Quote:
Originally Posted by AutoBike
Seventeen years ago, I ran for our local school board. It was in the middle of a huge battle between the NEA and the local school board. The average district teacher salary was $66k. Our teachers were mostly older and had masters as well, paid for by the school district, I might add. Additionally, teachers got bonuses for seat time, not performance, called longevity pay. They got bonuses for allowing their class size to exceed 24, IIRC, and a host of other incentives. Parent teacher conferences were held during the day, so teachers didn't have to stay late and students were given 1/2 day off during them.
The world revolved around the TEACHERS, not the students.
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I was a teacher in SE Michigan in the time frame you mentioned and a few years afterwards. With a Masters I think I eventually made 64K. I paid for my own tuition for my second degree. We purchased supplies out of our own pocket. There were 2 or 3 hours of additional work each day. You get what you put into it. There was evening Open House when the year started and 4 nights of parent teacher conferences- 2 each semester. There were 2 days of afternoon conferences a year. Yes there was a 1/2 day comp time after teaching and working consecutive evening. I usually had 95-100% of parents attending. 2 days of training at the start of the year was required. My class size varied. Many years I had 32-35 students. One year I had 22 students. The union and administration worked well for the best interest of the students. It was a rewarding job with high student achievement. All districts are not the same. I guess I was fortunate.
Of course the students had the half day off during daytime conferences. I do recall when there was a large class size they had a sub for a hour or 2. Of course I had to write the lesson plans. Yes there were districts where there was not a healthy working relationship between teachers, administration, and the school board. In those situations the students and community loose.