Should Teachers Make $60,000 a Year?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2011/09/02 19:00:00

Related Topics: Teacher, Salary, Education, Author, Tiger Woods, Work, Teachers, Class, True, Year, Proposal

1,189 votes
Read all 1,874 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Yes	742 votes	62%
	No	267 votes	22%
	Undecided	180 votes	15%

We’re not sure why this is even up for debate in the modern world. But there are people out there who disagree with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s proposal to give a significant pay hike to teachers.

Now class, before we begin, let’s put the topic in perspective.

Golfer Tiger Woods made over $62 million this year. In 2010 actor Johnny Depp earned $75 million. And in a twelve-month period ending this past April, author James Patterson took in $84 million.

Granted, they are all highly entertaining individuals. True, each is truly skilled in their given craft. But is the work they’re doing making a significant contribution to the future of society?

Now let’s look at teachers.

They spend their days molding young minds. Not only are they instructing them on the necessary topics of reading, writing and arithmetic, but the good ones are also helping shape attitudes and behaviors. How can a higher value not be put on that?

Duncan’s suggesting that teachers get a starting salary of $60,000 with a chance to earn up to $150,000 a year. Right now, the average salary is closer to $52,000. True there’s no guarantee that a higher paid teacher means a better teacher. But it certainly seems like the right group of employees to take a risk on. Surely Tiger, Johnny and James would agree?

What about you? Do you think teachers should make $60,000 a year?

Want to know the dirty details on how people voted? Check out SodaHead's Deep Dive infographic for more info on voting demographics.

+48

Add a comment above

lulzifer 2011/09/02 20:04:35

Yes

+27
Back in the old days, the profession of teacher commanded utmost respect.
Today people see teachers lower than garbage collectors. It is a travesty.
>> See Replies

More polls by SodaHead Living

Terran Sherwood 2011/10/14 14:23:22

Yes

+1
Both of my parents and loads of my friends are teachers, and it is pitifully sad how much they get paid even though they are one of if not debatably THE most important occupation in the country. Say what you will about Presidents and Doctors, but where would we be without those who mold our minds so the rest can rise to and successfully continue those professions?

reply
cuteri97 2011/10/06 20:07:02

Yes

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage.That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school.
That would be $19.50 a day (..................7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).
Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's
$19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!!
I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE....
That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour.
That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.
Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/...

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage.That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school.
That would be $19.50 a day (..................7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).
Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's
$19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!!
I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE....
That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour.
That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.
Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!)WHAT A DEAL!!!!
Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators.
(more)

reply
shindogg 2011/10/04 04:42:14
SortingFictionfromTruth 2011/09/28 00:07:22

Yes

IF YOU SAY NO to this, try just one day as a teacher and I promise you, you'll change your mind.

reply
Koshka 2011/09/26 13:20:00

Yes

+1
YES!!!!! They are the people that spouse to impact children's lives. . . They should be respected, they should not be laid off, they should be paid well to be motivated to teach!!! >.<

reply
Wren 2011/09/22 04:55:27

Yes

+1
Sure some teachers suck so much that they could be the black holes at the center of the galaxy but some are so good that they're worth their weight in gold.

reply
poopoo 2011/09/20 13:09:44

Undecided

Either abolish the union, or actually work in some accountability, and then sure. Otherwise, the best of the bunch will continue to be weighed down by the worst, and that average probably should be around 50k a year.

If all teachers had to at least TRY to do a good job, then I'd say even 70 would be too low.

reply
lexiluvsjonasbrothers 2011/09/20 02:09:56

Yes

+1
They pratically babysit us..keep as straight as possible and provide the best education as possible

reply
dlsofsetx 2011/09/16 00:01:03

No

Most of the teachers I had were obnoxious louts who didn't deserve a plug nickel a year.

reply
wpsark_BN_0 2011/09/15 19:28:55

Yes

+3
But they must earn it......Teaching is a hard job, I get that but it's not right that some teachers do nothing and are lazy (i've had teachers like that btw) while other teachers work their asses off while getting the same wage as the lazy, apathetic teachers... it should be up to the local school boards to decide what they want to pay their teachers, not the fed gov't. The administrators should not be making 6 figures either, NO one in the public sector should make six figures, period...$60k is not enough in some areas of the country, like CA for instance but $60k would be appropriate in AR while $50k might be appropriate in OK or MS...That's why it can't be just a set amount like $60k..

reply
Groundskeeper Willy 2011/09/14 15:24:21

Undecided

+2
With Caveat. They must leave the Union, and they must be accountable.

reply
iamthemob ~ the 444th Guru ~ 2011/09/14 11:04:02

Yes

+2
The issue is not how much, but how to ensure that the people earning that much are the right people.

reply
seasba 2011/09/12 14:07:52

Yes

+2
We need some incentive to get smart people to teach kids.

reply
Lee The Hybrid Snowflake 2011/09/12 14:00:24

Yes

+1
It's the administrators that need a pay cut and the slimy union leaders but I think teachers deserve a good salary.

reply
thegaln... to Lee The... 2011/09/17 05:51:30

+1
good points....

reply
misha 2011/09/12 10:33:39

Yes

yes

reply
Andrew 2011/09/10 23:25:18

Yes

Yes, they deseerve good pay and respect.

reply
Singerar 2011/09/10 18:23:31

Yes

+1
If you have never spent a whole day shadowing a teacher you should.
Imagine being ONE in a room of thirty, never knowing what that thirty is going to do. It's your job to not only teach them, but to wrangle them, keep them focused, keep them busy and make sure they've digested all they need to know to pass the year.

