The Teacher Salary

21 Comments

When you are comparing these hourly rates, please keep in mind that teachers are only paid for the hours that they have students present. We also have to spend time making up new lessons and grading-tasks that are rarely done during our normal 'business hours'.

This is really unbelievable. Yes, I am a teacher, on the top of the salary scale with 18 years experience. I have a masters degree and my plus 30. . . and I am barely feeding my family. Remember, if you are a teacher and living comfortably, you are probably single, or married to a spouse that makes good money. I am supporting my spouse and two children. We dont live lavishly, we struggle. We just went bankrupt and dont drive new cars. We managed our money well and never spent foolishly. My husband became disabled and we were forced to live on my income. I am working two jobs to make ends meet. Why is it that a college educated individual with a masters degree and more, can hardly live the American dream? And that dream is just supporting a family of four without financial stress. I wish America could see this. By the way, I just spend $450.00 on a class that I have to take to keep my teaching certidicate. Also, never compare a career that takes no education, to a career that takes an incredible amount of education.

Single and living comfortably? Yes, if I want a starter home, drive a Ford escort, eat mac and cheese, hamburger helper, and shop at Walmart , then I am living comfortably. My house payment, car payment, living expensives, insurance, etc. are just as expensive as yours. You are probably receiving government assistance and will continue so until your children graduate from college or turn 21. NO TEACHER IS PAID WELL--MARRIED, SINGLE , CURRENTLY TEACHING, OR RETIRED.

I don't see how any school teachers in the United States, or St. Louis,whether you single or married can live off of salaries like that, you all the respnonsibility that come with the jobs, You would have to love the children and the work! I am just amazed!

As a lifetime certificated high school teacher in Texas (with a doctorate), the highest salary in SY07-08 for Texas was for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district at 54K. However, there are very few openings! Moving to an "off-road system of North America" school district in Alaska pushed my salary up 20K. There are few people who can/will make the move to rural Alaska, but the need is great because the teacher-turnover rates are so high. The Law of Supply & Demand governs teacher salaries in Alaska. There are many openings here!

Oh, and don't worry about the cost-of-living in Alaska --unless you are teaching in one of the city schools. The COL for Fairbanks, Anchorage, etc are quite high. However, the COL for rural Alaska FOR TEACHERS is quite low as housing/utilities are provided cheaply to you.

Let's just hold on there a minute teachers. I've had this conversation before with teachers and it is always the same underpaid sob story. What is always missing is this: First of all nobody ever twisted anyone's arm to become a teacher ..... it was your choice so stop whining. Next, the average teacher works 180 to 190 days a year compared to 240 for the average private sector worker. Most states have the tax payer pick up most or all of the tab for health care, the best health care. In most states teachers are fully vested and can retire after no more than 30 years on the job (some places as little as 20) with retirement income 2 to 3 times higher than the average private sector worker gets from social security after putting in 40 to 45 years on the job. Don't get me wrong here. I appreciate teachers, I certainly wouldn't want to be one in today's schools, but on the other hand, I am tired of listening to the whining about how bad they have it. If apples are compared to apples ........ lets add in the shorter work days per year, add in the terrific benefit packages during their working years, add in the earlier retirement with extremely good retirement benefits and income ...... yes, lets add all that together and compare that to the average private sector worker ...... and let us not forget that once you become a teacher with a few years under your belt, tenure in your profession almost guarantees lifetime employment no matter how good or dismal your performance as a teacher is. Add all of that together and teachers have it better, way better than a comparable private sector worker. Stop your whining!

