A teacher in South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of experience earns $33,600 per year, which is less than the average auto repair worker. This grievance against salary injustice is nothing new, of course, but this particular example comes to us from a new national study by the Center for American Progress, which details the chicken feed teachers are forced to subsist on as they altruistically keep your hopeless children literate.
Teachers are underpaid. In politics and also in everyday life, this is almost universally accepted. Everyone admires teachers. Everyone wants good teachers for their children. And naturally, liberals believe that contrasting these salaries will emphasize the irrationality and unfairness of the marketplace.
But it doesn’t. And the first and most obvious reason it doesn’t is that teachers actually do quite well for themselves when you consider the economic realities of their profession.
A 2012 study conducted by The Heritage Foundation found that workers who switched from private employment to teaching most often took an hourly pay increase, whereas most of those who left teaching for the private sector took pay decreases. More specifically, a few years back, using Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Compensation Survey numbers, the Manhattan Institute looked at the hourly pay of public-school teachers in the top 66 metropolitan areas in the country. It found that teachers pulled in about $34.06 per hour. Journalists, who have the vital job of protecting American democracy, earned 24 percent less. Architects, 11 percent less. Psychologists, 9 percent less. Chemists, 5 percent less.
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12 comments:
7:40 to 3:20... Holidays galore, professional days, in service days, summers off, extra duty stipends, bla bla bla... Some of the wealthiest people I know are teachers... and they cry poor with their union propaganda. (as they drive away in their new Mercedes or BMW)
Whats worse is, LOOK WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO EDUCATION IN AMERICA!!
Lowered standards and expectations across the bell curve. They generally have zero moral fiber and are stooges for Socialists and like minded liberals.
They are OVERPAID. Period.
A teacher in Maryland works in the classroom for 180 days and puts in maybe 5 days before and 5 days after the official start and end of classes for preparation, etc. That's a total of 190 days of working time.
The average working person, with two weeks paid vacation and 5 days of paid holidays, puts in 245 working days per year. The teacher works only 77% as much as a regular worker so it's only fair they should be paid 77% as much.
And don't give me that crap about grading papers at home or having to take extra classes, etc. because any professional, doctor, lawyer, business owner or farmer has the same obligations.
First, I wish to take issue with the author's wrapping himself in the flag by asserting journalists are charged with 'protecting American democracy'. Self serving Bull!
The bulk of 'journalists' parrot the spin lines from the regime and Democrat party.
His article is not worth Fisking.
Like all professions there are variations in the skills and motivation of teachers. But they work in most instances for local employers. Communities and Boards of Education could offer year round school, 6 day school or longer instructional days, or a variety of other changes. Why don't they?
By and large, teachers earn bigger money in higher cost of living areas and do less well in smaller, poorer areas, just like the general public.
If there were not a 'premium' paid in the form of a higher starting wage why would someone spend 4 or more years getting a degree while paying 10s of thousands in tuition and lost income while in school.
We can have a meaningful discussion on the topic but this article isn't the place to start.
8:00 pm....I really want to know what district you live in where you see teachers driving around in new Bimmers and Mercedes. I'd love to transfer.......
Anon 9:10 has a valid point. What other industry invests millions of dollars in buildings and equipment and only uses it half the time? Why don't we have school for 250 days per year instead of 180? Wal-Mart, Goodyear, General Motors and any other sane business makes maximum use of their capital investment but school boards do not. WHY NOT?????
In areas like ours, teachers are not making a killing and deal with a lot of crap from students and administrators alike.
There are some definite rejects teaching, but most of them are dedicated and hard working. I wouldn't do their job.
Not a teacher, but I've had kids in school. It's a war zone for many of them.
Divide the school year into four segments of 60 days each. Assign each student three of the segments to attend school. That way each student still gets 180 days of instruction but you need 30% fewer teachers but pay the remaining teachers 30% more salary. You will have lower capital costs because smaller buildings are needed and have no additional labor costs. We would make full use of the buildings, have lower capital costs, higher paid teachers and families wouldn't have to schedule vacations in summers only. But this will never be adopted because it makes too much sense.
hell if they were paid for the quality of the product they produced they would owe America! and we could wipe out the national debt!
10:54 Yes it is a war zone, and their B.S. liberal "tolerance" and "acceptance" along with affirmative action has made it that way.
You think they should get paid MORE because of their own shortcomings?
Fool.
9:19 pick a local school system, look around the teachers parking lot. They're not hurting... Oh, and don't do it in the summer... they aren't there remember?
Anonymous said...
8:00 pm....I really want to know what district you live in where you see teachers driving around in new Bimmers and Mercedes. I'd love to transfer.......
July 26, 2014 at 9:19 PM
Wicomico County Bozo, quit the BS.
By the way it's Beamers.
Anonymous said...
8:00 pm....I really want to know what district you live in where you see teachers driving around in new Bimmers and Mercedes. I'd love to transfer.......
July 26, 2014 at 9:19 PM
Wicomico County Bozo, quit the BS.
By the way it's Beamers.
To all the teachers quit complaining. You chose that profession.
To all the people saying teachers make to much, you had your chance.
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