I Make Good Money
A few days ago I was eating breakfast and reading the paper as I always do... flipping through the main section of The Toronto Star absently, looking for something interesting to share with my class... when I almost choked on my toast! There was a picture of someone I knew! It was of a teacher that I knew! A teacher from one of my teaching placements from university! When I had been a student teacher at that school she had been pregnant. Now staring at me from the photo was her smiling face, her husband, and her two beautiful children - one of them, - the one from her tummy then - now so big! What a pleasant surprise!!
So this was all lovely and familiar and heart-warming, but what really excited me was what the article was about: see ARTICLE.
They live on their "combined teachers' salaries of $157,000" - my goodness, I knew teaching could bring in the cash, but I never knew it was SO lucrative. I'm just a newbie and I haven't even gotten paid for semester two yet so I don't even know how much money I'm making, but it's nice to know that after 10+ years of experience or so, if I marry a teacher, I can afford a pool. I knew I should have pushed V to become a teacher too - hehe, just kidding V, or am I?! I love my job. I love it SO much. What I truly hate though is people who complain that teachers make too much money. We deserve every single dollar we make. Not everyone can stand in front of a class of 30 students three times a day and talk to them every day for an entire school year. Not everyone can be so passionate about their own learning and so dedicated to other people's learning... We put in countless hours before and after school with extracurricular activities and marking and ... man, I can go on about this topic for hours and none of this isn't even related to the article!
Anyways, all this got me thinking about reasons why some people go into the teaching profession. I'd like to think that everyone who wants to become a teacher does it because of the love they have for helping children learn and the satisfaction they get from the end result, but we all know that's not the case. I'm sure you can think of plenty of teachers you had while growing up who could easily fit into one of these 3 categories:
1. The teacher who became a teacher because he/she is in it for the holidays/weekends off/good pay. This teacher is easy to spot. It's the one who in September is already wishing for the Christmas holidays or it's the teacher in January already wishing for the March Break, or ... you get my point! Yes, we all appreciate a break from work and with this profession you certainly need one, but c'mon, if in September you're already seriously wishing for the summer holidays, then I think you should have chosen a different career path.
2. The teacher who became a teacher because when graduating from university they didn't know what else to do with themselves. Don't have a career path? Go in to teaching! This is one reason university consecutive teaching programs have so many applicants. Half of them are applying because they couldn't think of anything else to do when they graduated. How do interviewers know how to accept the good and refuse entry to the bad? They can't. There's no way of knowing. And that's why so many of these "teachers" get into our schools. And then students are supposed to learn from people who didn't know what to do with themselves in the first place...
3. The teacher who became a teacher because they couldn't get their foot in the door of their dream job and therefore turned to teaching as their "backup." Teaching shouldn't be someone's last resort. If your "last resort" is to help other people, other younger people learn, then how much are they really going to learn from your oh-so-passionate about the subject teaching? Students can see right through you. They know who the ones who want to be there, are.
Sadly, I know people that could fit in any of these 3 categories - though I should add none are from my school. My school has amazing teachers!
Other categories exist too like 4. Why not go into teaching because it's so 'easy'! - well boy are those 'teachers' in for a surprise! Or how about 5. Teaching is a good job for a girl. Well, that's a little bit of sexist thinking there! I can think of plenty of amazing male teachers and I wish there were more out there. So if you're going into this profession because you think it's specially meant for women - think again. I'm sure you can think of a couple of other negative categories yourself. But anyways, all of this is an embarrassment to our profession as a whole and it's a disappointment to our students. But there's also nothing we can do about it. So I don't know what the point of this post is except to draw your awareness to the fact that not everyone who is a teacher is in it for the love of the job. Not everyone who is teaching is "fit" to be a teacher. But I'm sure most of you already knew that so this is all kind of pointless.
Oh, and the good ones deserve every penny they earn. No matter how much our salaries are raised, I'll always think we're being paid too little. You can't put a price on a student telling you that you're the only one that gave them a chance to pass. Seeing them pass, and then having them come back to the school once they've graduated... to thank you.
So this was all lovely and familiar and heart-warming, but what really excited me was what the article was about: see ARTICLE.