WOW! 40 years you seem to have it all figured out. I am not sure what century you are referring to when it comes to teacher working conditions and salary, but your outsider looking in summation is way off base. Have you missed the present education accountability movement? The security of the teaching profession is at risk EVERY single day. The push for EVERY American student to be academically proficient in less than 5 years from now has changed the game dramatically. Do you recall EVERY student in EVERY grade you were EVER in being proficient at everything? The BEST health care? Bwhahahahahahahahah! Is health care the best when your district chooses your insurer for you and there is only one choice? I would certainly like to know where the taxpayers pick up the tab for my family's insurance when 20% of my "on-paper" salary pays the premiums for my coverage. Shorter work days? Shorter work years? They only exist theoretically. On average I spend 11 hours a day in my classroom. During the summer break-I am in classes or some other form of professional development that usually leaves me with only a solid week or two of non-work related activity time. No where in your dissertation did you even mention the massive amounts of my own money that I must spend for my classroom in order to ensure that ALL of my students have a level playing field. So far this school year, I have spent over $500 and the second semester has not even begun yet. BTW I can only claim $250 of this expanse on my tax return. I have worked in the private sector and never had to purchase my own supplies, had my choice of 2 or 3 health care plans to choose from, I was able to choose my own retirement plans, and was even able to be reimbursed for tuition as I worked to improve my skills. Yes, I chose this profession. I chose it because rather than shoot random darts of perception at the front lines of the battle for our childrens' futures, I would rather commit to taking up arms and fighting for and with our children so that they may have a fighting chance at being able to build lives for themselves down the road. If you think teachers whine too much, I challenge you to go spend one week volunteering in a school in the largest urban district in your state.

Gr8teacher ....... you did a fine job of sidestepping all the points I made with accountability movement and what I can deduct off of my taxes and etc. Let me start this rebuttal with ..... quit your whining. This exactly proves my point, teachers are whiners. You sidestepped, you twisted, you spun, you misdirected ..... but what you did not do was directly disprove any of the points I made. 180 to 190 days a year .... that's what the average teacher is required to work ..... period. You are also not required to work 11 hours a day, if you do you choose to ..... good for you now quit your whining. And every American student becoming academically proficient at everything in five years ...... yeah right, let's talk real world here ..... that's not going to happen and we both know it so let's stay on topic shall we. This "on paper" salary you talk about ...... I really have no clue how your public employee union twists figures, but I can tell you this ..... I happen to live in Oregon, and I just so happen to pick up 100% of the insurance tab for our overworked teachers ...... they pick up 0%, and that's a fact. And this isn't any run of the mill insurance ..... average about $880. per month per school district employee. And what's this "theoretical" shorter work years. There's nothing theoretical about it. You work 20 to 30 years and you are fully vested and depending on your age and the state you live in can retire with an incredible package of income and benefits for life ..... that's a fact not theory. You just never hear about the waitress that works 5 or 6 days a week for minimum wages and tips whining like teachers. Or the guy picking up your trash early in the morning, or the guy banging his knuckles raw trying to keep your Honda Prius or Subaru Outback on the road. Or the nurses aid wiping your but when your 85 and in a cushy retirement or nursing home. These and millions of others ..... countless millions will never have the comfortable retirement you will have, and they don't whine. They don't threaten you with shutting down the schools and sending the kids home if they don't get their next union contract. They just go about their work every day for 40 or 50 years and then live on their meager social security checks and what they were able to squirrel away over their lifetimes. But they don't whine like teachers. And the worst part of all is that most of these millions of workers making your life comfortable for you with their taxes didn't even choose their professions like teachers. That's the way the real world works. Most of these people took a job out of necessity ..... the necessity of eating and a place to lay their head, and then time just takes it's toll and most real folks just continue doing what pays the bills. But they don't whine like teachers. You teachers on the other hand ...... why you chose to be teachers ...... so then why are you whining? Here's a little advice. Do your job or find another. If you think it's so hard being a teacher try trading places with a bartender for a while .... or a septic tank cleaner, or a waitress or fry cook. I seriously doubt that any of this will sink in, because I have known teachers, and like most "public employees" they see the world all skewed ...... from a "woe is me and somebody needs to take care of me" perspective. Last point: Get our children s grades and academic abilities up ...... at least as high as other developed nations ...... get back to teaching academic skills not "I have two daddies or Two mommies", leave the morality lessons to the parents, it's not your business ........ and stop your whining. .

