Alms for the Prof

I just read an interesting article debunking myths about teacher pay. (In case it's not clear, the myth is that we're paid enough. Cause, you know, we're not.)

I think the article raised several good points. To wit:

- We are vastly under-compensated for our education level, particularly when one takes into account the ludicrous number of hours spent planning and grading outside of the students' school day.

- Unlike wages in similar fields, teachers' wages have not kept up with inflation since 1996, and the gap between our pay and that of comparably educated professionals has been increasing since 1979.

- Many argue that our fabulous health benefits make up for our low wages (a position that acknowledges the paltriness of the wages to begin with); however, this is less and less true. I work for the only district in the county that still fully covers health benefits. Most districts no longer do so, a fact I attribute evenly between the unjustifiably rising costs charged by the health industry and the successful war being waged on unions by corporate crooks. But I digress.

Anyway, there are a litany of other interesting facts, but I'll let you read the article. However, there was one point omitted which I'd like to add. Contrary to popular belief, teachers do not receive paid holidays or vacations. We are paid for exactly the number of days we work - no more, and no less. Sure, I didn't have to go to work all last week... but I wasn't paid for those days either. I show up to work for 184 days, and I am paid for 184 days. On the one hand, that means a lower denominator for my overall wages, partially accounting for the discrepancy between my pay and, say, a financial analyst's. On the other hand, even looking at my daily wage using the number 184, my pay is still egregiously low.

Also, unlike, say, a financial analyst, I'm not actively trying to swindle my clients out of anything but their youth and freedom. Bully for me.

And now your moment of Zen:

"The rewards of working with children make up for low pay." — Hypothetical Critic of Teacher Salary Increases, per the aforementioned article

Um, has this (hypothetical) person ever met a teenager? Because, you know, having a 15-year-old tell you to go to hell - not so much with the making up for crappy wages.