average salary is 62K divided by 1552 hours (194 days) = 318/day divided by 8 hours = 40/hour. Actually more because teachers get personal days, as well. So, again, teachers why are you complaining? In a traditional office job this would be 80K/year. 40/hour is a decent wage even without COL!!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another example is our local catholic school. Almost all of their teachers are mothers who have children in the school or did have children in the school. At some point either before or after children, they got their teacher's license and then taught in the school once their children were older.

That's silly though. In my office, almost all the women are mothers who liked the job for its flexibility and telework options. Most women in any job are mothers, because most working women are mothers.

What are you trying to say? I'm trying to say that these mothers specifically chose teaching because it was near their children and worked with their children's school schedule. They chose not to go into other fields even if they had gone to college for something else.

Anonymous wrote:Another example is our local catholic school. Almost all of their teachers are mothers who have children in the school or did have children in the school. At some point either before or after children, they got their teacher's license and then taught in the school once their children were older.

That's silly though. In my office, almost all the women are mothers who liked the job for its flexibility and telework options. Most women in any job are mothers, because most working women are mothers.

Another example is our local catholic school. Almost all of their teachers are mothers who have children in the school or did have children in the school. At some point either before or after children, they got their teacher's license and then taught in the school once their children were older.

Anonymous wrote:

There are still many women who go into teaching as a job to help raise their own children. They leave after a few years or switch to even more part time positions. They have chosen the profession for it's part time status and you have to realize their needs as well. They can be good teachers, but are probably more interested in the working conditions than the salary raise every year.

This is happening less and less (the choice to teach because a person has children). Back in the day, you had the "old maid" schoolteacher or the nuns. It was not something you did when you had kids because it is hard to be in front of kids all day and then go home and deal with your own kids.

I don't know what gives you the idea that teaching is part time. It is very much full time (and more) for the "on" 10 months (typically work is taken home and teachers plan and correct on weekends). There are meetings and emails, etc. Yes, there is a summer break, but I would not characterize this job as one for "women who want to raise their children".

Perhaps not for the actual job, but the homeschooling forums are filled with people who got their teaching license or teachers who left their professions to teach their children. The teachers who end up staying for the long term though are not typically like this especially in the general ed classrooms.

And actually teachers in Finland are not paid higher than US teachers. They are just expected to go to college longer to gain more skills and as a result people have more expectations of them.

Finland is a socialist country. Health care is not deducted from the check. College is free. Retirement is assured. The pay cannot be compared.

There are still many women who go into teaching as a job to help raise their own children. They leave after a few years or switch to even more part time positions. They have chosen the profession for it's part time status and you have to realize their needs as well. They can be good teachers, but are probably more interested in the working conditions than the salary raise every year.

This is happening less and less (the choice to teach because a person has children). Back in the day, you had the "old maid" schoolteacher or the nuns. It was not something you did when you had kids because it is hard to be in front of kids all day and then go home and deal with your own kids.

I don't know what gives you the idea that teaching is part time. It is very much full time (and more) for the "on" 10 months (typically work is taken home and teachers plan and correct on weekends). There are meetings and emails, etc. Yes, there is a summer break, but I would not characterize this job as one for "women who want to raise their children".

And actually teachers in Finland are not paid higher than US teachers. They are just expected to go to college longer to gain more skills and as a result people have more expectations of them.

Anonymous wrote:Doctors get a lot of vacation time too. I would say that they get a lot more time off than teachers do.

I think this is part of our problem in America. In places with top-notch education systems (Finland, etc.), people equate teachers with doctors and lawyers. In our country, we equate teachers with nurses and police officers. We don't respect teachers. Which results in lots of people deciding that they don't want to be teachers.

Way to put down nurses and police officers. There are some professions in the US that are overpaid. I would not say doctors are overpaid, but certainly jobs in law, finance, and IT are overpaid for what they provide the community. There are still many other jobs that are a benefit to the community that are not paid as well as they should be or compared to the high paying fields. You've actually mentioned two of them. As teachers become more trained, they should be paid more, but throughout the 20th century in the US they haven't here and to change that overnight is not going to happen easily. There are still many women who go into teaching as a job to help raise their own children. They leave after a few years or switch to even more part time positions. They have chosen the profession for it's part time status and you have to realize their needs as well. They can be good teachers, but are probably more interested in the working conditions than the salary raise every year.

Doctors get a lot of vacation time too. I would say that they get a lot more time off than teachers do.

I think this is part of our problem in America. In places with top-notch education systems (Finland, etc.), people equate teachers with doctors and lawyers. In our country, we equate teachers with nurses and police officers. We don't respect teachers. Which results in lots of people deciding that they don't want to be teachers.

It is called "Unpaid Vacation" only for computing compensation in school districts. The salary benchmark is annual, not 194 days. Also, majority of school districts spread the pay over 12 months so that there is no break in pay. I agree FCPS salaries are on the lower end, especially when you factor in the COL in this area but let us state facts for what they are.

Anonymous wrote:

If it is so cushy then GO TEACH my dear. Put your money and time where your mouth is.

LOL! Taught for years. I do wish teachers got paid more, but let's be real. They do get a lot of vacation.

Oh really so why did you quit? Too much vacation?

Anonymous wrote:

What are these three month vacations people speak of?

School gets out LATE June and starts again late August or mere days into September. Plus, all teachers have mandatory work days before kids begin in the fall.

So by my count that's less than 2 months vacation. And seeing as how they're either only receiving checks for when they work or spreading out a thinner paycheck over 12 months, I don't think we can call it a "vacation" anymore than we can call weekends a vacation.

Once more:
The teacher contract is for 194 days. That is less than 39 weeks. 52 weeks in a year. That comes out to 13 weeks of vacation=3 months. All of it may not be in the summer, but, even discounting Christmas and Thanksgiving which everyone gets, that is still a lot of vacation.

11 of those weeks are unpaid vacation. Many teachers get separate jobs for the summer to be able to live on the salaries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If it is so cushy then GO TEACH my dear. Put your money and time where your mouth is.

Not so easy because HUNDREDS of applicants compete for every teaching job.

Which suggests those jobs aren't nearly as horrible, underpaid, and overworked as whiny teachers like to pretend they are.

HUNDREDS of applicants compete for every teaching job? Where is your proof of this wild claim?