They live on their "combined teachers' salaries of $157,000" - my goodness, I knew teaching could bring in the cash, but I never knew it was SO lucrative. I'm just a newbie and I haven't even gotten paid for semester two yet so I don't even know how much money I'm making, but it's nice to know that after 10+ years of experience or so, if I marry a teacher, I can afford a pool. I knew I should have pushed V to become a teacher too - hehe, just kidding V, or am I?! I love my job. I love it SO much. What I truly hate though is people who complain that teachers make too much money. We deserve every single dollar we make. Not everyone can stand in front of a class of 30 students three times a day and talk to them every day for an entire school year. Not everyone can be so passionate about their own learning and so dedicated to other people's learning... We put in countless hours before and after school with extracurricular activities and marking and ... man, I can go on about this topic for hours and none of this isn't even related to the article!
Anyways, all this got me thinking about reasons why some people go into the teaching profession. I'd like to think that everyone who wants to become a teacher does it because of the love they have for helping children learn and the satisfaction they get from the end result, but we all know that's not the case. I'm sure you can think of plenty of teachers you had while growing up who could easily fit into one of these 3 categories:
1. The teacher who became a teacher because he/she is in it for the holidays/weekends off/good pay. This teacher is easy to spot. It's the one who in September is already wishing for the Christmas holidays or it's the teacher in January already wishing for the March Break, or ... you get my point! Yes, we all appreciate a break from work and with this profession you certainly need one, but c'mon, if in September you're already seriously wishing for the summer holidays, then I think you should have chosen a different career path.
2. The teacher who became a teacher because when graduating from university they didn't know what else to do with themselves. Don't have a career path? Go in to teaching! This is one reason university consecutive teaching programs have so many applicants. Half of them are applying because they couldn't think of anything else to do when they graduated. How do interviewers know how to accept the good and refuse entry to the bad? They can't. There's no way of knowing. And that's why so many of these "teachers" get into our schools. And then students are supposed to learn from people who didn't know what to do with themselves in the first place...
3. The teacher who became a teacher because they couldn't get their foot in the door of their dream job and therefore turned to teaching as their "backup." Teaching shouldn't be someone's last resort. If your "last resort" is to help other people, other younger people learn, then how much are they really going to learn from your oh-so-passionate about the subject teaching? Students can see right through you. They know who the ones who want to be there, are.
Sadly, I know people that could fit in any of these 3 categories - though I should add none are from my school. My school has amazing teachers!
Other categories exist too like 4. Why not go into teaching because it's so 'easy'! - well boy are those 'teachers' in for a surprise! Or how about 5. Teaching is a good job for a girl. Well, that's a little bit of sexist thinking there! I can think of plenty of amazing male teachers and I wish there were more out there. So if you're going into this profession because you think it's specially meant for women - think again. I'm sure you can think of a couple of other negative categories yourself. But anyways, all of this is an embarrassment to our profession as a whole and it's a disappointment to our students. But there's also nothing we can do about it. So I don't know what the point of this post is except to draw your awareness to the fact that not everyone who is a teacher is in it for the love of the job. Not everyone who is teaching is "fit" to be a teacher. But I'm sure most of you already knew that so this is all kind of pointless.
Oh, and the good ones deserve every penny they earn. No matter how much our salaries are raised, I'll always think we're being paid too little. You can't put a price on a student telling you that you're the only one that gave them a chance to pass. Seeing them pass, and then having them come back to the school once they've graduated... to thank you.
posted by 'liya @ 12:59 p.m.
26 comments
26 Comments:
At 5:07 p.m.,
Squeeky said…
Assalaamu Alaikum :)
I don't think anyone will truly understand the dedication and work a teacher goes through unless they are in their shoes and begin to experience it themselves.
At 9:12 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
#6 Teachers can teach whatever they want whenever they want.
Hello! We have curriculum guidelines to follow and expectations that need to be met. We have to prepare daily lesson plans that include modifications for students with disabilities/ESL/Other. We also have teacher testing and regular observations of our teaching skills by administration every 2-3 months.
Bilqis
At 9:41 p.m.,
mezba said…
Teachers rule. They have to control people who don't really want to be there, teach somethings kids don't really want to learn (unless its human reproduction), and give marks they don't really want to.
PS. I also want to marry a rich teacher.
