Protests In Wisconsin

[als463]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

Personally, as a teacher, I think we are overpaid.

Basically, most people view us as babysitters. Most babysitters get paid $5 an hour. I have your kids for 8 hours a day. I will deduct their lunch time and my planning period and knock it down to 6 1/2 hours.

6.5 times 5 = 32.50 a day for 1 student. The average number of students is 25.

25 times 32.50 = $812.20. The state of Texas requires students to be in class 185 days.

185 times 812.50 = $150,312.50.

Go ahead, pay me $5 an hour per student instead of the average teacher salary of $50,000 with no overtime for all we do after school (grading papers, planning, taking classes on our own, sponsoring clubs, tutoring, chaperoning). I don't mind.

LaneSig, when you put it that way-it makes a lot of sense. You raise a good point. I'd also like to add that I think many Social Workers should get paid more than they get, as well. I don't want to lump myself into that category because I do actually get paid very well for the particular field I'm in. I have seen, however, many hardworking Social Workers and Teachers that don't get nearly what they are worth.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by als463

LaneSig, when you put it that way-it makes a lot of sense. You raise a good point. I'd also like to add that I think many Social Workers should get paid more than they get, as well. I don't want to lump myself into that category because I do actually get paid very well for the particular field I'm in. I have seen, however, many hardworking Social Workers and Teachers that don't get nearly what they are worth.

In my neck of the woods, an ACSW is going to make a whole lot more than any teacher in my neck of the woods.

However, I have always noted... our society's "value" on a job has nothing to do with the impact that people doing that job have on society as a whole. It only has to do with who brings money into the economy. When I'm King of the World, that will change. However, day care workers and nursing aides in nursing homes are two of the lowest paid groups of people out there. They ensure the well being of our kids and our parents.

How's that for family values?

[als463]

Originally Posted by AGDee

In my neck of the woods, an ACSW is going to make a whole lot more than any teacher in my neck of the woods.

However, I have always noted... our society's "value" on a job has nothing to do with the impact that people doing that job have on society as a whole. It only has to do with who brings money into the economy. When I'm King of the World, that will change. However, day care workers and nursing aides in nursing homes are two of the lowest paid groups of people out there. They ensure the well being of our kids and our parents.

How's that for family values?

Sad, isn't it? They keep trying to push a lot of us into taking on a geriatrics role but, I could never do that. I could, if I had to but, I wouldn't love my job. I always tell people that, I don't need to make a lot of money-I just want to make a difference. I have made a difference in the lives of various people and that's worth more than money, to me.

AGDee, where do you live? I'm coming there to work. I figure that if I'm so far in college debt (to the point of sacrificing my future first born), I may as well get into a field that I love. I am looking at furthering my education beyond this point but, who knows-maybe I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

I really do hope that things get squared away in Wisconsin, though. Everybody suffers.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by als463

Sad, isn't it? They keep trying to push a lot of us into taking on a geriatrics role but, I could never do that. I could, if I had to but, I wouldn't love my job. I always tell people that, I don't need to make a lot of money-I just want to make a difference. I have made a difference in the lives of various people and that's worth more than money, to me.

AGDee, where do you live? I'm coming there to work. I figure that if I'm so far in college debt (to the point of sacrificing my future first born), I may as well get into a field that I love. I am looking at furthering my education beyond this point but, who knows-maybe I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

I really do hope that things get squared away in Wisconsin, though. Everybody suffers.

My key word there was probably ACSW. ACSWs can be therapists and bill insurance directly or charge/hour in private practice.

People need to keep in mind that for a teacher to make that $50K (or up to $70K in the city of Detroit), they need to have a Master's degree (also true of ACSWs), Specialists Degree or PhD. I know in most of the school districts around here, starting salary as a new teacher is around $34K. Compare that to a mechanical engineer who starts out around $60K. For every 10 credits of graduate work teachers do, they get an automatic bump in pay. I can't even imagine someone with an MBA being happy with $50K/year yet we're talking about the same amount of education.

And that Wisconsin governor who is doing all this? His salary? $137,092.
The legislators? Base salary: $49,943/year PLUS $88 a day for each day they are actually in session. That same Governor? No college degree because he left school his senior year.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.ph...lker#Education
http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/...e-legislator-3

ETA: At least Michigan's governor who is making drastic cuts has cut his own salary to $1/year.