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[quote=Anonymous]I've been teaching for more than half my life.  I happen to live in a state that pays a living wage, however, I make about 25K less than I should be paid.  Why?  Because when teachers change districts, they rarely start in their new district at a comparable wage as the job they left.  I've moved 3 times for various reasons.  For my education level and years in the classroom, I should be making 90K a year.  Instead, I'm paid 65K.  Yes, it was my choice to change districts.  At the same time, what other profession does that to people?  And please, if people do regularly take pay cuts when they leave other jobs, I would sincerely like to know!  I work a second job to make ends meet as my city is expensive.  This takes away from time I should be spending on my classroom, but I think of it as, "well, if my district wanted me to spend more time on my classroom, then they should be paying me a wage that supports a family in my city".

Also, I have discouraged many young people I know from entering teaching.  Here is what I tell them:
1) If you want to be successful in the classroom, year 1-2 will mean 80-90 hours a week, years 3 and on will mean 60 hour work weeks.  Every time you change a grade level, which happens VERY OFTEN in elementary, your hours will go back up for a year or two again.
2) I cannot see pensions lasting.  So make sure you can survive on 80% of a teacher's pay and put away 20% of it your whole life if you do it.  Also, many states do not allow teachers to collect social security, so you won't even have that.
3) Find a district and NEVER leave, to maximize your pay.
4) You will be blamed for every bad thing in your students' lives and get no credit for any of the good things.
5) Most school districts are so terribly dysfunctional it is amazing that they can operate at all.
6) If you teach elementary ed, plan on spending 1-3K a year out of pocket on your classroom.
7) Plan on not being able to go to the restroom when you need it and plan to see the doctor for the UTI's you get.
8) Do anything else.  
9) I always tell my own children that they should not be teachers.
10) Avoid teaching anywhere in the south and most of the west
11) If you are going to be a teacher, get a degree in Spanish bilingual or sped.  There are next to no jobs in desirable areas outside these fields.
12) Be prepared for people to think you work a "mommy track" job, hahahahahahahaha.
13) Classroom management and endless, pointless meetings will be the bane of your existence.  You can work hard to be a great manager, but when first and second graders regularly call teachers "bitches" and admins do nothing to support you, it is dicey.  There is not one thing you can do about the pointless meetings.  In fact, if you bring up the fact that you are spending 3-4 hours a week in pointless meetings, your school will likely hold a meeting about all the pointless meetings.  Think I'm kidding, think again.

I could go on but won't.  Do not let your children become teachers.[/quote]

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