The average teacher salary in the USA is $65,000. Tbh that's WAY more than I thought.

Can you explain how that would work? Use a 5th grade science teacher, a HS art teacher, and a middle school robotics teacher as your examples.

How would you measure/evaluate their performance each year?

Give us the nuts and bolts of your system.

I don't "have the summers off". The way I see it, I'm laid off during the summer, since teaching is only a 9 month contract. Hell, I'd work 12 months if it was offered and I were compensated for it. It's just not offered, so I can't do a whole lot about it.

I do opt to extend my 9 months of pay over 24 pay periods though, just to make it seem like I'm working year round. But it definitely eats into my monthly pay, that's for sure.

Seasonal work can be tough, but I make do.

Here’s my typical teacher/coach day/week: Report to work at 7a.m. -- Duty in the hall until bell at 8 a.m. -- Teach 5 classes of history or English, depending on the year (double certified). Planning period almost always taken up with paperwork, copying, ordering equipment, meetings, etc. etc. Lunch -- 20 minutes (eat at my desk from sack lunch). Final period of the day is athletic period and practice continues with various groups until 5:30. Usually spend an hour that night grading papers and/or planning (took much much longer when I was young and inexperienced). Weekend: Meet day (coaching) -- Usually at school by 6 a.m. and then return from meet around 4. Usually some grading Saturday afternoon. Nothing on Sunday except relaxation, church, etc.

That’s a 60-hour week. Include grading time and that’s closer to 70, with virtually NO BREAKS during the work day.

Made a decent living the entire time. Had nice holidays. Lots of time off in the summer. Had time for my wife and kids (my kids were on my teams). Still, long days on a 200-day contract. Lots of team success. Statewide, all-classes Coach of the Year once. Teacher of the Year at my school three times. But it isn’t an easy job. Not at all. Not for everyone. Retired now and still coach a little (volunteer only, no head coaching, no bus driving to meets).

Hahahhahahahhahahahaahahaha!!

oh man you suk! Go get another job!

hahahahaahahahahhaaha! You’re still overpaid 🖕

Almost nothing you just said is true, but keep putting random words together Mr. Internet Guy.

BTW, in my school district, most assistant coaching positions are unpaid and head coach if positions generally come out to way below minimum wage if converted to a salary. We’re talking like $5/hr or less easily.

Converted to hourly I mean.** Coaching is quasi-volunteering at many many schools.

Another thread on what teachers make......blah blah blah. If it is so dam easy join the ranks. I started in 1993 on a salary of 25k. Now making 130k so what....love my job and yes have made a few impacts on the kids I have taught.

No worries Coach. These threads are typically started by butt sore teenagers dealing with the malaise of spring fever in school, and this is their way of striking back at those holding them accountable - anonymous & vitriolic anti-teacher posts on a random internet message board. Clever, eh? It's the equivalent of old school "Mr. Jones sucks!" scribblings on bathroom walls.

I usually agree with coach on threads about our profession, but at this point in my career I can't think of the last time I graded papers, planned a lesson or unit, or did any work really outside of my school day. Because of NYC traffic I get to school 90 minutes before my first class (not first period, that's my prep). I don't grade homework. Quizzes are google forms now so they are auto scored. I make 100k for basically babysitting. On top of that, I contribute a huge percent of that salary into a TDA which has a guaranteed return of over 7%. AND I'll get a pension when I retire at 55. I've mastered teaching to the test so I always have a high rating at the end of the year. Teaching before covid I was super motivated and a real go-getter, but now it's all just bs.

I'll say this, before you complain about us, find someone else who will do what we do for less.

Its higher today because who in their right mind wants to teach anymore?? You cant give kids the good ol fashioned ass whoopin of days past. Now its called child abuse and the parents are thrown in jail and the key thrown away. I honestly think the 90s was the last great decade and every year after has been downright horrible. Connecting the world through social media is 10% great and 90% evil. Im part of the problem too. See!!!

If I remember correctly you're an earth science teacher at a HS. How about the ELA, bilingual, history teachers in your school, how is their day? What do you guys do during your professional or lunch periods? Where I last taught most of the teachers ran clubs or had planning meanings with their department or grade teams. I was a PE teacher and helped in the lunchroom.

Yup, Earth Sci. And for sure, they do way more prep than I do. But the majority of the teachers in my school are untenured and in their first 2-3 years teaching. I did a lot more work then too because I still was figuring out how to do it.

Our system is unique- the constant revolving door of young teachers, it's like the peace Corp. They work hard and get out and the next group comes in.

85k is a rich salary to me. Heck, 50s is still a solid salary for most Midwesterners. I can't even fathom 200k. I'd just bank that and save as much as I could until retirement, then live simply.

You are right in that 65k isn't enough per spouse, but it's not too far off to get a 400k home. You'd probably have to be closer to 75k each per spouse.

I think the threshold for an average standard of living: kids, small house, a weekly vacation and two steady jobs in Central Ohio would be where both spouses make at least 65k each. I may be wrong. So if each made 65k that would put you at 325k (130k x 2.5 = 325k).

You can get decent homes in the average section of Dublin for 250-300k. The nicer homes are 400k and up but as a first home 250-300k is solid.

So net income for both earners would be say 120k, multiplied by 2.5 would put you at 300k worth of house. (Personally I wouldn't go that high either, I'd like to get a house in the 200k range).

I am in line to get a 56k job (although I'd have to drive an hour away) and my wife is at 52k with a raise next year, so we're not quite there yet.

I think that's the same for a lot of professions, although your point makes sense.

My father worked as a mental health therapist in the public sector but didn't do great, but his co-workers didn't make much either, while my mother worked part time. However, they had spouses who had great jobs and mental health was the second income.

In cases like this, it takes both partners to make it work income-wise.

This is the same in media relations and communications--a lot of PR people don't make as much as the public thinks, but they have spouses with good jobs. Same with newspapers--even at little weeklies if Sally Reporter takes home 35k it doesn't mean much because she's halfway retired and her husband is Larry Lawyer and prominent in the community.

Teaching is difficult and not for everyone. I know I couldn't do it. The security looks good but I would hate getting up early every day as much as they do. As it is, it was tough for 6 years (6th to 12th grade) getting up at 6 a.m. every day. I don't miss that at all.