Open Thread

Hi Dave.

You guys crack me up! And at least part of me agrees with Scott…

Hi. My name is Pete. And I have a relative who is public school teacher.

I have spent my life around teachers. My grandfather was a life-long teacher, principal, superintendent, and state board member. My grandmother was a life-long school librarian. My mother has been a civil service worker in the Louisiana State Department of Education for 25 years. I have many close friends who are teachers. I also married one.

My basic view of teachers is that given the difficulty of their degree and job, they get paid a fair amount, with above average benefits and job security.

I am pretty sure that none of my college friends who got English, history, theater, environmental studies, music or biology degrees and did not go onto medical or law school make as much as Wendy does.

While school is in session, she does not put in hours that are any longer than the average corporate worker, and the vacations are great. The amount of personal money spent on supplies for the class is small, and there are tax credits for that.

For that, she makes a decent middle-class salary, plus opportunities for extra pay, plus free medical insurance for the whole family.

Is teaching a job that will make you rich? Of course not.
But I do think that it is a good job that is compensated at the same level as or higher than similar jobs.