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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Considering there are over 3M teachers and 5M nurses in the US that is going to limit the salary. I know most don’t want to believe it but they are common jobs that many many millions could do with some standard training.

What jobs with that type of quantity pay a high salary? Big tech is likely under 100k jobs that pay the big bucks.  How many high paid executives are there, likely under 1M. Who would pay these high salaries for 8M workers, the median wage is in the 60-70k range.[/quote]

Sorry, but that’s simply not true. If teaching really were a job that many millions could do with some standard training, it wouldn’t have such an incredibly high burnout rate in the first 5 years. The truth is, training only gets you so far. You can understand content, but you need to have a collection of personal and interpersonal skills to actually succeed in a classroom. Unfortunately, people who haven’t taught don’t grasp the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual demands each day brings.

To be a good teacher, you need to be a strong communicator, listener, and collaborator. You need to be adaptable yet organized, patient yet timely, and understanding yet demanding. You need strong presentation skills that can successfully reach a wide variety of audiences. You need to be very good with data, including how to create opportunities to gather accurate data you can subsequently track and organize. You need time management and the ability to hold your hunger and bladder. You need the ability to be at your 100% A game each day, regardless of what is happening in your personal life. You need to be ready to be around (and responsible for) many other people each day without a moment to yourself. Teaching is a 180 day sprint with no real chance to relax until the summer hits. That type of endurance can’t be taught. You have the ability or you don’t.[/quote]

Lots of jobs have high turnover that don't require a high degree of skill.

I'm not saying teaching doesn't require skills-- clearly, you need to be skilled to be a good teacher, at least. But it is ridiculous to point to the 5 year turnover as a sign that few can do the job.[/quote]

It does illustrate how many *think* they can do the job and then realize what the job actually entails. Teaching does require a very high degree of skill, but you don’t really become fully aware of that until your first week in the classroom. Until then, it’s merely theory. I spent undergrad thinking I was walking into a fantastic job of 8-3 days playing with kiddos. I had no idea. None. [/quote]

Being able to do a job is different from being willing to do a job. And both are different from wanting to do a job. New teachers quitting simply implies they don't want to do the job. And that will be for a variety of reasons, many of which are unrelated to pay or ability. Increasing pay by 10-20% would capture some of the people that don't particularly want to do the job, but are willing to do it. However, at that point you're really just working on the margins.

And no, the unfortunate reality is that holding a teaching job does not require a high degree of skill. Being a good teacher does, but bad teachers can get by with minimal effort and skill provided they're willing and able to do just above the bare minimum. And they'll ultimately make just as much money as the highly skilled teachers.[/quote]

Here’s the thing: you are arguing with a GOOD teacher. I am the one with overflowing classes because parent move their teens over to me. I am a GOOD teacher because I possess the remarkable collection of skills necessary to move 140 students each year, helping them become stronger learners in tangible and intangible ways. I work absurd hours and I almost always have to put my own family second to the job. I NEVER complain in real life, but I come here (stupidly) to this anonymous board and read comments about how teachers lack skill, are bottom-barrel college graduates, and how they have it so easy. It’s all nonsense written by people who don’t have a clue how heavy the demands are on good teachers. I’ve spent the last decade watching good teachers say “forget this” and walk off to higher-paying jobs. I’m next. I’m out. It scares me because the other good teachers, the ones we all assume will be there for our own children, are also making plans to leave. All this useless bickering on DCUM illustrates that the strong teachers are justified in leaving. I have my own young kids, however, and I already see the classrooms being filled with literally anybody we can grab. Are we okay with that as a society? I guess so, reading the attacks on this thread.

You admit above that being a good teacher requires a high degree of skills, but then you say society should hold us down to the level of bad, phone-it-in teachers. That is the only type we’ll have left soon. [/quote]

I am sure you are a good teacher. I wish in general society paid more for these types of skills. But the fact remains that we don't. it IS NOT JUST TEACHERS and teachers have some great perks.[/quote]

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