At 10:43 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
6. people who think ANYONE can be a teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no they can't, u have to be CERTIFIED!!!! u have to go to university!!!!!!!!!! u have to go to teachers college!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i hope YOU are CERTIFIED otherwise YOU are a disgrace to the system too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At 11:23 p.m.,
Ahmed said…
When I was in highschool I thought teachers maxed out at 66k. Though thats w/o summer school or anything else that can boost it. Thats not bad at all.
While there are certainly professions/careers in which I think people are paid too much, teaching isn't one.
I think starting salaries for teachers are low (but I could be off). As a profession I don't think they are overpaid or overpaid. I'm just indifferent.
However, I do think the teachers union has maybe too much power sometimes. Though it might be needed with some of the nonsense the government does....still something like have 17-20 sick days? Thats crazy, you don't need that (thats what a previous teacher told me she got).
MTA transit workers on the other hand. Definitely paid too much. On AVG making 55k US, huge medical plans, and with only a GED? Some of them literally (and admittedly) sleep through most of their shifts and get paid that much. Its ridiculous.
At 11:49 p.m.,
Abigail S said…
1) As much as teachers deserve the break, that should not be the sole reason for becoming a teacher. Teaching is rough! And summers are spent taking college courses to keep your certification up to date!
2)I hate that, too!
3) Also, hate that! (We are really on the same page, liya!)
4) Teaching IS NOT EASY!!! It is an emotionally draining job! I hate when people accuse teachers of having it easy. I'd like to see them teach for even a day!
5) At college, there were a lot of girls majoring in Teacher's Ed because they thought they couldn't do anything else. Like we need teachers w/ low self esteem teaching young girls they have no options in life! As much as teaching is a noble calling, if you're only there out of societal pressure, you really shouldn't be there!
I am really jealous, though, of teachers who make a lot of money. I work at a small private school. I only make $19,000, it's my second year, and there are no raises year to year. Whereas starting salary at most public schools is $35,000 or more, with huge raises year to year. I hardly make enough to live on. Not fair! (Sorry to vent!)
At 11:50 p.m.,
Abigail S said…
Sorry for the long comment previously! I feel passionately about teaching!
At 12:01 a.m.,
Recovering D said…
Teachers deserve every penny they get!
But seriously, I think Canada pays its teachers a lot better than the US does. My best friend's a teacher here and she said that starting teachers make about $35 k. It goes up over the years, but only slightly. And she has to pay for her Masters. Maybe I should tell her to move to Canada eh?
At 12:16 a.m.,
'liya said…
Squeeky: Definitely!
Bilqis: Definitely! (I was observed twice in my first month and that's it, though I think I have a teaching observation coming up this month - boy do those make me nervous!).
Mezba: Definitely!
If you plan to marry a rich teacher she'll likely be quite older than you! Unless she teaches for some far away board in northern Ontario - my goodness, they pay A LOT up there!
P.S human reproduction is fascinating :D
Anonymous: I AM certified, I have high standards thank you very much. I'm not sure whether I should feel offended by your comment or not, but that's a good one to add to the list. I think we're at # 7 now.
Ahmed: Starting salaries are low (compared to other professions), though it also depends on the courses you take in university to qualify. It also varies with which board you work for. You aren't looking at anything below 45,000 if you've taken the right courses though. After 10 years of experience it's about 80,000. But 10 years is a LONG time... *sigh,* way too long a time.
Yes, 20 sick days a year. Mind you, I haven't used any of mine yet!! Most people (married with children) do need to use theirs for legit reasons. There ARE people who take advantage of them as expected and maybe I should add that to a # 8 :S
Abigail: I can sense your passion!! Oh gosh, I think I'm going to be spending some of my summer taking extra courses, not really how I want to spend, but maybe necessary if I want a job for next year :S I don't have a permanant positon yet... I'm really hoping I'm offered one at the end of this year (so my pay goes up too!)
Hmm, public schools start at around the same here, 35,000 too. I know private schools pay quite horribly here though so you're not alone. One thing we were warned about in university was that a lot of people think that just because it's a private school it pays more when that's not often the case. I was really surprised learning that because I had always assumed they payed more, well except religious schools, that's a different story. We had to do a study of the private schools around here and the results were shocking.
P.S thank you for feeling my pain, I feel yours!
