Do you think public school teachers are underpaid or overpaid?

My parents are teachers - they grossly underpaid - how would you like to have 30 some kids who have no respect, spit on you, drop their pants in front of you and tell you to do very disgusting things, and the only thing you can do about it is write it up on a little piece of paper when what you would like to do is shove a ball bat in that expose area! Or better yet, the money they spend every month out of their own pocket for software and other teaching supplies because the "budget" isn't able to handle that and yet it allows them to meet the needs of the classroom more efficiently, but it doesn't buy footballs or basketballs, or to watch them (and I have) shove your parents and your parents be out extremely high medical expenses because of the physical damage and all they get is ? and yet my parents are out a lot of money - they both retire this year and I am so glad - why did they stick it out - because every year there was one or two kids that actually told them how much of a difference they made in their lives - and they did not teach in rural or urban schools, but in middle to upper working class schools - my father just suffered a major heart attack - not that he might not of anyway, but it didn't help when a boy in his class proceeded to call him everything filthy under the sun and proceeded to tell him I can keep this up until I cause you to attack me and break the law - my Daddy didn't, but it did cause him a heart attack from having to hold his temper in check - my parents together put in approximately 80 to 100 hours aweek - not many people do that for their job - their annual income is $65,000 - you do the math? Would you put up with what they do for that? Teaching is not a gravy job - it's a lot of crap and they have to take it, because they have no rights - do you know if my father had put the young man in his face in his place - that my father would have lost his job, been banned as a teacher, and probably be in jail? Now that's real gratitude for 20 years of faithful service and duty for putting up with someone who was deliberately baiting him. The young man's punishment - his father was called and he was sent home for the rest of the day - my Dad's once he was revived - his fellow teachers gave him their sick time so he wouldn't have to lose his pay for the remainder of the year - you didn't know that teacher's don't get sick pay? that's right - after so many days - it comes out of their own pocket? Does your job do that? None of mine ever did - I had paid time off. So 20/20 and their mythbuster needs to do a little more research before they spout their lies and myths - I'm one very unhappy middle aged woman, who just about buried her father over what "public school" teachers go through - so I don't think too highly of the children, teens, etc who go there and act like the spoiled rotten, brats they are, who have no respect for themselves or their teachers, and who have no respect for the cost of life.

I definitely don't think teachers are overpaid. If you calculate the number of hours that teachers actually work in the school per week and divide that by the weekly salary, it doesn't look that bad. However, you MUST take into consideration the countless hours that teachers spend outside of the classroom preparing, grading, helping students, etc. Teachers don't get paid for overtime hours.

Because of the not-so-attractive salary that teachers receive, the profession attracts not-so-competent people and educational degree programs that are not challenging.

I am currently pursuing a degree in education, and while it would be nice for the salary to be more, I am not that unhappy with it. I will always have weekends, holidays, spring break, and summers off. Plus, I will be paid even more when I receive my Master's degree.

However, I recognize that there are a lot of incompetent teachers that don't earn their wages. This is why I am in favor of merit pay for teachers. This way the teachers are paid based on how good of a job they do.

My wife and sister are both teachers. They are paid well compared to many profesions. the problem is that they are now being given larger classes with more children. Another major problem is that teachers are expected to raise children. A teacher should teach children with the support of parents. Many children today have no respect for ADULTS and no MANNERS. They are in control of their own parents and feel they can do the same with the teacher. The classromm is very different from 10-20 years ago. Another indicator of the stress in teaching is the demand. Look at how many teachers leave the profession in the first 3 years. Parents like to blame instead of support educators. Why don't these people question their doctor, lawyer, mechanic etc. Trust me, just by volunteering a few times a week i would not take this job even if it was double my pay.

If you look at the average teacher and compare the level of education with a woker in ANY other area with the same level of qualifications, you are guaranteed to see a depressing trend in pay discrepency. I am a first year teacher with a Master's degree in my field, and I make enough money to be on food stamps and government assistance programs. I work 12 hours a day, weekends, holidays, and during the summer. I am frequently told that if my students don't perform better, I will face consequences. I am expected to attend staff meetings, professional development, and after school functions without pay or "flex time" as you might expect in some other professions. I am treated as a salaried worker when the situation benefits the school district and an hourly worker when the situation benefits the school district. People with no educational experience are the leaders in my field and consistently make rulings and mandates that govern my every day. I am expected to take my meager salary and purchase nearly everything my students could possibly need, including appropriate clothing at times, and this is not even considering that I must provide my own resources (since I can't purchase them, I must make them myself). I am a union worker but can be fired at will if they can find someone to replace me because it takes between 3 and 5 years with a district to become tenured. My union cannot even secure a free lunch hour (25 minutes) away from students. I will probably lose bladder control by the time I'm 40 because I don't get bathroom breaks. I could go on...

I think teachers are paid fine (if not a little too much) and yes they can opt in to get paid all through the year even the summer months, each check is less but its the same amount per year, plus they get all kinds of govnt benefits and tax breaks. And can find summer jobs if they want to bring in more income. Also most of them dont do their jobs anyway. I dont see what they are always complaining about, if you knew the pay wasnt what you were going to want then why not find a different profession in the first place

Also teachers arent the only people to do "out of office" work and not get apid for it.

They definitely get underpaid. They have masters degrees, and are required to go through ongoing training. They are responsible for the nation's children 6 hours a day, five days a week, about 10 months of the year. So much of what a child learns comes from a teacher they had. Plus, Right now, many schools are so desparate for teachers, that they are taking candidates that don't even have teaching certificates.

I know a teacher and she is paid a fair wage. She does get paid through out the summer. In addition to her salary she works as a tutor for the kids in her class that aren't doing as well as they can. Through a grant she is then paid thirty dollars an hour per kid to tutor. Not to bad. Plus again the 3 months of paid vacation time.

Maybe they get a higher hourly wage, but they don't get paid for at least three months out of the year. And it's only counting their actual in-class time. Most teachers spend many off-campus hours per day correcting papers, preparing class projects and curriculum, etc.

They get paid what they deserve. They only work about 8 months out of the year...so technically the hours they actually work vs. the salary comes out to a little over $20/hr.

I think this is a trick question because there are a few wonderful teachers that are under paid and some really stupid teachers out there that never should be allowed to teach.