Quote:
Originally Posted by manaboutown
"How Much Teachers Make in Florida
Preschool teacher: $29,890
Kindergarten teacher: $59,040
Elementary school teacher: $61,510
Middle school teacher: $60,280
High school teacher: $64,120"
"How Much Teachers Make in New York
Preschool teacher: $43,880
Kindergarten teacher: $84,530
Elementary school teacher: $87,700
Middle school teacher: $94,690
High school teacher: $92,660"
From: How Much Teachers Make in Every State 2021 | GOBankingRates |
From your article, here are the nation-wide figures, which are much more in line with Florida’s, though Florida’s are still very low. “The average pay for a preschool teacher in the United States is $36,460. For a kindergarten teacher, the salary is higher at $64,490 a year, with a high school teacher earning an average of $69,530. Pay for elementary and middle school teachers falls somewhere between those two at $67,080 and $66,880, respectively.”
I’d like to make a couple points. First, a large proportion of the New York teachers work in the New York City area, where the cost of living is much higher than in Florida. The average cost to rent a one bedroom apartment there is about $3,500 a month. That’s $42,000 a year. It’s not easy to find even an apartment to buy for under $1 million, and then taxes on that house are very high.
Second, I don’t know about New York and Florida, but in Pennsylvania, where I spent half my life, teacher salaries are set by the school board in each school district and based on income from school taxes. Districts with lots of new, expensive homes have a lot more money to give to the teachers. In Pennsylvania, one district might pay top teachers $70,000 a year while the district next door might have a top pay of $45,000 a year. New York has a lot areas where there are expensive homes and flush school districts.
Third, average incomes can be deceptive. I’d like to know starting salaries and top salaries as well. Some states have higher starting salaries and lower top salaries, and that is very helpful for new teachers. In Pennsylvania and New York, in addition to whatever raises teachers get due to inflation, salaries start low, but there is a fixed percentage rise as well. Eventually, with enough years of service, the salary is pretty good in many districts. Teachers who have taken post-certification classes or have earned graduate degrees get more. In any state, if there are relatively few teachers near the top of the pay scale because of retirements and lots of teachers starting their career, the numbers will shift. Some states provide incentives for teachers to retire early because beginning teachers are so much cheaper.
(In state universities, full professors earn 20% more at their top salary than do associate professors at their top salary with the same number of years at that school, but very few teachers are able to jump through all the hoops and become full professors. Where I taught, only about 10% eventually were promoted to full professor. The top salary for associate professors with a Ph.D. and 30 years of experience is about the same as the salary of high school teachers with only a bachelor’s degree and the same experience. The top salary of associate professors is 20% higher than the top salary of assistant professors, who also have Ph.D.s. The top salary of assistant professors is in turn 20% higher than the top salary of instructors, who don’t have Ph.D.s. Any of these ranks hit their top salary in about ten years, but unless they are promoted—which is difficult—they are stuck, unlike grade school and high school teachers. Thus, an assistant professor with 20 years’ experience may make much less than a high school teacher with the same years of service.)
As for problems in schools, I say BLAME PARENTS, NOT TEACHERS. Yes, in every class of education graduates, some will be top students and some will barely make it through. Some will have the hearts of teachers and some will not. But every one of those teachers will do a better job if given respectful students who want to learn. It’s up to parents to provide those students. If they don’t, how can they expect their students to succeed? The sad fact is, Garbage In, Garbage Out. The exceptions happen often, but they are almost like miracles. Teachers keep trying, generally, but the life of a teacher can be disheartening.