The stress level on teachers, especially those who are barely making it by financially, is extremely high. They do it because they love it. You'd have to love it to stay in. Yes, there are a "few" rotten eggs out there but most of the ones I've dealt with are dedicated.

Also, understand that with the budget cuts, teachers are now forced to purchase some of their supplies with their own money if they want to do more for their kids. For a teachers present every year, we give them a gift card instead of a gift. They can do what they wish with it.

If teachers had a higher pay scale, it would take help them out tremendously. Not just anyone can teach, and teach well! They deserve every penny, especially if they are producing results.

reply
SC to Singerar 2011/09/11 22:28:59

Well said, trouble is there are a great many people who have no idea what it takes to be a teacher, no idea of ongoing education teachers must do just to keep their jobs. They are jealous because they do not make much money, which would probably not be the case had they paid attention in school. I made a similar comment to yours in answer to another sodahead question and the person who replied kept on replying that she had relatives who bragged about how easy and how little work they did as teachers.

I did not know what to make of those comments then and I still have trouble believing them , but I cannot help thinking that there must be many who believe this sort of thing as there is so much effort being put into reducing teacher salaries. Maybe 60 to 150K is to much money in this economy, but teachers must start out at at least enough money to pay college loans, so maybe starting at 40k and an upper salary of 120K would be more in line.

reply
Singerar to SC 2011/09/11 23:33:28

Your instincts are right! If a teacher is bragging about how easy their job is, they are not truly teaching. They are just showing up and like you said in your first sentence...they have no idea what it takes to be a GOOD teacher. Unfortunately, there are some of those unqualified teachers out there. I DO however think there should be a better testing program for teachers alone. There are now so many great teachers out of work because of the budget cuts (at least here in CA) but the ones who had tenure, and were burnt out, were the ones who kept their jobs. The hungry teachers who are learning new techniques and ready to go....can't find work.

It's really sad.

reply
jankantius to SC 2011/09/13 03:13:15

+1
Yes, I have known a few teachers who said that when the bell rang they never gave it another thought. Most of those however came from entitled families and just chose it as an easy career with lots of time off. Haven't met many of those lately. Before I retired I pretty regularly hung out till 6, 7, 8 or occasionally 10 pm. And I noted that at 6 or 7, there were still loads of people in the building... many claiming that they were just slow workers. The best teachers do not regularly praise themselves... they just put in the time they feel is required to effectively do their jobs. I have two masters degrees, and when I retired I was making 75 K... Which other professions can you have double masters and still be making 75K after 38 years of service? My undergrad degree had a triple major, psychology, history, and education. I started my graduate studies at Columbia. I can freehand draw a map of the globe and name most of the countries on it, ... and also comment on their political and economic histories. But I was making less money than a lot of the guys that drive the garbage trucks. Bad career choice? Not for me... I had the luxury of doing something I seriously enjoyed... But... hmmm I also knew a kid who enjoyed his job too... driving the garbage truck... and he made more money than I did. He was always late for school, because he liked walking behind the garbage truck.

reply
thegaln... to jankantius 2011/09/17 05:59:19

true... when I taught I left the house about 7am and returned sometimes around 8pm tutoring my daughter in her homework while I made her some supper and then collapsed in bed about midnight only to be on the road at 7am again. I was itinerant and traveled up to 3 hours one way to see a needy child. When I got home I had to gather creative materials for the next day and then start all over. If it snowed in my home district and there was no school in my district I was still expected to be at the school that was open three hours away on a good day. And I quit after 10 years -- my salary was $30 grand.

reply
SC to jankantius 2011/09/20 20:38:49

Too bad that some folks who have nowhere near your education will begrudge you your well earned salary and I hope your state has a decent pension program,

good story about garbage guy. -it gives one pause.

reply
thegaln... to Singerar 2011/09/17 05:53:26

I agree with you but you have to also realise that that teacher is facing kids whose parents are truly barely making it, many of them on minimum wage jobs and/or public assistance and the salary the teacher is getting is big compared to many in the community, who by the way, is paying their salaries.

reply
Singerar to thegaln... 2011/09/17 13:36:53

I applaud you for all the work you've done. I wish you and others like you had been paid what you were worth. In my life, it was teachers who molded me, trained me and helped me overcome my fear of obstacles to persevere. My son is now on that road and LOVES his teachers. Of course my husband and I are there for him every day but he's getting a lot of passion for his studies in class. I feel blessed for what he's been given at school. Some kids HATE it but my child has those teachers who "show up" every day, ready to fill their minds. I'm just wondering if there's a better way for States and communities to support these teachers better? I feel they are the backbone of our nation. Thank you again .....

