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Money would help, but not assure teacher retention.
Most teachers have a passion and skillset to transfer knowledge.
As mentioned.... The working conditions, and attitude of parents and students may not align with the task of teachers to deliver an education.
It's a societal issue in the USA.
Money can't fix it.
Spot on. It's easy to specify specific issues in education but difficult to actually fix them without fixing societal ills first.
Most people prefer a 60k a year job they love over a 100k a year job they can't stand. Those that are wise enough or self-aware enough to see that, profit from it. Those that aren't, are perpetually unhappy.
This is my 30th year with my district, which gets me to full retirement with the state. I’ll be 52. We have an additional county pension which I can draw, but it would be reduced.
I won’t completely retire from working, but plan on doing something part time or somehow lessening the workload.
I am planning on doing something similar when I retire from teaching.
If teachers all over the US were paid a wage consistent with their education and what they do - which is teach our children, it would help.
Sure there are places where teacher pay is extremely low. Like OK where the state offsets most local taxes for school funding, but gave away their tax base to the oil & gas companies.
But in most places, teacher pay is completely commensurate with the education and work required, when you compare it to other occupations with similar training/education requirements. For example, the average starting pay for teachers in CA is $46k. The average starting pay for all college graduates is $47k. Across one's entire career, the average teacher earns $65k ($85k in CA), which is considerably more than the average US worker (who earns an average of $31k, $52k with a college degree).
All of this is base pay--most teachers earn considerably more for taking on additional teaching duties, lunchroom monitoring, tutoring, subject certifications, additional degrees, etc.
No doubt 'kids these days' are awful, but not that much worse than they were a few years ago. Kids have been awful far longer than any teacher today has been teaching. Teachers knew this going into the job. And if it's sooooo awful, feel free to leave.
Go ahead and join the private sector. Trade in the three months/year off, the pension with zero payroll deductions, the free healthcare. Trade them all in for no pension and virtually no employer contribution to your own retirement savings. For health insurance that will eat up your paycheck. Two weeks' vacation (if you are lucky). Oh....and no job security, and unlimited unpaid overtime.
Sure there are places where teacher pay is extremely low. Like OK where the state offsets most local taxes for school funding, but gave away their tax base to the oil & gas companies.
But in most places, teacher pay is completely commensurate with the education and work required, when you compare it to other occupations with similar training/education requirements. For example, the average starting pay for teachers in CA is $46k. The average starting pay for all college graduates is $47k. Across one's entire career, the average teacher earns $65k ($85k in CA), which is considerably more than the average US worker (who earns an average of $31k, $52k with a college degree).
All of this is base pay--most teachers earn considerably more for taking on additional teaching duties, lunchroom monitoring, tutoring, subject certifications, additional degrees, etc.
No doubt 'kids these days' are awful, but not that much worse than they were a few years ago. Kids have been awful far longer than any teacher today has been teaching. Teachers knew this going into the job. And if it's sooooo awful, feel free to leave.
Go ahead and join the private sector. Trade in the three months/year off, the pension with zero payroll deductions, the free healthcare. Trade them all in for no pension and virtually no employer contribution to your own retirement savings. For health insurance that will eat up your paycheck. Two weeks' vacation (if you are lucky). Oh....and no job security, and unlimited unpaid overtime.
This is a myth repeated by ignorant members of the public. Obviously, you don't work in a public school.
Go ahead and join the private sector. Trade in the three months/year off, the pension with zero payroll deductions, the free healthcare. Trade them all in for no pension and virtually no employer contribution to your own retirement savings. For health insurance that will eat up your paycheck. Two weeks' vacation (if you are lucky). Oh....and no job security, and unlimited unpaid overtime.
Wait, what? Zero payroll deductions and free healthcare? Could you cite some examples please, because my 30 year teaching position has never provided those benefits.
All of this is base pay--most teachers earn considerably more for taking on additional teaching duties, lunchroom monitoring, tutoring, subject certifications, additional degrees, etc.
No doubt 'kids these days' are awful, but not that much worse than they were a few years ago. Kids have been awful far longer than any teacher today has been teaching. Teachers knew this going into the job. And if it's sooooo awful, feel free to leave.
Go ahead and join the private sector. Trade in the three months/year off, the pension with zero payroll deductions, the free healthcare. Trade them all in for no pension and virtually no employer contribution to your own retirement savings. For health insurance that will eat up your paycheck. Two weeks' vacation (if you are lucky). Oh....and no job security, and unlimited unpaid overtime.
You are sorely misinformed, at least in terms of how most teachers are paid and received benefits.
