Back-to-school thought: A Teacher’s Year, a C.E.O.’s Day: Pay Is Similar

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: A Teacher’s Year, a C.E.O.’s Day: The Pay’s Similar
By HUBERT B. HERRING
Published: September 3, 2006

....As a little back-to-school thought, let’s shift gears to a group of workers who earn pennies in comparison but who, it could be argued, play at least as vital a role in society. It is teachers, after all, who try to make sure that those captains of industry have educated workers.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, the state with the highest average pay for teachers in 2003-04 was Connecticut, at $56,516; the lowest was South Dakota, at $33,236.

Or look at it this way: Pick a corporate chieftain — say, Jeffrey R. Immelt of General Electric. He earns $15.4 million a year. Every single day — including Thanksgiving and Christmas — he makes almost what the average teacher does for a year of taming wild children, staying up nights planning lessons, and, really, helping to shape a generation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/business/yourmoney/03count.html

[maseman]

1. You are just being a liberal elitist

How could anyone want to threaten Democracy and capitalism with your defeatist, elitist, islamo-fascist anti-American hatred of 'Merica?

:sarcasm:

[DeepModem Mom]

3. What are teachers anyway, if not liberal elitists? (Sarcasm.) nt

[Eric J in MN]

7. Conservative David Brooks wrote an op-ed about the liberal elite and

...how Democrats are highly-paid professionals such as teachers.

Frank McCourt, author of "Angela's Ashes" and a former high school English teacher in NYC, wrote a letter-to-the-editor questioning the highly-paid part.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Thanks, Mr. McCourt! nt

[WindRavenX]

2. I'm going to be a HS bio teacher

I didn't do it for the money.

I LOVE teaching. I LOVE science.

But it's still sad that teachers are paid shit to do so much.

All I ask is to be able to live comfortably-- take care of those student loans that I had to take so I COULD BECOME a teacher in the first place, have a nice little house with doggies...

Ain't asking for a lot.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Thanks for your commitment to teaching our kids! nt

[maseman]

5. My wife

Will graduate next spring with her undergrad in music education. She's start at about $24,000 per year.

The good news is I have a good paying job so she doesn't necessarily NEED the money. But in all fairness if she goes to teach in a public school her job will be just as demanding or more demanding then my job which pays significantly more. It really is very lopsided and sad.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. $24K is SO not enough for her work. nt

[HockeyMom]

8. Daughter's Boyfriend is HS Earth Science Teacher in Queens

In his first year of teaching he made $48,000. Granted, he is half way through his Masters. My daughter will graduate this June with a BA in Childhood Education (grades 1-6) with a Minor in History and also plans to teach somewhere in NYC. She wants to get her Masters in Special Education. As a former Special Ed student herself, she wants to "give something back for what I received".

They are both planning to move to Nevada in a few years.

[WindRavenX]

10. nice to hear that

I'm probably going to be begin teaching in SLC, Utah-- starting pay for a science teacher is 29K. Of course, it isn't NEARLY as expensive to live in NYC :hi:

[HockeyMom]

11. Precisely WHY

they want to move to Nevada.

Good luck to you.

[Eric J in MN]

6. I'm surprised the NY Times published that.

It's the kind of article I've wanting them to publish for a long time.