Musicians who check out spinme.com for music business news may want to skip past this post — it’s about one of my extracurricular projects.
As always, I am so flattered and excited when I get to write for my friends at Yahoo! about careers. My editors asked me to look into some jobs that offer more than just one or two weeks off per year. The resulting article, Five Rewarding Careers that Let You Have a Life, went live over the weekend and bubbled to their top page this morning.
It generated some interesting reader mail, including these comments:
You paint a lovely but unrealistic picture of this career. Our last day is June 2nd and I’ll return to this building August 7th. Actually I will use a personal day for June 2nd because I report to graduate school in Kansas on that day. For the second summer in a row, I will spend all of June and July attending classes. – Kiki in Colorado
Are you kidding me, were did you do your research. A K-12 teacher lets there class out early June, in most cases they are back in the classroom the next week to meet state requirements. Last summer because of the cost of daycare (NO INCOME DURING THE SUMMER BREAK) my children went to class with my wife, which let out right before she was the report back to the school she teaches at, for the beginning year seminars and to put your classroom back in order after summer cleaning. – Michael in Arizona
I am extremely insulted by your article. I do NOT get a VACATION! I am on unpaid leave for about 2 months. Also, during that time I HAVE to continue my education. Teaching licenses require 6 graduate credits every 5 years. So, even though I am not being paid I have to pay out money to continue my career. I would appreciate you doing better research before your write your articles. After reading this one, I assume you have misrepresented many things in your other articles. – Linda in Texas
I am NOT off for three months in the summer. If you look at when I do not have school, it comes in at less than three months. On top of that, there are meetings for 1 – 2 weeks after the year is over, and 1 – 2 weeks before the year begins. In reality, my summer is approximately 6 weeks long. – Wendy in Oregon
Certainly, I didn’t write the article to rile you up, or to paint an overly flattering picture of a challenging — but rewarding — career. To clarify the position I took in the article, I’d like to point out a few facts:
First, a number of you were riled up at the implication that teachers get “three months off.” Rest assured, that statement never appeared anywhere in my article. While teachers, in my book, deserve three months off, I don’t know of a school district that offers that much of a perk. Some of the other careers profiled in the piece do offer an unpaid seasonal break, especially for resort chefs. The closing paragraph of the piece also noted that all five careers involving unpaid leave required time management and money management skills.
Unfortunately, one of the folks who helped to promote this article used “Three Months Off” as a subhead on the Yahoo! home page, so I can understand where you might have felt that was implied. In my experience, teachers tend to get from 4-8 weeks in the summer as personal time. Sometimes, this time off is paid. Sometimes. it’s unpaid. Every school district seems to do this a little bit differently. And, as many folks pointed out in my inbox, some employers expect or require teachers to complete professional development projects during that time.
Second, whenever I write an article about education jobs, I hear from teachers who want to know where I get my data. I rely on surveys conducted by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as data from local school districts and government offices. I also interview teachers and school officials for background information, which I add to my collection of articles from colleagues at newspapers and blogs.
In many parts of the country, school districts and charter schools are competing for fresh talent with bigger pay packages, fast-tracked licensure, and — yes — guaranteed time off that does not include lesson planning and professional development. Some school districts are experimenting with year-round calendars, while others are dropping weather buffers in favor of longer summers.
For prospective teachers entering their careers in competitive school districts, there are some sweet deals to be had. At the same time, I know many beleaguered teaching professionals who earn under $22,000 a year and don’t remember what a day off looks like. Is that fair? Certainly not. But that’s the reality in a system that is generally underfunded and under attack from both political and economic forces.
Finally, some writers suggest I implied that teaching is a breeze. Yes, some teachers make it look effortless. However, teaching is hard work. None of my articles imply anything different. If you have read any of my articles and understood that to be the message, I sincerely apologize. More than most of us, teachers have a tendency to take their work home with them. Some teachers absorb the personal struggles of at-risk students. Others face challenges of meeting lofty goals with few resources. Do we ever ask bank tellers to pull a shift without pens or pencils? Why, then, do we constantly ask teachers to do the same?
I hope you can understand that my intent was not to insult anyone or to denigrate a profession. I’m merely reporting on a curious trend that has been tracked by multiple, credible sources. I do thank everyone who wrote in, especially since it gives us a sense of how many people are getting the chance to enjoy these pieces.
Comments on this post are open, and I’d love to continue the conversation…
UPDATE (Aug 27, 2008): A re-edit of this piece is now circulating, in which a paragraph has been massaged to include the phrase, “Even with three months off, many K-12 teachers earn over $41,000 per year.” A well-meaning editor wanted to emphasize the “three months” angle, although the statement actually refers to a minority of teachers working in school districts that do provide this perk.
9 responses
Update: For folks who ask me about teachers making more than $41,000 per year, here’s one school district that appears to be paying first grade teachers over $70,000 per year!!!
http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2008/04/are-sun-prairie-teachers-underpaid-part.html
It does annoy me when people start talking about how it so sad that teachers get paid so little, etc, because these people are just repeating what they’ve heard, rather than thinking for themselves. All I know is that here in NYC I know a teacher, makes over $80,000 a year, has the whole summer off, every Christian, Jewish Holiday off. American holiday off. Christmas vacation, miscellaneous vacation set by the schools off. Right now in NYC we’re in the middle of a winter recess, that’s another week off. 2 weeks ago there was a week off because it was the end of the semester. This person gets to go home early every Monday. And I don’t know about now, but I remember this person having 4 periods free. That’s like having a 3 hour lunch break on a 6 hour work day. And the worst part no one is held accountable for the bad grades that the students get. So it annoys me that whenever somebody mentions the word teacher, people start talking as if they’re little kids with cancer.
