PFRDA

Do teachers have it easy?

Im a new college professor. Most teachers expect way too much sympathy. They want you to think they have tough jobs, and are underpaid. But I gotta say, I love this job. It's super easy. A huge amount of time off. Get full time income for part time work. I know there's a big difference between college teaching and grade school teaching, however. A grade school or high school teacher has to babysit misbehaved students, and keep them captive like prisoners. In college, behavior is not an issue because: 1. They are adults 2. attendance is optional But nonetheless.......teachers as a whole do have easy jobs. They also get great pay. Huge pensions, almost-free health insurance.....they start at 45k or so (with a master's) and as they gain experience they get up to 60k 70k. The pension system allows them to retire fairly young. Many teachers claim to work 40 hours per week because they do "lesson planning" form home. The truth is, they decide how much time they devote to lesson planning. And working from home is very comfortable! Hey if a teacher complains about being underpaid......tell them to get a summer job. Work 12 months a year like most people do and then they will get paid more.

Public Comments

1. No.
2. I would take the opposite viewpoint. I think teachers in general have it harder. I'm thinking more of the primary and secondary teachers though. You need a lot of education and make less than other fields with similar levels of education. Legislators seem to always target education when funds are low, making it a huge burden at times to keep and find jobs. I'm jobless right now and I have a credential. You're right about babysitting. And while you're doing this, you have other responsibilities and tests to measure the students' performances. It's pretty stressful. I can't imagine how it is for professors but that's what I'm hoping to do. I'm glad you're content and I wish you the best.
3. Given your statements, I have my doubts you actually teach... I actually think its just an excuse to spout views you have of teachers you know nothing about. I'm a teacher I spend 12 hours a day in the classroom easily, planning, teaching, taking care of kids who are out of control, decorating the classroom, setting up courses, setting up lesson materials, pre-reading all materials to pick what I'm going to use because there isn't time to teach it all, or make sure nothing is in a book that will get me in trouble because they aren't adults... AND THEN I get to work the 40 hours at home and I don't get summers off either, most schools have gone year round and the time you don't spend in the classroom is spent doing training seminars or preps and 45K? First year I made 28k, and that's in vegas, with a master's it goes up to 36k, and it doesn't scale as well as you claim by far.... Believe me, there's NOTHING easy about being a teacher oh plus, a college teacher doesn't have to worry about crazed parents constantly in the classroom going nuts either, teachers should get a bonus for that too....
4. um, i disagree with your assertion that we get almost-free health care. Health care takes almost1/4 of my paycheck-taxes take another 1/4. I work in grade school so my experiences are different from yours. Except for your misrepresentation on health insurance and your failure to understand what it takes to educate, babysit, parent, care for, and nurture 20-30 10yr olds for 8hrs a day 5 days a week, while dealing with parents who do not value education (as well as their kids) you're right about the job being fairly easy. Oh, I almost forgot all the new NCLB regs that go into effect almost every other day-yeah those are no sweat (please note sarcasm there