaped the football games. There's a certain amount of extra-curricular stuff they need to do, and it can be written into their contracts. So while it seems their day is only six or seven hours long, in reality it's a whole lot longer than that. Six or seven hours is just the time they have to be in the classroom, but there's a whole lot more work to teaching than just being in the classroom.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

I know that in some areas teachers do get shafted. However, in some areas they are doing really well and still complaining. While I know a lot of teachers do work at home after dinner so it isn't that they are free at 2:30 or whatever; that does mean that if they need to get the furnace checked, go to the doctor, go to the dentist; etc. for stuff that has to be done in the hours 9-5 they don't have to use leave to get it done. I think most if not all of the counties in Maryland will reimburse for some if not all of the tuition to retain credentials (heck; for the STEM classes, they'll pay for your training WHILE paying you a salary to get the early credentials).

Most schools in this area seem to have an awful lot of days closed for "teacher inservice" and "Parent Teacher Conferences". While the conferences ARE important; I doubt that a lot of parents can do the every month take a half-day to meet with the teacher (esp. with a lot of on-line connection available). PG county is viewed as a lesser county so I looked at it. 8/11-13 - professional days for new teachers; 17-20 for all teachers
Classes start 8/24, end 6/10
Holidays - 9/7; 9/28; 11/25-28; 12/24-1/1; 1/18; 2/15; 3/31-4/2; 4/5; 5/31
Closed to students - 9/25; 10/30; 11/11; 1/25; 2/12; 3/26; + the MSTA convention
181 student days; 192 teacher days (195 for new teachers) which works out to 38.5 weeks of work at 5 days/week. Most people get 2-5 weeks of vacation + 10-15 holidays (maybe 8 weeks total) which works out to 44 weeks and that is the high end of both.

Starting salary $43,900 with a BA

Now, do teachers have to deal with a LOT of BS? Heck yes. Is it a lot of work? definitely. Are they abused by parents and admin? Yes.

However, in Maryland at least they make a pretty good salary for the weeks worked.