Here are some interesting statistics:
Basketball player: Average $2.2 million; Minimum $220,000
Baseball player: Average $1.37 million; Minimum $109,000
Hockey player: Average $892,000; Minimum $125,000
Football player: Average $795,000; Minimum $131,000
Classroom Teacher: $38,000 average
Firefighter: $40,000 average
Policeman: $29,000 starting
Although I feel the policemen and firemen are extremely important, it was my discussion this afternoon with a friend of mine that is sitting heavily on my soul. I had lunch today with a friend that I will call John. John is a high school teacher. His career choice alone places him high on my list of people to admire. Either he is a really good person, or, he is a raving lunatic and I shall continue to smile and nod when I see him so as to not upset the voices in his head – either way, that career path is not an easy one to take.
In listening to him recount his some of his daily activities, I am truly forced to ponder the questions, “Why?”
Why would someone want this chagrin?
Why would someone put themselves in that situation? 90% of all high school teachers are assaulted, either physically or verbally, during their career.
What do they get out of it? It definitely isn’t the money. It must be the sense of accomplishment in seeing the little light bulbs click when they get through. The look on the face of a child when they have an epiphany in a subject which may be a personal demon, be it readin’, ‘ritin’, or ‘rithmetic. But more and more the role of our teachers is one of counsellor, psychologist, and conflict negotiator.
And for this multi-faceted role we give them a whole $38,000. Well, what more do they expect? They get the whole summer off, right? Doesn’t matter that they spend 50-60 hours a week for the other 10 months preparing for courses, teaching the courses, and then correcting homework, exams, and tests. Those two months off in the summer make up for it. Not to mention that they don’t actually get two full months off during the summer – but we can call it that. Hell, let’s face it. It isn’t like they fulfil an important role like a baseball player.
Why is it that we continue to pay admission prices to see these overpriced athletes play freaking games? Don’t blame them. If someone paid me $2 million to do my job I would take it. The problem is us. The people who wonder why the schools are always asking for money – “Doesn’t the government give them all that they need?” – while we support this stupidity by watching or attending professional sporting events.
Supply and demand? Bullshit. There is more demand for teachers than athletes. Imagine what would happen if for the next 10 years there was not one teacher and compare that to the outcome of 10 years without a professional athlete. Yeah, so where is the real demand? For some reason we feel that there is a right to quality education and that we shouldn’t reward those that provide the service with a reasonable wage while the luxury of professional sports deserves some outrageous amount of money.
Special ability? Bullshit. I would like to see any of these grid iron killers spend 10 months, 5 days a week, 6 hours a day in a room with 30 teens, 10 of them who have emotional issues, 10 that have learning issues, and try to teach them a full year’s curriculum. The fact that my friend John still seems normal (or at least as normal as he ever has been) is a sign of special ability. Engaging a child to reach the apex of their potential while trying to weave through the issues of drugs, sex, low self esteem, and family problems without ever losing it – now that is a sign of a special ability.
What message to we give to society and our children when we dish out $250+ for two tickets to a hockey game, parking 2 beers and 2 hot dogs, and then grumble, “because the damned school is begging for money again” when they ask for funds to fund a new library, computer lab, or drama program?
Are there some truly gifted athletes? Yep. Are there some truly gifted teachers? Yep. When you consider the number of kids a teacher will help/influence in a year versus the number of great plays an athlete will make, is the salary discrepancy really where it should be? If we can’t afford, as a society, to pay teaches $110,000 starting can we really afford the athletes? Think about it.
Timmy out.
