Teacher’s Are Overpaid

So says the American Enterprise Institute anyways. And wow is this some serious bullshit. Not BS. Bullshit. There is a difference.

The organization said it took a “comprehensive” look at teacher’s salaries and tried to take into account what it says are unique areas of compensation for teachers, including generous pension plans and better job security.

Job security? Really? In many places teachers essentially have to get rehired EVERY year. What private sector full time job requires that? Their job is also dependent on the testing success of a diverse group of children with a variety of backgrounds and needs. What private sector workers evaluation is based on the performance of someone else?

Public-school teachers earn higher wages than private- school teachers, even when the comparison is limited to secular schools with standard curriculums.

Why does this surprise anyone? There’s a reason for this. It’s EASIER. Being a public school teacher is HARD. It requires work, dedication, compassion and a certain kind of personality. It’s not for everyone. I got my first teaching job because the guy who was originally hired quit after less than a month because he couldn’t put in the time. He had been a banker and was going to teach economics. Simple he thought. Then he tried to do the job.

State and local governments seeking to balance their budgets in difficult times
should take a close look at teacher compensation, which
is considerably higher than necessary to retain the existing teacher workforce

In other words, teachers teach because they love the job. Cut their pay some more, they won’t quit.

You can’t compare teachers to other industries. Just like you can’t compare a construction worker and doctor. The jobs are too different. Teachers work longer hours than most other professions. While they “have the summer off” they generally aren’t paid and still usually have to attend seminars, training, continuing education, etc. You too could have the summer off if you stopped collecting a pay check. Hey, firefighters get every other day off. Oil rig workers spend half of each month not working. They must be lazy.

Update: Oops, forgot the link.