Education, why are teachers so underpaid?

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It occured to me recently that education is the single most important element in running or creating a peaceful society.

Why are our teachers paid so horribly? Police spend all day parked next to 7-11's talking to each other, and they IMO are paid way better.
wtf?

Why do we spend trillions on war, when we could be using that to pay our teachers more, which would then lead to better education?

Why do we care more about violence than education?

Could it be said that education is a low priority to the government?

Could uneducated people be desired over educated people?

You have to pay more for smart work than you do for day labor Smile

one more thing, why do we let people who dont give a **** run our country? with all the voting fraud i read about it would seem impossible to remedy this situation through political means, which is sad. maybe that 9/11 work strike i read about is a good idea. It would be a shame to let a country like this one falter and lose everything we have.

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I don't know that cops are paid that much more than teachers.

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I would suspect that the roots of the low pay of teachers lie with the fact that most teachers (at least at the elementary and secondary school level) are women. I remember reading a thought provoking article some time ago. The article postulated that when fields that were formerly populated by men are taken over by women, both the status and the salary of the job decreases.

The example that was given was a bank teller. Apparently, in the early part of the 20th century, bank tellers were predominantly men. At that time, a bank teller was considered a very prestigious job. As men left the field, and women took over the bank teller positions, both the prestige and the recompense decreased. I can't attest to the veracity of this, bit it is thought provoking.

Also, in the US, the education of children (who after all, are our future) has never been afforded the seriousness that IMO, I think the issue deserves. Public schools, over the years have cut many important subjects (art, music, etc) as unnecessary. These subjects, far from being unnecessary, are what forms an important part of what it means to be civilized.

Anyhow, many years ago, I was watching a Russian film. A doctor (female) was talking to a teacher (male). The gist of the conversation was that she was ONLY a doctor, while the guy was a teacher, which they both considered much more important than doctoring. I remember how that conversation struck me at the time. Of course medicine is just as important as teaching. But I wonder, since at that time more women went into medicine than men, (in Russia) whether that made the difference in the relative importance of the professions.

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Education is paid for by taxes. People hate taxes.

I taught public high school science in a very wealthy community for several years. I quit and went back into Engineering. I am now doing less work... with less stress and making twice what I made as a teacher.

As a taxpayer... I would be happy to pay more in order to invest more in education.

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I do not know about the rest of the country. However, in the city of NY teachers between, salary and fringes are more than adequately compensated

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au1929 wrote:

I do not know about the rest of the country. However, in the city of NY teachers between, salary and fringes are more than adequately compensated

What is "adequate"? What salaries do teachers in NY make?

http://www.aft.org/presscenter/releases/2007/statereleases/SalarySurvey-NY.pdf

Quote:

The average teacher salary in New York for the 2004-05 school year was $55,665, up 0.9 percent from the previous year when it was ranked third. New York was ranked fifth in the nation for beginning teacher salary, at $37,321, an increase of 2.5 percent from 2004.

The average teacher salary nationally in 2004-05 was $47,602, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous year. This falls short of the rate of inflation for that year, which was 3.4 percent. Between 2003 and 2005, the buying power of the average teacher salary decreased by almost $800.

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ebrown_p wrote:

Education is paid for by taxes. People hate taxes.

I taught public high school science in a very wealthy community for several years. I quit and went back into Engineering. I am now doing less work... with less stress and making twice what I made as a teacher.

As a taxpayer... I would be happy to pay more in order to invest more in education.

ebrown! I agree with you! Teaching is hard work...and the only ones who seem to like it these days are young ladies that are wanting to have children and needing to work as a second income.

What burns me up is that we are not willing to pay higher taxes but are willing to shell out butt loads of money to buy season tickets to fund sports and pay the players millions of dollars for doing what they love. Do not get me started. And sometimes I am not so sure the money we already pay in taxes gets to where it is supposed to. And I know we put our money where our heart is - and America's heart is surely into sports!

And by the way Policemen are not paid well at all neither are fireman..they may sit at a 7-11 and eat doughnuts but they also lay their lives on the line for us...anyway - I think that is only a few of the less sharper police that do that kind of thing! Who knows?

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They do have a budget like that but it is scant and teachers that are worth their salt feel that in order to teach they need to go into their own money simetimes to have what they need to make it fun for the kids. I love these teachers. We have one this year. I do my best to give the things I know they need that does not have to do with teaching. That way she can spend her money on the supplies to teach. I send paper towels, tissues, antibacterial gel, wet wipes, I will even send construction paper and glue on occasion. When I buy one for me - I just put one in the basket for her as well. I know they need as much help as they can get. I do not envy teachers....I try to meet their needs with what money we have the best I can. I am not sure what the answer is. Money and budgeting are not my thing...you can ask my husband.