41years, you are right. I waited tables, worked in retail, and sat behind a desk typing all day answering calls from unhappy customers to finance my education. It was MY choice to become a teacher and I knew what my salary was going to be. I experienced the long hours during my student teaching that were necessary to get the job finished although I was only "obligated" to work 8 each day. I absolutely LOVE my job. There is nothing else in the world I would rather do. I didn't take this job ever thinking I was going to become rich and the benefits for retirement and healthcare suit me just fine. Only having one option is much better than no option for coverage. A pension for retirement sounds great after putting in 30 years, better than social security if it still exists when I am in my 60's. While I do spend my own money on my classroom and students, it brings me joy to present to my class a wonderful lesson that I put my own time into developing. In this profession I have room to be creative, to reflect on my work and make adjustments, I am challenged to help each of my students and while I am also held accountable it does not stress me out. I know that some of my students will require extra help. I am fortunate enought to work in Georgia where tenure is a thing of the past as it should be. I am able to work along side professionals who love their teaching jobs and love their students and we all have one common goal. If someone does not like the pay, the benefits, the retirement, the extra time necessary to be a really great teacher, they should move on to a profession that compensates them for each hour they put in. I for one am thrilled to be a teacher and able to make a difference in the lives of children each day. Oh, I also teach children with Autism, so it isn't like I have an easy class and get to teach out of textbooks. I am required to make everything for my students so they are able to participate to their fullest potential.

I've read all your postings and can see the pros and cons of becoming a teacher. I was looking for advice concerning which Master's Degree I should pursue before retiring from the military. As much as I'd like to sit on the couch and arm-chair/coach football, my wife insists I get a job. I have a passion for teaching and want to teach in California. I'm about to graduate with a BA in History and want to teach History or Social Studies when I eventually retire. Any advise?

Gr8 teacher y (12/29/09) I teach in Florida. I spend countless hours in my classroom. Hours furthering my learning to better educate the youth of tomorrow. Not only am I trying to teach manners, respect, and be a good citizens. One day these generation of kids is going to be in charge of our nation. Has anyone ever tried to to reach one kid to do the right thing. Just because it is the right thing to do. And give instruction make sure a child succeeds in his or her own learning style and keep a portfolio. And try one's darnest to get parents involve in education, not pettiness? Do the data that the states are requiring to keep your job? Have high expectations of a student and the parents could care less. I do all this because I love to teach and inspire. Like you I have worked all the dead end jobs, taught adults, supervised adults only to find that their behaviors are often more irrational than children.

I agree, I'm tired of teachers whining for more and more. They're already paid more than the market can afford. Please, I'm sick of hearing how many hours they put in after they go home from their classes. The fact is, 1st that's your choice, and 2nd. Most don't and say they do. Come on, when papers need grading, teachers have their helpers (paid for also by the tax payers), they give them from one class to another to check, or now a days, they're graded by machines (computers). This is a seasonal job. No other job in AMERICA, is compensated so well for a seasonal job. Why do teachers get paid for annual leave? They're off all Summer, Weekends, 2 weeks for Christmas, and all the other Holidays. More time off than any other job in America for a very (IN MY OPINION) over paid baby sitting job. I don't know about other states, but in Fl., teachers are also given 10 other free days off to use as they wish. WHY? If they don't feel like coming into work, they just have to call and say their not coming in for the day. Plus they're furnished sooooo many aids, Again, WHY? Because teachers pawn off a lot of their work to the aids. These poor aids do A LOT of the teachers job and are paid a meager salary (a little above minimum wage), no paid Holidays, and then to protect this meager aid position, they make them also pay Union dues. The Average Teacher is paid, for their seasonal job, almost as much as what 2 family members have to work all year to make. There are 365 days in a year. Out of that 365 days, with all the time off teachers get, they may work approximately145 days out of the 185 day school year. COME ON, stop the whining. And yes, If I had the finances or opportunity given to the last 2 generations, I would have been a teacher. Beats working you A$$ of all year for less money, few days off, including Holidays, cushy air conditioned and heated class rooms, discounted prices for lunch, helpers (Aids), with meager class sizes, and the list goes on. I am too old now, but we had to learn in classes with 40 to 50 kids to the class, and we did. Look at most of the teachers today. Many, if not most have become so relaxed and lazy, they've gotten "big, fat, and over extended". If you don't like the job or you think you're under paid, GET OUT. And I don't believe in preference hiring. If you don't qualify, you don't qualify.