At 12:20 a.m.,
'liya said…
ABCDLaw: Sorry, didn't see your comment there, but yes, I do think teachers make more in Canada, a friend of mine told me that too - it depends which area in Canada though. Some parts of the States suffer from a teacher shortage so they pay for teachers from here to go there while in Ontario we have too many qualified teachers and not enough schools for them to work in.
You should tell your friend to go work in Alberta, that place is a gold mine! I want to go there!
At 7:55 a.m.,
Becky L said…
i'm gonna do some complaining here too...
i TOTALLY understand that teaching is tuff stuff. i went to college for education, my sister is a teacher, several friends are teachers.
well, another friend [valerie]one day was complaining about how unfair it was that this other girl [holly] got paid much more and had all summers off. Valerie didnt think it was fair, b/c she herself worked 'so much harder'-- her job was a manual-labor job, construction type stuff. val said that anyone could be a teacher-- its tons easier than what she did.
i was mad. first, not just anyone can teach. second, teachers have put in lots of time and $ for their education. thus, they deserve a higher pay. [some people will disagree with me there, but its just what i think]
At 3:58 p.m.,
'liya said…
Becky: I'm just going to repeat this because you sum it up well: "first, not just anyone can teach. second, teachers have put in lots of time and $ for their education. thus, they deserve a higher pay."
Some people just don't realize how much extra time is spent at conferences, leadership groups, and of course extra qualifying courses in the summer in order to enhance our abilities to teach. I did a double degree - it was EXPENSIVE!!!
At 6:24 p.m.,
Jibonjatri said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
At 6:37 p.m.,
Jibonjatri said…
again, if you look at canadian dollar value and US dollar value, I think teachers are paid roughly the same in both of these countries. SO what makes the difference is the living expenses, which can have high variation.
In general, no one in america ever says that teachers are over paid. It's more like "underpaid and overworked", believe it or not. ANd that's why we have each year some really passionate teachers coming out, but somehow or other a few yrs down the road, there will be an inevitable career change. And when you do have to pay for rents and bills, heck, people need to make some mercenary decisions.
At 7:09 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
it pisses me off when ppl like u who dont even go to college think they my parents are teachers and have been teaching for years. u need to go to college and get a degree
At 9:16 p.m.,
'liya said…
Khulud: Why did you delete your first comment? It had some good things to think about! In Canada it's complained that teachers are overpaid not underpaid... the only ones that complain that they're underpaid are us teachers (because we are!). But I do think teachers make more money here (although again it depends on which school board you work for). Starting salaries may be the same, but depending on the courses you took in university you could be starting at 45,000! - to me that's a lot & good!
Anonymous: I don't understand your first sentence so I'll ignore it. I don't think I need to explain anything to you because obviously you didn't take the time to read the comments here or any of my other posts to know anything about me. You need to go back to high school and pass English. Sorry, but it's the truth. You wouldn't pass my class in a second with writing skills or an attitude like that :)
At 9:49 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
Assalamualaukum
Teaching is indeed a very noble profession. Teachers have a very high responsibility, because they have the ability to make and shape minds. And as Liya said, you have to have passion for the profession.
Commenting on marrying a teacher, I know it was all said light hearted hehe, but incase anyone takes it seriously...it doesn't really matter what the combined income would be if you marry a teacher. Of course, income is the bad reason to marry someone. I think at the end of the day, it's insignificant how much you earn, so long as you’re content and enjoy what you're doing and you are fulfilling your purpose for creation. There are people who earn several hundred thousand dollars annually, yet they are not happy. While there are people who sleep on the streets amidst chaos in peace without the need for sleeping pills, and they are content. The goal is happiness, and contentment is divine.
At 12:18 a.m.,
Jibonjatri said…
I deleted my first comment because I thought if someone came across that comment, and not knowing me personally would lead him/her to believe that I am some money hungry freak... i don't know if you have seen it, but all I did was talking about "salary"! *embarassed*
but why wouldn't I? It's WORK, and we demand FAIR compansation! hehe
At 2:01 a.m.,
Anonymous said…
if i ever move back to Canada i would love to have you as a teacher for my students...and i also think that for the most part teachers are underpaid....one of my good friends recently decided shes going to move to NYC to teach there...i wish her luck because some areas of NYC are hardcore and thas true dedication....i myself was thinking about it and i know you told me i should pursue it...but i do hope i get into this school for fall...if not...maybe ill consider teaching...science of course...lol....but salary is very important to me...i may be a little more materialistic than most...but i want to be able to be comfortable and than with the money pursue my passion on the side and not worry about having to make ends meet.....and if life leads me to teaching...you can certainly bet that i will be back in canada....i loved my school days there!!!....maybe ill be a teacher for radiation therapy....that would be the best of both worlds!!!.....
