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well i just stumbled across this thread so i haven't had a chance to read everything everyone has said. i'll do that later.
but i wanted to put in my 2 cents.
honestly, after becomming a teacher i realized how different things were than how i THOUGHT they were back when i was in high school. yes, most teachers have masters degrees, but also have to get up to 90 additional credits over the years they teach. i never knew that as a student.
some teachers leave right after school so they can pick up their kids from day care/bus stop....but they bring home all their work with them! other teachers stay late because they don't have to be home right away. it's not fair to judge people who you see as "leaving early" because you just don't know their family situation.
i don't think a salary of 39K is reasonable. how can you purchase a house with that? i'll give you my example: i have my masters and over 60 credits above it. (each credit is 15 hours of work...you do the math!...it's a LONG process!) i earn close to 60K and will soon be making more when i get to 75 credits and 90 credits. (each credit mind you costs $200!!!!!!--again, do the math!) a small house in a not great area on long island is a minimum of $300,000. a decent house in a decent area is $450,000 +++++. even making $60K, i can't come CLOSE to affording a house yet. and i've been working 5 years!
i have my undergrad loans, masters loans, and have paid (out of pocket) for ALL of those 60+ credits (again--remember they are $200 a credit).
so am i really making that much money? no, i'm not. i've put in a lot of time, money and energy into making myself a great teacher.
it really isn't fair to complain about other professions unless you have personally experienced it. i spoke with a mom the other day who told me "you make it look so easy but i know how much you do. thank you for what you do for my son." that was a great thing to hear.
teaching isn't the easy job it's cracked up to be. i personally could never be a lawyer because i couldn't do it. i give them tons of respect. do i think lawyers need to charge the sometimes outrageous fees they do? no. but i also realize they have worked hard throughout school and need to pay bills and loans as well.
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