It`s quite distressing to read and hear opinions of teachers` salaries from people who never show interest in teachers except when they strike. Parents and nonparents who seldom, if ever, visit their school, meet their teachers and principal, learn the curriculum, join and work in the parent-teacher organizations are suddenly experts on the work a teacher performs and the hours he spends doing it.
A recent writer broke down a teacher`s daily pay to $108 for six hours work. Totally uninformed, he doesn`t know that the teacher is working when his students are at lunch, recess, gym, art, music, study hall, etc. His time is not ”free,” but his tasks are too numerous to itemize here. As for 9 months` work, it`s closer to 10 months. His salary must cover 12 months, for teachers also must eat and pay bills in the summer also. Summer is a layoff for teachers can seldom get summer jobs because of college and high school students` availability. As for sick days and paid holidays, all jobs provide those.
The money a teacher gets for his services is peanuts compared with other professional people whose responsibility and accountability are minimal in comparison.
The people who complain about teachers` salaries are the same people who will spend $25 to $50 to enjoy an hour or two of entertainment and never complain about the thousands of dollars an entertainer or athlete gets an hour. They will, however, begrudge their children the best instruction their money could buy.
