Are you insane? Teachers are the most OVERPAID career that requires a 4 year degree ! In Pennsylvania, public school teachers are being paid $65K-$85K, while other people requiring a 4 year degree are getting $35K-$45K. And they have to work all year. If you calculate that 3/4 year that teachers work it comes to $86K-$113K per year of work. I recently had the oportunity to install a intercom system in a local school district and i observed how things are now. Teachers are constantly bitching for new schools, it's because they are making classrooms tiny , for 12-14 students. Once they get a school with tiny classrooms they know they won't have to ever teach a larger class. Also i noticed how the teachers are fighting over the A/V equiptment so they can run a videotape instead of teaching a class. They all have their teachers assistants to correct homework papers and tests. They always want new computers but do not teach anything about computers, but just have the kids play on the internet. Don't forget the worthless junk public schools have like gym, music and art class. Having these will never get you a job. History and geography will not get you a job either. All school should be is math and science. And most of the math should be knowing the difference between progressive and regressive taxation. Then by the time a student graduates he will know that public school teachers are the DREGS of america, the main cause of homelessness ! When i went in the NAVY, our classes were a videotape of someone teaching that particular class. There were no live teachers. Teaching the same presentation over and over is redundant. In the real world, robots are taking the redundant jobs. School teachers are the same as a court stenographer, something the government keeps even when they know that a cheap cassette recorder will do a better job and cheaper. Public school teachers are a form of government corruption in order to keep a lot of jobs. A person can learn more at HOME on a computer. We don't live in the stone age anymore ! Also don't forget about states having representatives to congress or even the governor. The government was created in a day when any kind of communication was unheard of. But today we have cell phones and the internet, the people can vote on all issues and not one person voting their opinion for thousands of people. Keeping more government jobs ! Whenever someone says they're afraid that someone will bring a gun to school and kill their kid, i say to them, why don't you home school. I swear that everyone comes back with the same answer, "i got to work, i can't afford to pay some to watch my kids". That proves why public school still exists today. It's FREE DAY CARE for people with kids.

Underpaid but too tied into tenure.

I don't think so. They are probably more underpaid than overpaid.

No.

Most of them are. The good ones may not be but being a good teacher is dangerous. The other teachers will resent you and do all they can to sabotage you and your career because they view you as a threat to them. The only real talent most teachers have is that of sucking any and all interest out of perfectly good subjects and making the kids hate school and learning. We are enjoying the fruits of the public school system right now in our economy.

Froggy, I agree COMPLETELY with your post about teachers!! They most certainly are overpaid and underworked! It's time that these lazy bums realize what it's like to do a real day's work! Good for you for pointing it out!

I would say that the work for pay part falls rather low. Many are excellent yet there are the lazy ones who really should never recieve a pay

No, in fact they are underpaid, especially in the UK where they have to deal with disgustingly overcrowded classes, physical and mental abuse and insufficient teaching facilities.

Wow, Froggy . . . I don't know what kind of school you were in, but most teachers, including myself, work their asses off day in and day out. I arrive at school at 7:30 every morning and often stay until 5 or later. I often give up my lunch hours to help children do their work or to coach. I spend many weekends during the school year planning, marking, and coaching extra curricular courses. I spend evenings marking, planning, and doing professional reading. I only show videos when they are related to the curriculum, not because I want to avoid teaching. I have to teach ALL the students I get . . . the good, the bad, and the ugly. This means that I may have to do several different tailored lesson plans to suit students with varying needs. I have also spend several summers taking upgrading courses so that I can do my job better. So, anyone dare to put their money where their mouths are? Walk in my shoes for a day, just one day,or a week if you're brave . . . be the teacher, the social worker, the nurse, the drill sargeant, the coach, the cheerleader, and a human being all at the same time . . . and then let's see how you do. It's easy to be an armchair critic when you only get a small picture of what a teacher actually does. Oh, and your spelling and grammar aren't all that bad, considering that you think only math and science should be required . . . and perhaps you should thank a teacher, or maybe all of your teachers, that you can communicate your thoughts so articulately. Or, perhaps you taught yourself?