Quote:
Originally posted by kddani
1) It's not the same kind of knowledge. A teacher isn't learning new things about calculus everyday, or reading. It's a different kind of knowledge to me. I don't view everything you learn in life as the falling in the same category.
2) Being paid more money doesn't necessarily equal better. People can assume all they want, I don't care, but I know what I meant.
3) There are many more barriers to being a lawyer. You have to do well in college. You have to score well enough on the LSAT. You have to get through law school. You have to pass the bar. So while I agree there are many lawyers out there that have the common sense of a doorknob, you have to be of a reasonable intelligence level to be a lawyer.
I never said I hated teachers or that they had no value. But my high school teachers, and I can reasonably deduct which ones are making the $75K, are NOT worth that, especially when there are many thing that they did not prepare me for.
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As to point #1: An effective teacher is learning new things about their subject, methodology, and their students every day.
#2 - Totally true. There are plenty of teachers that make more money than they should for sitting on their butts and telling students to read and do exercises from the book. But then again, they aren't really "teaching" so you can't call them teachers, they are chair warmers who get paid too much for having a title they don't deserve.
#3 There may be more barriers to being a lawyer, but as far as I am concerned(as are my friends who teach) you need to do very well in college and know your topic to be an effective and productive teacher. Just because I speak English fluently and it was my first language does not mean that I am equipped to teach it. Just because I took Calculus, Bio, Chem, etc...doesn't mean that I can teach it.
You know, I had some awful teachers in HS...as a matter of fact I knew more French than my French teacher. I became a teacher because it was something I was drawn to do, because I hope to inspire and serve my community, and to educate my students, not because the money was good. No one goes into teaching thinking, "Oh yeah, in 30 years I'll be making 75 K a year."
Saying that teachers are paid enough is fine...after they've been teaching 20 years or so. I hope to be making 75K in 20-30 years. I just find it disheartening that so many people seem to think that what I do doesn't deserve fair compensation for the amount of education that I have. Two Master's degrees and a BA, and I still make less that you will starting as a clerk..and this is my 4th year.