How Do You Live on a Teacher's Salary?
This morning, I opened my inbox and found an E-mail from Danny Kofke, a special education teacher in Georgia. It started on a thoughtful note. "I hope you had a nice weekend," it said. It didn't take long for Mr. Kofke to get to the point. "It seems as if everyday we hear/read about how bad the economic situation in our country is. I was wondering if I could work with you in some manner to inspire others financially?"
His tone struck me as genuine, and his offer was intriguing enough. OK, I thought, what do you have in mind, Mr. Kofke? Then came the big reveal, "I recently wrote a book, How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary." Aha! You don't really want to work with me to inspire other people: You want me to plug your book in some article. But then it occurred to me that even if his 86-page book doesn't leave every reader financially inspired, Mr. Kofke was on to something. After all, he has been able to support a family of four on his teacher's salary and has done so for a good portion of the 10 years he has been in the profession. His E-mail raised interesting and legitimate questions: What is happening to teachers who can't make ends meet during these tough economic times? And what can they do to avoid the fate of so many others who quit teaching because of low pay?
So there you have it, Mr. Kofke. You succeeded on two fronts: You got me to plug your book, and you have me thinking about doing a story about struggling teachers in a sluggish economy. Any teachers out there care to tell us your stories? (Note: Preferably not in a published format.)
Tags: salaries | teachers | education
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Reader Comments
How can you complain?
As a fellow teacher, I am not arguing about the lack of pay given to teachers because there really is no reason to argue - in my state, New York, we are required to have a Masters in order to stay certified.
I am, however, complaining about the number of educators who made comments about not being appreciated or respected and then making a bunch of typos in their comments. I can only hope when we have those e-mail and letter writing campaigns to the government, that we do not take such liberties in that form of communication - or else, how can we expect to be respected and paid better?
ok
will all i hav 2 say is dat i really want 2 be a teacher because i love kids but i want 2 be a 5th grade tacher n im only n the 6th grade so yea but anyway yea n yes i lookin
Finished
I was doomed. Earning a credential during the Bush cataclysm was a nightmare beyond description. Every time I got close to earning my credential, they changed the rules. I taught middle school for 10 years in a very low income area. I raised scores but, more importantly, I changed lives. I didn’t need support. I didn’t need help. I did it alone. But what I really DIDN’T need was the relentless administrative pressure, federal, state, and district. Take this class. Earn this title. Do it on your own dime. And every time I turned around there was another politician, another administrator, who was rattling his public relations saber about the incompetence of our collective work. I’ll take my students’ love and appreciation with me as I make that hard walk away. After 10 years of unconditional success all I have from our leaders are student loans and a label that I am not “highly qualified.”
No wonder we have such high rates of anxiety and disease. No thanks. I’m finished.
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