I’m fed up with teachers and their hefty salary guides. What we need here is a little perspective. If I had my way, I’d pay these teachers myself…I’d pay them babysitting wages. That’s right. Instead of paying these outrageous taxes, I’d give them $3.00 an hour out of my own pocket. And I’m only going to pay them for five hours, not coffee breaks. That would be $15.00 a day. Each parent should pay $15 a day for these teachers to babysit their children. Even if they have more than one child, it’s still cheaper than private day care.
Now, how many children do they teach in a day, maybe twenty? That’s $15 X 20 = $300 a day. But remember they only work 180 days a year! I’m not going to pay them for all those vacations. $300 X180 = $54,000. (Just a minute, I think my calculator needs batteries.)
I know you teachers will say, “What about those who have ten years of experience and a Master’s degree?” Well, maybe, (just to be fair) they could get the minimum wage, and instead of just babysitting, they could read the kids a story. We can round that off to about $5.00 an hour, times 5 hours, times 20 children…$5.00 X 5 X 20. That’s $500 a day times 180 days. That’s $90,000. HUH? Wait a minute…! Let’s get a little perspective here.
Babysitting wages are too good for those teachers. Did anyone see a salary guide around here???!!!
(via Classroom Connection)
Ærchies Archive - Digital Detritus 
Can I have babysitting wages for looking after the grandparents?
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What about baby-sitting wages for the grandparents who look after the kids? I know it’s not all the time … just for 2 – 3 hours after school and of course school holidays. Would you work that out for me, please Ærchie?
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Actually, the teachers around here would love to have babysitting wages as you describe. I know they make less than nurses with less education.
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Baby sitting, well these days I think teachers have been given the responsibility of teaching children respect, manners, empathy, to be considerate of others, how to behave in social situations, self value and self esteem, that a book is for opening and reading and enjoying and so many other things that children used to learn between the ages of birth and four; before starting school.
perhaps a babysitter should be employed by parents for their childrens early years so that their children have a better chance to succeed at school and in their future lives.
And on top of those things teachers need to some how teach usually at least 30, as this would be a more average class size, children reading and writing, math, science, history, geography, information and communications technology, arts from an ever changing curriculum which is different from state to state (why??). so then there is lesson planning and evaluation, student learning outcomes and records of this, school reports , paper work paper work and more paper work.
Lunch time duties with children who know more swear words than I. children who have no respect for themselves or anyone else or school rules; put in place to keep everyone safe and give everyone the chance to feel safe and happy so they have a chance to learn and develop to be confident young adults. Perhaps teachers should be getting danger money as well in some schools.
Children see children do. a child’s education in life does not begin at school. it begins the day they are born. the people who influence them most are their parents. a parent who is racist develops a child who is, a parent with no respect for others…….; a parent who reads and loves life and loves to learn has more chance to develop a child the same. perhaps if parents and teachers work together there is a world of possibilities.
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Thank you for a thoughtful reply, Kat. You and I have both seen where no respect can take a student population. This came out of the USA in a teacher’s magazine and makes the point very clearly that Nations talk a lot about the benefits of education but insist on paying peanuts to the educators.
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Several years ago (did the math, it was 14 years) there was a test devised to test California teachers. It was a 6th grade level general knowledge test. Most teachers /and administrators/ could not pass it.
I vote that when /all/ grade school teachers can pass grade school level general knowledge tests that we raise their pay. I further vote that, if they can’t pass those tests that we fire them and find teachers who can. And pay ’em well.
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