Are teachers really underpaid?
 

If you polled 100 random Americans and asked this question, you'd probably get 90-95 "yes" answers. I wonder sometimes if this is really fair.

First, let me say that a good teacher who really touches kids lives is definitely underpaid. But the problem is there are so many crappy teachers, even at very good schools. Look at how much money is spent on education right now and then look at the test scores. Doesn't the caliber of teaching in this country have to come into question here at some point, or are they just immune to any scrutiny?

Anyone can counter me here by saying that if pay were higher, the profession would draw more talent, but I respond to that by saying that you can't just pay every teacher more, because then you're rewarding bad teachers and good teachers alike. This is as unfair as everyone being underpaid in my opinion.

Of additional significance to my questioning the commonly accepted belief that teachers are underpaid is the fact that they get 4+ months of vacation per year in a world where the average worker gets 2-3 weeks. That is HUGE! They can work another job in those 4 months to supplement their incomes.

Additionally, teachers get great benefits and tremendous job security. In schools where they have tenure, that job security is 100% guranteed, which allows for mediocrity and laziness.

I wish there were some way to make teaching compensation incentive-based, so that great teachers who are talented and hard-working make very good livings, but to say that teachers on the whole are underpaid is not as obvious an idea as people think.

Thoughts?

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

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Anyone can counter me here by saying that if pay were higher, the profession would draw more talent, but I respond to that by saying that you can't just pay every teacher more, because then you're rewarding bad teachers and good teachers alike. This is as unfair as everyone being underpaid in my opinion.

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While it's not a perfect solution, jacking up salaries to attract better people may mean you reward mediocrity in the short term, but long term you stop having to hire the bad ones because of increased competition.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

I'm a teacher, coached 3 sports last year, quit one so I will only coach two this coming year. I don't really feel that I'm underpaid, I feel that compared to other jobs I may deserve more money, but consider my three-ish months off a year to be part of my pay, so it's all good.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

Teachers have insanely good unions which come with really good benefits, just keep that in mind when talking about how much money they make.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

I think one problem is the politics of teaching.
Its hard to retain much enjoyment when you have a limited area of scope that you cannot stray from.

When I was at school my favourite teachers were my physics teacher and my chemistry teacher.

My chemistry teacher used to blow stuff up and show us cool things like putting gas inside biscuit tin and igniting it and random stuff like that.

My physics teacher just rambled on about random stuff.
He'd be mid lesson teaching mechanics or something anal and dull and then wander off into a discussion about Dolphins and rainbows.
Mad as a one legged otter in an air balloon but a great teacher.

The worst teachers that I just switched off to were those only interested in showing us slides and making us copy notes. They couldn't present their subject in an interesting way or keep a classes attention.

Teachers are bogged down in red tape in regards to what they can teach so its hard for them to keep it interesting - they may be teaching a slightly altered syllabus over ten years in the same subject - either you make it interesting or you become a boring drone notemonkey.

I feel that teachers need more freedom to teach what they want within a subject to a certain level to give them some freedom ie a Psysics teacher could teach a class about lasers/properties of light/wavelength/refraction/etc and the class be asssesed on that, or a teacher could teach Mechanics if that teacher feels they can make it interesting to the students.

PS: I'm from the UK so if I've used terms you don't use apologies [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

There is no need for new influx of money to teachers, what is needed is the uncorruption of unions and school boards across the nation, freeing up funds for teachers and programs.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

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There is no need for new influx of money to teachers, what is needed is the uncorruption of unions and school boards across the nation, freeing up funds for teachers and programs.

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Ohh please, take it to the politics forum.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There is no need for new influx of money to teachers, what is needed is the uncorruption of unions and school boards across the nation, freeing up funds for teachers and programs.

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Ohh please, take it to the politics forum.

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If my post is out of place for this forum, so is the OPs and every other one in this thread.

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

gym teachers have it made

Re: Are teachers really underpaid?
 

Let me be the first to throw out the common response that no one is underpaid in a free market.