<p>You need to look at total compensation, not just salary. Also they work what about 7 - 8 months a year. What’s wrong with the free market determing how much they should make?</p>
<p>If the job is so easy and over compensated why don’t you become a public school teacher. They work September through June with July and August off. A week off around Easter and a week at Christmas.
In NJ they pay up to 30% of the cost of HC premiums and pay 7% towards their pension. Those benefits are no different than many large employers.</p>
<p>I never said it was easy.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Because the “free market” is pushing down wages in almost all sectors due to global competition. And because some people don’t value education in this country.</p>
<p>I don’t want my bridge inspectors or first responders paid according to what the free market dictates, either.</p>
<p>I have yet to meet a teacher who sits around on thier butts during summers “off”. Many states/districts require continuing ed credits, so teachers take summer classes. Or they work on their Master’s, or second Masters, or Ph.D’s. Or the teach in academic summer programs or camps. Or like my niece, they teach summer school, AND take classes, AND chaperone student trips, AND lead band camp, AND oversee trying for cheer…And others work at some other job to supplement the pay they get since it’s expensive to live where they do. </p>
<p>But hey, they just roll in dough and lay around all summer…</p>
<p>At Catholic schools teachers make next to nothing - it’s a labor of love. And I have never once heard a Catholic school teacher complain about it. I thanked them at each parent teacher meeting and told them how much I appreciated what they were doing.</p>
<p>Your appreciation doesn’t pay the bills, sadly.</p>
<p>Do you do what you do as a “labor of love”?</p>
<p>So it is story telling time. I never heard one of my D’s teachers in her private or public schools complain about teaching either. It’s probably pretty common for teachers not to complain to the parents of their students. She had excellent teachers all the way through high school with two exceptions. They were both fired and, yes, they were members of a union. They both went to nearby private schools. One of those schools was named Archbishop Curley High School. Am I to conclude from my experience that Catholic schools get public school rejects? </p>
<p>There are plenty of teachers complaining these days, but they’re complaining about not being able to do their jobs.</p>
<p>I’ve heard quite a few teachers at private religious schools complain about their low pay, as well as their challenging students and parents. of course they aren’t going to complain to parents at parent teacher meetings…</p>
<p>I always have had my kids give their public school teachers a Christmas gift and an end of year gift, in addition to thanking them for their dedicated service. I find it sad that we expect our teachers to be willing to provide a labor of love, their work is critical to our society and should be rewarded as such.</p>
<p>I’m curious why some think teachers should not expect to be compensated as in other fields?</p>
<p>I’ve interacted with Catholic school teachers in school and social settings over a span of 16 years (my kids started full time school at 3 and 4) and I never heard them complain about low pay.</p>
<p>Teachers stay in the Catholic schools because they prefer the working environment even though public schools pay better.</p>
<p>As it happens, a public elementary school is two blocks from my house. When D went down to ask about volunteering, she saw one of the teachers who had been at her Catholic school the year before. The teacher told her she’d hated to leave, but she couldn’t afford to. And the following year a young teacher with a new baby left for public because he too, couldn’t afford staying there. Complain? Maybe not. Just voting with their feet.</p>
<p>rip—I might hesitate to complain to you too ;)</p>
<p>My daughter’s all-girl inner city Catholic school recently closed due to low enrollment. There were about 40% minority students. 99% went to college. 1/3 studied STEM (they had a pre-engineering program and stressed science and math) and many went to Ivy League schools. The dance company competed nationally and won many awards. Many, like my daughter started in the system in pre-k 3 (the elememtary and middle school were co-ed). Raising tuition to pay teachers more would have resulted in the school closing far sooner than it did.</p>
<p>Teachers that can afford to stay in Catholic schools do so. Of course some have to leave for financial reasons.</p>
<p>When I was a teacher, I got comments about only working 9 months a year but getting paid for 12. Not so. We were paid for 9 months of work. We could choose to have it spread out over 12 months if we preferred.</p>
<p>My state doesn’t have teacher’s unions. </p>
<p>Of course teachers don’t complain about their salaries to parents of students; it doesn’t necessarily follow that it therefore means they are happy with their compensation. It’s entirely possible that there is plenty of complaining in the teacher’s lounge, and you just haven’t been privy to their private conversations.</p>
<p>The Catholic HS by me hires retired public school teachers whenever they can. They lose many younger teachers to public school jobs whenever those teachers get the opportunity. They are also attempting to join the NJEA- the State’s teachers union.</p>
<p>My neighbor teaches at that school- she sent her 2 kids to our local public school.</p>
<p>Our school had a lot of kids who had a parent who was a public school teacher.</p>
<p>I went to school back in the 60’s and 70’s and we did not have many discipline problems. WHY? because back then they allowed corporal punishment. Yeah, I know I wouldn’t want my kid to end up getting his hand hit with a ruler or sent to the principles office to get paddled either. However back then we did have one kid who constantly acted up in math class. Finally the teacher got really mad and couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll never forget the 5’2" teacher grabbing the 6 foot+ kid by his ear hauling him out of the class room .BTW that kid behaved after that. </p>
<p>Today if kids don’t behave in class there isn’t a lot the school system can do and the kids know it.</p>
<p>[Black Students Face More Discipline, Data Suggests
By TAMAR LEWIN
New York Times
March 6, 2012](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/education/black-students-face-more-harsh-discipline-data-shows.html”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/education/black-students-face-more-harsh-discipline-data-shows.html</a>)
</p>
<p>The article has a quote from Education Secretary Arne Duncan suggesting that these disparities are a civil rights issue. One reason to reduce government involvement in education is the current obsession of politicians with achieving equal outcomes.</p>
<p>Rip is speaking of his or her experience only. We each only have what view we have. </p>
<p>MG, when I was in lower school, we were told only two states still had corp punishment. I can’t seriously believed that’s an answer.</p>
<p>Spent time with a former teacher yesterday. Heard all about how the district mandated changes every 2-3 years and specifically limited ideas aimed at the brightest kids only. In her words, it was that any curriculum mod had to be applicable to ALL students in the grade, even those lagging. That’s my district. A teacher wanted to try a pre-physics class in the ms and was shot down. You can argue whether it was truly needed but it’s an example of a teacher responding to needs and interests.</p>
<p>PS. We did not talk unions; the contract here is super generous and the pension cost is huge and in deficit.</p>
<p>If I read riprorin correctly, there must not be a pay problem in Catholic education because the teachers in Catholic schools are, at least for the most part, not complaining about low pay to people to whom they shouldn’t be complaining.</p>
<p>Interesting way to assess the situation.</p>
<p>I have always taught in independent schools. Like most of my colleagues, I have been able to do that only because my spouse earns considerably more money than I do. I have never taught in a Catholic school. One reason why (admittedly, of several) is that Catholic schools where I live pay dramatically less than independent schools, which pay dramatically less than public schools. </p>
<p>Of course, I never mentioned that to riprorin before today…</p>