Tags: Education, Government Oversight, Professional Sports, Stupidity, Teaching
Timmy, I’m with you 100% with the following comments. How many teachers can the average high school graduate name 10 years after graduating? Does that mean, A. we didn’t really learn much about memory retention. B. The vast majority of teachers we had just didn’t have that great an impact on our lives. I can for my part name 3 teachers i had in high school and that i currently (more then 25 years after graduating..yikes) remember. I an in agreement that we certainly as as ociety have our priorities and our wallets seriously backwards…on the other hand i would be all for having teachers get paid exactly what they deserve and it certainly isn’t 38K. The right way to go about that is insisting that our government reps’ God bless their incompetent souls put into place a serious pay structure based on the following. 1. Better the grades overall of your students the more you get paid. 2. The better the grades for the overall school you teach in the more you get paid (that way no one really gets to ride the coat tails of others…although someone always finds a way) 3. Every 2 years you pass a specific (fair) set of test to ensure that you are and remain competent (especially with the speed of advancing technologies) in your filed. 4. That we CLEARLY establish the courses that are relevent TODAY for a childs success…i sure am glad i took that typing 512 course back in high school cause i wouldn’t be able to type this note to you and that we bonus our teachers on the childs performance in thoss specific courses…so no you don’t get a huge bonus because a kid can bake a cake..although i wouldn’t mind if my kids baked me a cake from time to time. My point in all of this is no different than any other profession, if you can’t deliver the goods chances are your going to get pid (or not) in accordance with your performance and that of your team (or company) unless of course your Alex Rodriguez. So here it is Timmy, my proposal,
First year school teacher makes 65K to start and a bonus of 15% if your kids finish the year with a combined total of 85% to 90% plus an additionl 5% bonus for every % above 90. An additional 10% each year for the overall school and each grade achieving an 85% or above performance. Every second year they receive a 10% bonus if your able to score at least 90% in an apptitude test. which measures your knowledge of the courses you teach, your ability to teach, and your ability to learn.
Plus an additional % raise each year as per the Cost of Living Index
That means a teacher could earn 65K and an additional 15% minimum or $9,750 plus 10% or $6,500 for the overall school and grade performance plus $6,500 divided by 2 or $3,250 per year if they meet the apptitude requirements. So not including the Cost of living index a teacher would have the potential to earn a minimum of $84,500 a year. If i made a mistake in the math don’t blame me, blame my high school math teacher…i don’t remember his or her name! Here is the real kicker though Timmy…make it tax free..and charge the tax that would have been earned to the general income fund maintained by every government and currently used for expense accounts of your favorite politicians, bureaucrats and cronnies.
Thats my proposal not that its makes any sense of course but then again i only graduated from High Scool with a 67% average…and that was only becuase i got a 98% in Physical Education and a 96% in home economics…i can bake a mean chocolate cake and can kick a soccer ball like you wouldn’t believe.
Robbie Hellstrom
rob-somethingaboutnothing.blogspot.com
I love how some people can talk about the value of their childern when they don’t give a shit about their own. Especially when it is a 5 year boy.
Its all about, talk the talk. But can’t stand up and support them.
Fuck I hate dead beat dads.
Dear None:
I really have no idea what you are talking about, but, since this site never required useful input welcome to the club.
Hello:
I came across your site as on the day after the Superbowl I felt like reading some rants from kindred spirits who think that the masses spend a ridiculous amount of time, money, and energy is put into professional sports. This post is actually the top google hit for the search “professional sports stupid” (not in quotes).
While this input is probably not much more useful than that given by “None of your business” it’s worth pointing out that there are plenty of teachers, and not just gym teachers, who are just as obsessive with professional sports as the average schmo from the general population, and even in the long run if it’s not in their best interest, would much rather (unwittingly) plop down $250 for tickets to the next big game than even $100 towards library or computer lab upgrades at their OWN school.
I have nothing to back this on other than the teachers I encountered throughout elementary and high school, but I bet if anything there are a lot of schools with an even greater obsession with sports where teachers willing to plop down $250 out of their measly paycheque abound in even greater numbers than at my alma mater.
That doesn’t mean that your post doesn’t contain points worth pondering….. just that the situation is probably even more depressing than your post would lead on to believe, since it’s not as if the people who have the greatest reason to want to see improvements at the places where they work could even be trusted to act in their own long term self interest.