Yeah, yeah...3 months off in the summer, extra days during the week. Really, though, some teachers (the good ones) go to seminars and workshops during their time off, or they work during the summer. Some teachers, like those that teach band, work all through the summer coming up with what they are going to do during the school year. They also don't always get paid during the summer months when they're on "vacation." You can either be paid for 12 months or 9 months. They have different payment plans. All in all, as I said before, salaries depend on where you live, and there isn't a lot of upward movement in teaching, unless you want to be an administrator. That's where the money is.
$26,000 can be a lot of money, but after taxes, all the dental plans and whatnot that they take out of your paycheck it's really not a lot.
AND teachers do start earlier...some show up at 7 or 7:30 in the morning and work til around 4 with about 30 minutes for lunch. Just because they're not teaching during all that time doesn't mean they're sitting around on their asses doing nothing.
I also just realized that this thread has taken a big turn...Fire the thong-checking administrator! Haha