At 2:02 a.m.,
Anonymous said…
i meant a teacher for my kids...dammit..i should not write comments really late at night...
At 1:17 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
Hey liya!
Wow...all of your posts lead to so many discussions! lol...but Teachers dont even make enough money to survive, right? My cousin is a teacher at Cherry tree and she doesnt even make enough to live off of. Starting she only made 30 000 and I dont know what she makes now (its been 3 years) but paying rent would kill you. Like, if you pay $1000 rent, half of your salary is gone! And then you have to buy groceries, and pay your car insurance, gas and of course CLOTHES! lol...I mean, I know that sounds vain, but I would like to have a job that at least starts at 50 000 lol. But I guess real teachers work to help the children they teach. I like that. I bet your an awesome teacher! Your sibs probably look up to you...lol. Do your other sibs want to be teachers?
At 5:57 p.m.,
'liya said…
NOTE TO EVERYONE: I think it was Ahmed who brought up the subject of sick days (I'm too lazy to scroll down and check). Anyways, I took my first one this week and boy do I have a story to tell. Yes, I REALLY was sick so it was a much required day off, but boy do I have a story to tell. I'm fine now alhumdu lillah. More info coming soon!
Yusuf: "I think at the end of the day, it's insignificant how much you earn, so long as you’re content and enjoy what you're doing" - you definitely need to be content and happy, otherwise what's the point? But, it IS significant how much you make, money is what the world runs on, it's what you need to support yourself and your family. So at the end of the day it IS significant as to how much you earn, in some cases, your life depends on it!
P.S I just checked my email and noticed yours, I will reply at some point today (in case you're wondering) :)
Khulud: LOL okay, maybe! But you know, salary IS important. You can't work for nothing, and you need to be able to support yourself so there's nothing wrong with aiming to make a lot of money - as long as you're happy while doing it (see above reply!)
Samia: You'll get into radiation therapy, don't worry!! Do what you really want to do, don't just go for something because you couldn't get your first choice. If you don't like working with kids it's an even worse reason to go into teaching because you won't be able to survive - like I said to the previous two commentors, you need to like what you do otherwise you can never be happy. Plus, I look forward to you being my rich friend who comes to visit me to shower me with expensive gifts :D
Faiza: Wow, 30,000 is low! But there's a difference between teaching high school and elementary. In Peel, starting salary for high school is 35-36,000, though if you've taken the appropriate courses in university/ have high marks, you can start with 45-46,000 which is where I fall between. It would be pretty cool to teach at Cherrytree though, aww... last time I was there to vote everything looked so small and cute!
My sisters don't want to become teachers! Well, one of them is graduating uni this year and will be a nurse, and the other is only going to be starting uni in the Fall, and she has no idea what she wants to do (maybe law?)! My brother has to go to grade 8 first before he makes these big decisions lol.
At 9:06 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
Actually teachers don't make ENOUGH money...my mum's a teacher and (in case you were trying to forget) you guys work HARD! You can't have an off day either b.c there are classrooms full of kids counting on you. Me, I can slack for a morning or take an extra long lunch sometimes...but yeah.
At 10:12 p.m.,
'liya said…
Ruby: Well I didn't have an off day, but I had a somewhat 'day off' and boy did I learn how much they count on me. I admit, it felt good to see that I was actually missed! I know what you mean though.
I might have asked you before but I don't remember, where does your mom teach? I'm just curious which board and what grade (not which school). Also, has she ever worked with a student teacher, and if so, was that a good experience for her?
At 4:19 p.m.,
Sofi said…
hello, interesting entry!
i have always wavered on this topic: to go into teaching or not...and if so, when. ive always put it off, citing low salaries as the main reason [and the added responsibilty] so i am surprised to read teachers do pretty well in Canada! hmmm perhaps i should migrate if i ever become a teacher..
At 8:04 p.m.,
'liya said…
Sofi: Yes we do well... well everyone sees that - except us! But I can't complain, I'm happy and comfortable and I get paid next week :D
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