Okay just a little reality check. I have been teaching for 30 years, I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree plus an additional 15 postgraduate hours. Will all of this I just now make $50,000? That is after 30 years of experience. My closest friends from college that did not go into education are making 2 to 3 times that amount with no post bachelor’s degree. Yes, I do get about 8 weeks off in the summer, but it is not paid. My pay is based on the 10 months I work and then divided out into 12 monthly payments so I do have income in the summer. Without my summers off, I would have lasted in teaching about five years. Talk to any parent who has a couple of kids at home during the summer, and ask them if they are ready for school to begin in the fall. Now imagine between 25 and 30 kids everyday. Not just keeping them busy or entertained but educating them. Through in a few students that are just your normal easily distracted students, a couple of students that are bi-polar, a couple more that have no one at home that cares what they do, and some overbearing parents that insist that their child is ALWAYS right and NEVER tells an untruth, and then try to not only teach them all in one class of 25, but ensure that every single one of them passes and meets that state standards test including those that are in special education or have been deemed as to low to qualify for special education help, and you will understand why the job I loved 30 years ago, is the same job I that I am ready to leave. I have talked my own child out of teaching. Oh by the way I get exactly 27 minutes for lunch and my one “free period” as a previous writer described it is used for grading the multitude of papers, entering grades on the computer, writing my weekly lesson plans, and calling parents. If I am lucky I may get in a restroom break.
To the person above me, Jim Stevenson, my mother is a first grade teacher so I feel for you in many ways. But I still massively disagree on several important points.
-Yes you ARE paid for the summer. Whatever you make for your year, compare that to someone of the same amount. You make 50K a year and you get summer off, period. Now 50K a year is not a lot after 30years. My mother gets~55 after 25 years. But the fact remains that you do indeed get that time off.
-Ouch, it sounds like your a low grade elementary teacher? Like I said my mother is a first grader so I know it's hard. But there are plenty of teachers who have smaller classes, or teach higher levels (where the kids behavior isn't as much a problem) that still get the pay and vacation.
-Teaching isn't easy, I watched my mom work so hard for decades. But those many breaks make it a touch easier (tenure is pretty damn nice as well)
If I do become a teacher it will be a professor of chemistry for a 4 year college. Much better than high school and the students are old enough to be fun.
Well after reading all of these articals all I will tell you that Jim is the only one that has it right. If as a parent you can imagine having your 2-3 kids home for the day and all they want to do is what ever THEY want to do when they want to do it, that is the resistance. Now multiply that times 25-30 kids per class now multiply that times 6 classes per day times 43 weeks. It dosnt matter what is is you want them to do or learn it is the fact that you want them to do somthing. Now if it is somthing like mathmatics which most kids hate, now imagine the resistance times 25-30 times 6 classes a day times 43 weeks.
No teacher wants anyone to fell sorry for them or treat them as a child with cancer as one artical so eliquently stated. They would just like to do there jobs well without ALL THE OUTSIDE FORCES WORKING AGAINST THEM. Only a good teacher knows how hard it is to do this job well. Everyone else will just have to imagine. By the way the average teacher quits after 3 years and average salary 34-39K. average day is 13 hrs, average money spent out of there own pocket 1100.00 per year, 88% have a second job, average teacher has 29k in student loans.
Just so you know I was an 6 figure engineer for 20 plus years, I quit to become a teacher. I wanted to know what went on in my kids schools and roll up my sleeves and help this generation out of this educational crisis.
I will tell all of you that think you know about teaching and whats going on . YOU DONT. YOU HAVE TO DO IT TO REALLY KNOW.
I have run 50 milliom doller projects with 600 employees and thought that was pressure.
Most teachers are not there for the money and any time off including the summer is spent on teaching task and professional development at there own expense.
I cant really put a doller amount to the dedication required to be a good educator of YOUR children but it should at least be more than the guy who picks up your trash.
After reading all these articals Jim is the only one that has it right.
Well after reading all of these articals all I will tell you that Jim is the only one that has it right. If as a parent you can imagine having your 2-3 kids home for the day and all they want to do is what ever THEY want to do when they want to do it, that is the resistance. Now multiply that times 25-30 kids per class now multiply that times 6 classes per day times 43 weeks. It dosnt matter what is is you want them to do or learn it is the fact that you want them to do somthing. Now if it is somthing like mathmatics which most kids hate, now imagine the resistance times 25-30 times 6 classes a day times 43 weeks.
No teacher wants anyone to fell sorry for them or treat them as a child with cancer as one artical so eliquently stated. They would just like to do there jobs well without ALL THE OUTSIDE FORCES WORKING AGAINST THEM. Only a good teacher knows how hard it is to do this job well. Everyone else will just have to imagine. By the way the average teacher quits after 3 years and average salary 34-39K. average day is 13 hrs, average money spent out of there own pocket 1100.00 per year, 88% have a second job, average teacher has 29k in student loans.
Just so you know I was an 6 figure engineer for 20 plus years, I quit to become a teacher. I wanted to know what went on in my kids schools and roll up my sleeves and help this generation out of this educational crisis.
I will tell all of you that think you know about teaching and whats going on . YOU DONT. YOU HAVE TO DO IT TO REALLY KNOW.
I have run 50 milliom doller projects with 600 employees and thought that was pressure.
Most teachers are not there for the money and any time off including the summer is spent on teaching task and professional development at there own expense.
I cant really put a doller amount to the dedication required to be a good educator of YOUR children but it should at least be more than the guy who picks up your trash.
After reading all these articals Jim is the only one that has it right.
I wonder, after Ptack read all these articles, if he felt Jim is the only one that has it right?