I'm here to say the corporate world isn't any picnic either!
You're absolutely right -- we teachers don't think for a minute that we have crappy jobs, while the rest of the world enjoys picnics and perks all day long. Overall, the world of work has become less friendly over the last decades.
I'm thinking of my husband ... We met when I worked in his office during college. It was such a friendly place: groups went out to lunch frequently, the company offered free breakfast on payday every two weeks, at Christmas everyone brought pot lucks for lunch, we often had outings in the evenings to the local baseball games, etc. Everyone worked, but no one seemed overly stressed. He just left the place after 30 years, and every bit of that dropped away. Data became more important than people, and the number of workers was reduced though the work load remained the same. The friendly side of the company disappeared altogether.
If we, any child, got into trouble at school, they got into trouble at home too - teachers were to be respected and obeyed.
Yeah, the rule in our house was, Whatever you get at school, you get two at home. You received praise or a reward for a good grade or work ethic? Double praise or reward at home. You were punished for bad behavior? Double punishment at home.
You're right that teachers are no longer respected. I'm thinking of a time when I called a mom and said, "Your kid is an absolute nightmare in HOMEROOM. Won't behave. Something's gotta change." Her answer, "Well, I'll have to hear his side of it." Huh? Do you think I make up stuff about homeroom kids, whom I don't even teach, and waste time calling parents about it?
This is a good post! I know someone at 54 who retired from an almost 6 fig teaching salary ... Still has car payments, house payments, kids in hs, kids in college.
Okay, something's wrong here: He's 54 and has been earning a high salary ... WHY does he still have car payments, etc.? That's poor planning.
... The old saying goes pick a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. I guess that means you enjoy it so much it does not feel like work. Well news flash, that's a great concept but in reality what you love does not always pay the bills ...
Yeah, that "never work a day in your life" thing is pie in the sky. Maybe it works for a small, small percentage of people, but it's never going to work for the vast majority of us. Work is work.
I guess some people have a "bug' that makes them want to teach others, there are ways to teach outside of school...just harder to find the opportunity I suppose.
Oh, yeah. I understand you. When I was 5-6 years old I was already a teacher. I forced my siblings to sit down and be my class. I never thought about it when I was younger, but NONE of my four siblings ever wanted to be the teacher, and my own daughters never once "played school".
On the other hand, one of my daughters was already a nurse when she was 5-6 years old. She gave her dolls surgeries, wasted all my bandaids on them, etc.
High School kids are challenging... and many parents seem to careless about whats going on in school at this age than when they were younger... lots and lots of challenges...
I've heard that you teach elementary school because you like kids ... you teach middle school 'cause you're nuts ... and high school because you like the subject. I think there's some truth in that, but high school is becoming worse and worse in terms of discipline and lack of respect from students.
Teaching at the E/S level is a pink-collar ghetto; it generally doesn't pay very well, though the benefits are usually quite good.
Eh, that used to be true; that is, it was the deal for which I signed on almost three decades ago ... but things have changed over my years (I am near retirement):
- By E/S do you mean entry level salary? When I was new, the salary scale was kind of a straight line ... you could count on small, steady raises over the years. Now new teachers make $35,000 ... and teachers at the top of the salary scale make $52,000. What that means is that no one gets big raises -- ever. For those of us here in the land of cheap living, $35,000 isn't too bad for someone just out of college /with no professional experience ... but to increase only $17,000 over the course of 30 years is not appealing, especially since the job has increased significantly in terms of time and rigor. My thoughts on this: the state doesn't want teachers to stay in the system long enough to retire (our pensions are expensive for the state to support). If they can get teachers to come in and teach 10 years, then leave, the state wins financially.
- As for benefits, no. We
don't have great benefits at all; people think that's true, but it isn't. Oh,
we used to, but those benefits have been cut bit by bit over the years. I used to have no-cost insurance; now it takes 14% of my salary for moderate coverage (no eye or dental or special coverage). Every generation of teachers gets a little less: People a little older than me don't pay state taxes on their pensions ... people a little younger than me won't get insurance in retirement. I don't even get free iced tea in the cafeteria any more. But if I die while in service, my husband will get one year of my salary.
I never taught but am a social worker & in a school district (now). I definitely understand teacher burn out, but there are many professions that are undervalued & underpaid that I don’t feel get as much attention as teaching. Some are as stressful if not more stressful. I really appreciate your perspective of having done both.
I think teachers get "more press" on these topics because we're very visible to the public (whereas most people will never go to a social worker in their whole lives) and because we exist in large numbers ... but, to echo something I just said above: We don't for a moment think we're alone in being burned out, stressed out, undervalued and underpaid.