I would like to start off by saying that all of you bashing on teachers is ridiculous! If it werent for the hard working teachers of this country none of you would even have a computer to use. Yes, teachers may work a lot less then the "normal" worker does, but like all you keep saying is its your choice to be a teacher well it is your choice to not be a teacher. at some point you choose the profession that you are in. Teachers dont become teachers to get rich and live in a big house or drive fancy cars, they do it becausse they love the job of teaching. Someone said that teachers are over paid babysitters, wow i was amazed at this comment. If your kids where not in school being "baby sat" what would they be doing? So before you want to make comments like that think of the big picture. With out a high school school education and a college education in this country now of days it is almost impossible to find a decent job with out putting in the years of service. Also i read that after 20 30 years we get to retire and live comfortably well i am here to say that there are many jobs that people can retire after a lot shorter time. The problem is that everyone wants to live outside there means and have a lavish lifestyle. If we want to compl;ain about anything that has to do with money how about all of the actors and the sports figures in the world making millions that contribute nothing to making this country a better place

You're forgetting a few things Ridge ...... we are paying your salary and you are working for us ..... you are not paying our salary and we are not working for you. With that being said, we expect you to work hard, teach our kids well and stop your whining. You are overpaid as it is and every year you come back for more. And I am glad to see that you are comparing your self to actors and sports figures, you obviously do understand that your pay and benefits are closer to theirs than to ours .... the average taxpayer that is funding your lifestyle.

Here is my two cents. I am currently a student teacher the has been looking for job openings and I stumbled onto this site. It has provided a wealth of information, for which I thank the operators of this site. Now on to the topic at hand. 41years, if I am reading your comments correctly you point out how short our work days are and how short our work "season" is and a few other things. I will attempt to answer these as directly as I can. While you seem set in your opinion, I will provide mine. Remember I don't have experience with all of this, I'm just offering my input. Also note I'm not complaining, I'm not becoming a teacher expecting to become rich. I do it because its what I want to do and I can't see myself doing anything else. Short work hours- Yes we are in the classroom for a shorter time per day than a "normal" job. We do have after school activities to work with. In a smaller school (like the ones I would like to work at) teacher HAVE to be involved outside of the classroom. While I know they are compensated for the extra responsibility, a former teacher ran the numbers for the number of hours he spent compared to the "extra" income. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it wasn't much. I know another teacher that has had a week of not getting home till around 11PM at night due to a basketball tournament. He coaches the team because he wants to, but it begins to wear on you as well. Shorter work "season" Yes, we have fewer work days a year. Does this mean we have June July and August for vacation? In some cases yes. If money was managed wisely sure we can. Does this mean all will? No. I fully expect to find a short term temp job in a factory somewhere during the summer. Tenure From what I understand, you can be removed from a tenured position. Especially with some of the NCLB laws. I also point out is can be hard to get those consecutive years in one school. Some schools have a system for cutting costs. They hire band new teachers right out of school because we are cheaper. Right before we would receive tenure, we don't get our contracts back. The school then gets another brand new teacher to lower their costs. Yes it happens. I personally know people that have been through this, some several times. Retirement- I was unaware of the difference in retirement ages. However, I have been in a classroom only about a month, and I go home everyday (at 3:30 pm by the way...I don't have the after school activities to deal with yet.) TOTALLY physically and mentally exhausted. It wears more on a body than you think to be on your feet all day long. Mentally because you are on the spot the entire time. We are, in effect, on stage from 8 AM 3 PM five days a week. The lower retirement age I do believe reflects the higher burn out rate in teachers. Besides, I know teachers that have been teaching far beyond the lowest possible limit. They are the people that teach because its what they love to do, and are usually the best teachers too. I think I covered a good chunk of your comments. Again, you seem to have your opinions and I'm not bashing them, or trying to make excuses. I am simply trying to point out how I see the profession. Do we have perks? Yes. Are there drawbacks? Again, yes. Would I trade the reputation the teaching profession has for being "underpaid"? No I would not. Frankly if people thought they could make big bucks teaching, they would become teachers just for the money. This is not the mind set we need in our nation's teachers. I would prefer to staff our classrooms with people who genuinely care about educating the youth of our country and are willing to be paid a little less. There are enough bad teachers out there as it is (I have had several), we don't need to attract more by offering a large paycheck.

