Frankly all this stuff boils down to “you get what you pay for.” And for a long time, the US has gotten a lot more than they paid for because there are people willing to take huge hits on QOL and pay to help kids.
But really the folks who have always been antagonistic to teachers showed their cards through the pandemic when they staked out the position that teachers are public enemy #1 for not wanting to literally risk their lives for a public that treats them like a punching bag year in and year out. You know, stupid “Teachers’ Nights” at baseball games aside.
If you want a gradual regression to abysmal education, sure, pay ‘em pennies and then we can instead pay for an uneducated populace via higher crime rates, lower civic participation, lower economic productivity, higher welfare burden, more homelessness, etc etc.
Yes, but you do the work of your main profession that you are an expert in, and are compensated appropriately. You don't do a side job bagging groceries or lifeguarding in the summers to be able to maintain living in a home you own.
Legitimate question, do you not see the difference?
I'll say that elementary school teacher who worked as a park ranger in the summer got a good deal as he still had a government job and instead of paying for a gym membership he got paid to walk around in a beautiful place all summer.
I'm sure most teachers don't have it so good but if one were trying to improve the current system you might try to create jobs that are complementary with teaching jobs.
Teaching is one of those areas like software development where the social contradictions are intense because it is a labor intensive practice with very little capital spending (think how the final assembly people on a car have a huge "gun" that hangs from the ceiling and looks like something out of Doom that screws all 5 nuts for a wheel with perfect torque in one shot.) Schools are also funded out of property taxes which are rather regressive and limit the ability of schools to be funded by people who have a huge amount of money and instead pits teachers against people who don't make $60,000 a year and who don't get a few months off in the summer.
Many teachers have CE requirements they must fulfill over the summer, and summer breaks in some places are as short as 6 weeks.
Some teachers may do the minimum and find the role and their summers relaxing. Yet for the best outcomes and challenging districts it's far from a 'cushy' job.
Most of the teachers I know spend their summers on professional development. Taking classes, often paying out of pocket, to improve their knowledge base and teaching skills. If they were in the profession just for money, sure, they might just get a job and phone it in.
One of the best teachers I ever had was our middle school chemistry teacher. He had to lifeguard during the summer to support his family. That seems pretty crazy to me.
Attempting to get a seasonal job, year after year, for just 2-3 months a year would be difficult.
My wife is a former school teacher and she spent a considerable amount of time planning and working on things for the next school year. If teachers are expected to all work over summer break to make ends meet then their performance will suffer.
I'd argue that a better approach for teachers and education in general would be to move to more year-round schooling.
Wouldn't summer be the perfect time to update their knowledge? University students are of on vacation, meaning that the professors are available to train the school teachers.
A random teacher in any school across the US has done more for society in real terms than you have in a decade.
You could be part of the open data movement and a researcher in your spare time not stocking grocery store shelves.
Yes I’m suggesting your credentials are worthless. Why do we need full time university researcher role play when millions the world over are “researching” software engineering?
There are far fewer teachers. Sounds like a pay rebalancing given market realities is in order. Coders are everywhere. Minimum wage for them!