In my career I taught in 3 states -- New York, Maryland, and Virginia (including in Virginia, one of the richest school systems in the nation). In all 3 states there were monthly deductions for federal and state taxes. Sure, I had health insurance -- and there was a monthly deduction of hundreds of dollars for that health insurance. Yes, I have a good pension, and that was -- in large part -- paid for by monthly deductions from my paycheck. Today in retirement I still have health insurance through the school district...and I am still paying hundreds of dollars a month for it. None of this was free.
In my years of teaching, almost NONE of the student activities I sponsored earned me a penny. It was almost all for free. The one time I was paid a "stipend" was when a teacher was totally mismanaging our school's wrestling team (not in terms of wrestling itself, but in terms of arranging buses and transportation, injuries, arranging meets with other schools, managing student -- both player and spectator behavior at matches, etc.). So the principal asked me to be the assistant coach and he said he would pay me an emolument. It wasn't much; I did it for the school. I kept track of the hours spent, at when I got paid the emolument I figured it out -- I had been paid 4 cents an hour. As middle school principal, our school had 12 or more student clubs per year, as well as various intramural sports. One activity received a stipend -- yearbook. All the other activities were sponsored by dedicated teachers for free. Lunchroom monitoring -- done for free (part of "and other responsibilities as assigned by the principal" clause of the teacher contract). Same for chaperoning dances and football games, and basketball games, and graduation, etc....all done for free in every school I ever worked in. Tutoring after the regular school day -- done for free. Subject certifications -- some tuition was partly paid for, but we had to pay most of it ourselves to remain certified in order to actually have a teacher license to work.
In CA, teachers have to rely on their pension for retirement. They don't receive social security (if they have worked for a certain amount of years). The pension plan replaces social security.
In CA, teachers have to rely on their pension for retirement. They don't receive social security (if they have worked for a certain amount of years). The pension plan replaces social security.
I think it's similar in Texas, based on two of my friends.
You are sorely misinformed, at least in terms of how most teachers are paid and received benefits.
In my career I taught in 3 states -- New York, Maryland, and Virginia (including in Virginia, one of the richest school systems in the nation). In all 3 states there were monthly deductions for federal and state taxes. Sure, I had health insurance -- and there was a monthly deduction of hundreds of dollars for that health insurance. Yes, I have a good pension, and that was -- in large part -- paid for by monthly deductions from my paycheck. Today in retirement I still have health insurance through the school district...and I am still paying hundreds of dollars a month for it. None of this was free.
In my years of teaching, almost NONE of the student activities I sponsored earned me a penny. It was almost all for free. The one time I was paid a "stipend" was when a teacher was totally mismanaging our school's wrestling team (not in terms of wrestling itself, but in terms of arranging buses and transportation, injuries, arranging meets with other schools, managing student -- both player and spectator behavior at matches, etc.). So the principal asked me to be the assistant coach and he said he would pay me an emolument. It wasn't much; I did it for the school. I kept track of the hours spent, at when I got paid the emolument I figured it out -- I had been paid 4 cents an hour. As middle school principal, our school had 12 or more student clubs per year, as well as various intramural sports. One activity received a stipend -- yearbook. All the other activities were sponsored by dedicated teachers for free. Lunchroom monitoring -- done for free (part of "and other responsibilities as assigned by the principal" clause of the teacher contract). Same for chaperoning dances and football games, and basketball games, and graduation, etc....all done for free in every school I ever worked in. Tutoring after the regular school day -- done for free. Subject certifications -- some tuition was partly paid for, but we had to pay most of it ourselves to remain certified in order to actually have a teacher license to work.
Yep. Just under $900 of my last pay (monthly) was my contribution.
Yep. Just under $900 of my last pay (monthly) was my contribution.
Yeah. I like hearing about all these no-contribution pensions and free health insurance teachers get. That may be the case in a miniscule number of school systems but isn't the rule, I paid into my pension and health insurance every single paycheck for 31 years. For the last several years of that the entire pension deduction didn't even go into my pension account in the State Retirement System but went to the General Fund instead
On the issue of health insurance I had occasion to look one time and it turns out that teachers pay a higher percentage of their income for it than private sector employees do.
Getting back to the teacher shortage.
My college in Pennsylvania was known as ________ State Teacher's College when I started, transitioned to __________ State College then ___________ University of Pennsylvania in my time there.
It recently merged with two other state schools to become Penn West ___________. One of the reasons cited was a decline in enrollment at all three schools, especially in the teacher training courses.
My marker is that when school systems in Pennsylvania have to advertise for Social Studies teachers then there's a shortage. The state has historically produced more teachers than could be hired in the state.
And the thing is, more salary won't fix it. In fact you may get to the situation that anyone can teach using the pacing guides and pre-written, must be followed to the letter lesson plans many school system now have.
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