41,000 years...your comments make me sick...first off if you think teachers make way more than you, and its so easy and stress free, why don't you go to school and become a teacher? Or, you can shut your mouth and stop complaining! You seem to say everyone here is whining, but you seem to be whining the most. You are also completely clueless. No one is whining about teacher salaries going up so they can be rich, but people that work as teachers still need to make a salary that pays enough to support a family and live comfortably. And if you are not going to pay people an affordable salary to take on the responsibilities of a teacher, then teachers should just be babysitters and nothing more. We can just stop requiring people to get teaching degrees and hire all the kids from BK and MacDonald's to babysit your kids. Then we can lower teaching salaries to minimum wage. Is that what you want? All this nonsense of we work for you because you pay taxes? Guess what pal, last time I checked, I'm pretty damn sure I paid taxes too. So I guess according to your logic that makes me my own boss. I was a New York City teacher for only one year. I could not survive on the salary, even with a second job (I drove a garbage truck during the summer). So now I work for the Long Island Railroad as an Engineer. I made more my first year than a 20 year teaching veteran. Yet people are complaining about teacher's pay? People need to eat, including teachers end of story. I'm a qualified teacher 40 years, and I'm a very good hardworking teacher. But I'm not a teacher anymore because I can't support my family. Don't you want people that are committed and hardworking to teach your kids? I can guarantee your kid a great education if I'm teaching, because I know the effort I put in. But how do you expect me to do it, if you can't pay me enough to live? Why are you on this site anyway? It's for teachers in case you didn't know. But you probably didn't realize because your so ignorant from being taught by people from BK and MacDonald's because it was more important to cut salaries and lose quality teachers than paying some guy a halfway decent wage to give you a great education. Anyway, who here teaches in Florida? Can you live off the pay with two kids, and a wife that works? Palm Beach County is actively recruiting me. I just wanted to know what its like. Any thoughts?