reply
thegaln... to Singerar 2011/09/18 02:18:37

Your son is a winner and will be a winner because you're behind him and making him perform/learn. Keep encouraging him and showing him that learning is important.

reply
Eric 2011/09/10 04:41:51

Yes

+2
We certainly spend enough in the US to pay all good teachers $60K/yr. US spends c. 75% more on education, per GNP, than Japan, as well as more than Germany, Australia, and the average in the developed countries.
The problem seems to be that we either spend too much on administrators or too much on teacher benefits. That money is going someplace. Perhaps teachers can help by getting districts to cut back on administrators.
http://www.oecd.org/document/...
Indicator 5B.

reply
dragon88 2011/09/10 01:26:08

Undecided

+1
The amount they make should be determined by how well they teach.

reply
SC to dragon88 2011/09/11 22:32:52

Sure great idea, but not so simple to implement. Almost any grading system for teachers would quickly turn political and without tenure teachers would always be afraid to teach students to actually think. The current political polarization in USA does not help matters.

reply
jankantius to SC 2011/09/13 03:18:27

You sure have that right! Teachers are primarily judged by how they adhere to to the talking points of the current administration. Anyone actually attempting to teach is simply looking for trouble.

reply
TorturedSoul4Life 2011/09/09 23:12:18

Yes

+2
Do you know how horrid children act these days? It's not just the kids that teachers have to put up with either. Some of the parents are absolutely insidious too!

reply
jankantius to Torture... 2011/09/13 03:21:47

+1
Those parents are many, and varied... some are soccer moms seeking an advantage for their precious... Others figure that any mention of their kids abusive tendencies are just racist.

reply
RobinStradley 2011/09/09 08:40:59

Yes

+1
I think teachers should make as much as humanly possible, especially the good ones. Nobody would be able to do a highly specialized job such as a doctor, scientist, engineer, etc., without teachers showing them how to do their job. Teachers create futures for all of us, our children, and any future generations to come. Without teachers none of us would be what we are today. Everybody has at least one teacher that sticks out in their mind as making a huge impact on the way we see the world and the people we've become, even if we were homeschooled by our parents. I personally think teachers should be one of the highest paid professions in the world. All these actors that are pulling down $20 million a movie? A teacher taught them how to read otherwise they wouldn't know their lines...

reply
Richy to RobinSt... 2011/09/10 01:28:18

Again, if you don't like your job, change occupations but stop bothering everyone else.

reply
RobinSt... to Richy 2012/03/07 16:44:43

And P.S., you seem to think I am personally a teacher, which I am not, and secondly I am guessing you're a Communist seeing as your ideals have a touch of red on them. Not saying it's a bad thing, it's just an observation.

reply
Richy to RobinSt... 2012/05/13 05:42:37

Nope not a commi, just telling the truth, I admire teachers, as well as every hard working American in this country, I heard teachers talking one time in High School about how much money factory workers made next door to the school, I spoke up even at 17, Those factory workers did not have a controlledair-conditioning they worked in nasty hot conditions when they got off work they walked out tired and drenched with sweat , not laughing and clean, they didn't get 2 months off to rest paid and so does not millions of Americans. Everyone's Job is important even the guys at the garbage dump.No it's communist to think someone owes you, no one owes nothing people owe it to themselves if they want to change, I seen a sign it said, Life is like a remote it's up to the person holding it to make a change.

reply
RobinSt... to Richy 2012/03/07 16:55:56

Um excuse me? When did I say I didn't like my job? And who the f**k am I bothering? YOU replied to MY post don't forget! I'm failing to see why you seem to be taking my comments offensive. I am simply saying I feel teachers do an important job and should make a good living off of it accordingly, appropriately, and rightfully so. I said nothing about my own job nor said anything I feel could have been taken as "bothering" somebody.

reply
Richy to RobinSt... 2012/05/13 05:44:22

LOL, you used an almost bad word, big girl now are we...... no feelings hurt. Have a great day.

reply
Richy to RobinSt... 2011/09/12 17:59:17

Teachers get paid." It wasn't for free that they taught students.
In the "REAL WORLD" either you do your job the best you can or get canned.
Another replied, well teachers love teaching, well if you "LOVE" teaching than money shouldn't be the issue.like everyone , its greed plain and simple.

Go do some factory work, you'll be back teaching real soon and be happy with the current pay.

reply
RobinSt... to Richy 2012/02/25 13:39:30

I agree with u that if u don't like ur job, find another one. The main example that sticks out in my mind is DMV workers or anyone that works for a federal place; IRS, post office, etc. Everyone has at least one story of someone working at one of those places being rude to them. And yes, teachers should teach because they love teaching, as everyone should with their profession, I was just saying I feel teachers are extremely important and should get paid well. As factory workers should too. That's hard work.

reply