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Well, be sure to count the extra supplies in the budget. Smile

That's very kind and thoughtful of you, buying those extras. And you've got me thinking. My stepkids are adults so, I have no need to buy school supplies. Not until somebody gives me a grandchild, that is. But I could donate supplies now, couldn't I? Is there an organization that accepts donated school supplies? Like Toys for Tots, which I do every year?

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HA HA HA eoe! I don't even think about it! That's the problem!

I don't know an organization that does that...but I guess you could call your local public school and see what they need, or the school board in your area to see which of the schools there need it the most. Even in the county I live in there are such fluctuations as to need. The area I am in is fine. But further south...they run out of toilet paper every year before school is out. I have heard they have to donate TP to them when they no longer have money in the budget for it....that's a hard call to make - toilet paper - teaching supplies. Personally - I would prefer to spend money on the teaching supplies...unless I am the one sitting in the stall without the toilet paper....thank you very much! Shocked

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Quote:

Few teachers begin a school year without stocking up on classroom supplies. But paying for needed items quickly can empty wallets. Fortunately for Rodriguez and Wilkinson, they likely won't have to pay for items they spied on their trip.

Their school, Terrace Community Middle, is throwing them and the rest of the faculty a teacher shower. Teachers register for desired school supplies, and parents have the option of buying the supplies to be given as gifts at a party.

Terrace Community is among a growing number of schools turning to registries and other donation-driven programs to help teachers acquire school supplies.

"This is a big help because it can get costly," Rodriguez said. She and Wilkinson visited a Target store Thursday to register for supplies. Parents can log on to Target.com and choose items off the teachers' wish lists.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBVGHVK75F.html

It is a sad commentary on the state of education when teachers have to have "Teacher showers" in order to get supplies for their classrooms in tax supported schools. Whatever happened to school districts giving teachers the supplies that they need?

Think about it. Would someone working in an accounting firm have to buy his own computers, software, papers and pencils?

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It's outrageous.

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eoe wrote:

Well, be sure to count the extra supplies in the budget.

That's very kind and thoughtful of you, buying those extras. And you've got me thinking. My stepkids are adults so, I have no need to buy school supplies. Not until somebody gives me a grandchild, that is. But I could donate supplies now, couldn't I? Is there an organization that accepts donated school supplies? Like Toys for Tots, which I do every year?

My office has a backpacks program for underprivileged kids. The backpacks are bought and we fill them with supplies (pens, paper, rulers, whatever).

I wonder if not only is it a devaluing of women in work but if it's also a devaluing of children, or at least of children who are public schooled. Sure, we as a nation pay a lot of lip service to loving and caring for children, and fortunately we do not require them to go work in factories any more. But what does it say about our value -- or lack thereof -- for children when schools are breaking down and supplies are nonexistent? Phoenix is right re accountants. In my office, there are pens and post-it notes and paper for the taking. Sure there's a budget for those items, and of course it would be awfully suspicious if an employee started lifting scads of pencils and taking them home. But in the teaching field, where this stuff is really desperately needed, they go begging.

To me that sends a message about value -- for both the children and their educators -- that all the lip service in the world is not counteracting.

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I've often heard that more money is pumped yearly into the prison system than spent on education in this country. Can anyone substantiate that?

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Jespah wrote:

I wonder if not only is it a devaluing of women in work but if it's also a devaluing of children, or at least of children who are public schooled.

I absolutely agree. In our society children are devalued. As an attorney, you must have had experience with kids who were obliged to be returned to uncaring parents, because the parents had the "right" to them, as if they were chattel.

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Teachers in the schools I have worked at ask parents to bring supplies to their kid's classroom. These are things that they might have at home like: tissues and paper towels. Sometimes there's the more usual drive for stuff for projects: coffee cans, paper towel rolls (the core).

Near the end of the year, the district put out an excited letter because the town voted to over ride a bill that would have restricted school funding. They were happy to announce that each classroom would receive an extra .... wait for it.... $250! I shouldn't joke, as I don't know how much they had to begin with, but I do know that teacher tend to spend upwards of $1000 of their own money every year in their classrooms.

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Phoenix32890 wrote:

Jespah wrote:
I wonder if not only is it a devaluing of women in work but if it's also a devaluing of children, or at least of children who are public schooled.

I absolutely agree. In our society children are devalued. As an attorney, you must have had experience with kids who were obliged to be returned to uncaring parents, because the parents had the "right" to them, as if they were chattel.

Yep. Chattel.

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Why is the American education system turning out such a piss poor product?

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Education, why are teachers so underpaid?

Teachers are underpaid because they are a bad investment. They is no return into the pockets of the people who take your money to spend it.

The public school system will babysit intill the kids are ready for their sentince into sevitude of the GNP (Gross national product)

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Education, why are teachers so underpaid?

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