Many people of years gone by had no choice of a profession. They were not given all the freebies and preference moneys available back in their day to get an education . As for actors and sports figures, they're not paid for with the tax dollar. They are paid by the private market of supply and demand, and what the people are willing or can afford to pay. Teachers are paid more than the market can afford. Yes, many jobs today require a high school diploma, some college, or a college degree to get a decent job, but one doesn't need these to get rich, or have a decent salary. Most rich people have, are, or were drop outs, only a high school diploma or some college. It all depends on ones drive or ideas on how to get what one needs or wants in this life. Yes, it is the American Tax payer that pays teachers salaries, and yes, we are their boss. But because of tenure and teachers unions, they tell us what they want and what to do. Ever been to a PTA. They NEVER, or rarely, listen to the parents. The teachers control the whole thing. They need to get rid of the "P", and call it the "TA" (Teachers Assoc.), cause unless your a suck up parent, out for their own gain, for their little precious, they don't care what any of the other parents feed back is. Parents have VERY LITTLE say today in what is taught our children. There is also A VERY LOT OF WASTE in our schools today. Toooo many chiefs, figure heads, and we need to ELIMINATE the "DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION". that Jimmy Carter put in during his term a President. What a waste of tax payers dollars. Get rid of just that and there's a large portion of moneys that can be given to the GOOD TEACHERS. If a teacher has tenure, and there is a good case for firing them, it takes up to 2 years to get rid of that bad teacher. In my experience, since it is so costly for the process to fire that bad teacher, the school system, most all the time, just shifts the bad teacher around till they retire, then that bad teacher gets to retire and live off the tax payer till their demise. This would not be tolerated in the private sector. I'd estimate, at least 50% of our teachers aren't worth a plug nickle. We need to privatize all schools, and let them be paid what the market will bear. Of course, the good, and best ones will be paid the most, and the rest will have to work toward being better teachers or get out. Just ask many of the students, they know which teachers are good and which are down right lazy. Even our news paper had an article last year asking "WHY DO TEACHERS GIVE SO MUCH MAKE WORK, instead of teaching. That's so many of them can stay seated in their cushy chair and not get up to do their job and teach. That's why sooo many of them have become BIG, FAT, AND OVEREXTENDED. As for standing, most don't know what truly standing long hours is. Try doing jobs that do require standing for 8 or more hours a day, and no leaning on ANYTHING, for decent or even menial wages. Yes, there are many good teachers, but because of tenure, our system keeps toooo many bad ones. Not like the very good teachers out there, most all the bad ones ARE there because of all the time off they get, holidays, all summer, weekends, benefits, etc. Seasonal job with great benefits, while most Americans have to work ALL YEAR long, with very little, or no time off and no benefits. Remember, there is 365 days in a year. A school year is only 185 days, with annual time off, holidays off, no weekends, 10 free days to just call and say they don't feel like working a particular day, and everything else. An average working year, for teachers, is around 140 days, more or less. Sounds great to me. Wish I had all the freebies and free moneys available when I was young, and new then what I know now. Yes, I'd of become a teacher, AND A VERY GOOD ONE. I'd of also had all that time off, like they get, to be with their families. When I was in school, there was anywhere from 40 to 50 students per class, and no air conditioning, just big roof fans and we had to open window for air. Yet, with this many per class, we were able to learn. No special preference for all the special needs children. They learned with the help from other students, not from some over paid specialist. Isn't it funny how the older generations read, write, and spell better than these last few generations, with all the benefits and much smaller class sizes. That was a generation of devoted and very good teachers. And yes, there were some bad ones, but not like the bad ones of today. As for "jdbishop6", you, and most all teachers don't pay near the amount in property taxes required of what is demanded and legally stolen from the tax payer. I guarantee, I pay anywhere from 5 to 10 times a year more in property taxes, than the average person, including you. I have no say in how much they bleed me for. There is no where in our CONSTITUTION that says ANYONE is owed an education, yet our wasteful government has made it mandatory. MORE THEFT without the vote of the people. I'm sick of preference too. Like the special needs children, that will NEVER,EVER, be able to use or be able to be educated because of their handy caps. This system hires some exorbitantly over paid specialist to basically BABY SIT these children, all day, with the help of a helper, who does most and all the work for them, for a menial salary. WHYYYYY? Those poor children should be home with the parent that had them. If that parent wants some free time away from the child, it would be cheaper for the tax payer to provide a qualified baby sitter 1 or 2 days a week. Also, it doesn't take a college degree to teach children, as "60 MINUTES" proved several years ago on one of their specials. Just someone that really has the love of, IS NOT BORING, wants to teach. Get rid of all the bad teachers, tenure, The DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, all freebies, and all the other unnecessary things the tax payer is forced to pay for, and there will be plenty of moneys left for good teachers. We need to privatize. They don't have these problems in private schools. As a matter a fact, if one comes from a private school, colleges are more inclined to accept a student from the private school than from our so called public schools. That should tell one something right there. Public schools are inferior. This is not an attack on the good teachers out there. You know who you are, and so do your students. It's for the ones who know they're using the system, too lazy to do their job, are BORING the kids to death instead of trying to make the subjects interesting, are afraid of rebuttal from a student that may think differently, always wanting the students to be seen and not heard, and the list goes on and on. Those teachers know who they are and need to stop and think, What would I like my teacher to be like if I was still in school. Just this one area would make for improvement on a becoming a good teacher.

