Question for other teachers (and others in similar professions)

[Lori]

I had my students write education narratives for their first assignment, and a lot of them complained about teachers who were "only in it for the paycheck."

On the one hand, I get it. Education is really important and for a teacher to just be phoning it in has a negative effect on lots of students and on society as a whole.

On the other hand? That is a whole lot of pressure that I don't think is put on people in other professions. I've never heard anybody ever say, "My waitress at the Olive Garden last night? She was okay, but it was like she was just bringing me food for the money." Or, "That Target clerk didn't really seem to care. It was like he's just there for the paycheck." Or, "My dad's heart isn't really in middle management. I think he's just doing it for the money." "I don't think that tech support guy truly cared about me as a person. He must just be working the call center for the paycheck." We totally accept that most people in most jobs are just doing it for the money, and that if it weren't for the paycheck, of course they wouldn't be there. And yet a teacher who is teaching "for the money" is seen as a terrible person, as if they should just be jumping up to go to work for free.

It seems like people (especially students and their parents) really expect teachers to put a lot more into their jobs than people in a lot of other jobs are expected to put in. (And I'm sure people in similar fields, like health care and social work, get the same thing.) I love my job, and I like my students, but if I wasn't getting paid for it, I would never, ever grade another paper. It just seems like expectations on people in certain jobs are really, really high, and they are expected to give way more of themselves than people in other jobs are. I don't know, anyone else feel this way or bothered by this or have any thoughts on it?

[Christi]

Yep, makes a lot of sense to me! But if money was the only reason I was teaching, then don't think for a minute that I could make more doing something that I like a whole lot less! I'm there because I love it, I love my students and coworkers, and I love helping students learn. I agree that teachers are held to a different standard, and it is frustrating sometimes. It also sometimes feel like I have the weight of the world on me, cause I have bad days too, yk?

[Beka]

i don't think for one second teachers are in it for the money- my own sister gave up an extremely sucessful career in law (with triple the salary) to go and teach primary school for the simple feeling she didn't like the way she felt about herself at the end of a working day in a law office, as a teacher she feels she achieves daily and she likes that

[Mu Shu]

I teach elementary music, orchestra, and chorus. My husband is a middle school orchestra teacher.

I could honestly work as a manager at a grocery store and make more money than I do as a teacher. I wouldn't have to work as many 14 hour days either. I don't necessarily think that people go into teaching for the money. There seem to be a lot who teach because they can spend the summers with their kids.

My husband and I work two jobs each and he teaches music camps over the summer so we can afford to be teachers. We love what we do.

[Maleah]

I am not a teacher (well professionally anyways), but I think anytime your dealing with children on a consistant basis people expect a lot from you. In G.S. we got a lot of the same type of comments and we're all volunteers!

My MIL comes from a long line of teachers and taught for nearly 30 years. They often had the same complaints. Parents seem to expect a lot from the school even though some of them couldn't be bothered to read classroom announcements sent home much less actually spend time with their children. We don't pay teachers enough for the work they put into their job. I think excellent teachers should be able to make a nice living.

On the flip side though, I have had experiences with teachers who I firmly believe are teaching for the paycheck. But this was in a very small hick town where the schools would hire anyone pretty much.

[Kristen]

I am like you, Lori. I enjoy teaching, sure, but I would certainly not give my time to do it for free! LOL