"As for "jdbishop6", you, and most all teachers don't pay near the amount in property taxes required of what is demanded and legally stolen from the tax payer." " I pay anywhere from 5 to 10 times a year more in property taxes, than the average person, including you." What are you smoking? How do you figure you pay more property taxes than me? I pay $10,000 a year on property tax in Long Island. How much do you pay? I'm not a teacher anymore but when I was I definitely didn't get any tax breaks, so whatever state your from where they do, I'd love to move there. And I can guarantee if you privatize all schools you will be paying at least double what you pay now. Go look at the prices for any Catholic school if you don't think so.

Sorry, but you need to look at statistics. Our Public School system charges 3 times and more per student, per year than the private schools, Catholic included. The private schools also give a better education, and get higher test scores than public schools. Why do you think colleges accept students with high test scores from private schools before they do from public schools? Long Island, "WOW", must be nice. And yes, this sorry tax and spend government soaks me for almost $60,000. in property taxes a year to pay to educated others children, and then to top it all off, I get to also pay full price for my children. I say, if you can't afford them, don't have or educate them on my buck. You ever hear the story of the "Grass hopper and the Ant"? Well, I'm one of those ants, that started with NOTHING, and this government penalizes the productive and rewards the non- productive. In my state, over 50% of child births are paid for through MEDICAID (Welfare). If these people can't afford to pay for the kids they bring into this world, where do all the teachers think the money is going to come from? I surely didn't have the pleasure, as many others, of producing all those little PARASITES. So why should the rest of us have to pay for them? I say "NIP IT IN THE BUD". Any one that produces children they can't afford, fix them after the 2nd. one. Also, NO FREE EDUCATION FOR ILLEGALS, and no freebies for preference anything. So sorry, if one can't afford it, someone has to do the dirty work. If this were to happen, there would be a huge over abundance of teachers. Then all those extra teachers would have to get out and get a real job. Find out what it's like to have to really work for a living. Get out of those cushy air conditioned class rooms and work ALL YEAR for their salaries as the majority of us have to do.

New to the site and here is my story, I just retired from the Air Force with 20 years and I had an office job for the whole time. I did teach as an AF training instructor (not drill instructor) teaching the office duties such as working PCs and reports in an office environment. I was able to complete my BS in Graphic Design months before I left. Now the job market for a brand new designer is extremely low for a family of 7 to live on. So I had to look for jobs in the Personnel/HR/Office type of work since that was my strong point. I searched high and low and saw that many jobs started off in the low/mid 30Ks, even civilian government jobs; anything higher and I was automatically considered not qualified. One thing I did notice was the number of vacation days all the jobs offered; from 14 – 20 days a year, 25 days after 5 – 10 employment. That was an eye opener since the military automatically gives 30 days a year. My wife kept asking me about teaching since I did enjoy teaching in the AF but I kept saying no since they have “low” pay and I was still looking for something comparable to my recent active duty pay about upper 40Ks. After two months of being shot down with either no reply back or the typical not qualified, I told my wife that teaching would work only if she went back to work also (she used to be an English teacher and counselor); that very least we would make low 60Ks together plus my military retirement would bring the family income to mid 70Ks. So with that amount really got my attention, not to mention all the time off they get. Military Veterans have a program called Troops to Teachers where veterans with a bachelors degree could become school teachers and in most cases start off as a 5th year teacher with pay and seniority. I applied and got approved to teach Art Education (cause of my degree) but the problem was that it was November and hiring would not start till summer. I still had a family to support so recently I had to accept an office job out of state. Now my wife is looking to get her certificate adjust to our new home state and I will be looking to follow up with the Troops to Teachers program here in the new future since summer is coming up. So my final comment is that being in the military and traveling allot, I have learned to cherish family time over the extra pay. So taking lower pay job and being off the same time as my kids has a bigger reward than those high paying, overtime, 2 weeks off a year jobs. I have heard all the pros and cons about being a teacher but I still look forward to it especially doing something I enjoy teaching and art.