What We Make

I love this clip of slam poet Taylor Mali on What Teachers Make



I think that a big part of stress for teachers comes from not being adequately valued by society. It shouldn't matter what other people think, but if you're regularly disparaged it can be a real drain. I won't go into the details of what the general public goes on about because if you are a teacher you know full well the underhanded comments that come your way.

This YouTube clip should cheer you up.

You know - I love how people say "It must be nice to have the whole summer off!" Little do they know that you aren't actually paid for those two months. And in those two months most teachers are taking various upgrading course work. Course work that we pay for out of pocket. I laughed when someone (not a teacher) asked if my district would pay for my Masters, the way their work paid for their MBA. Well we can dream.

But my favourite response to the summer-off thing is: "Yes it is. Your major was science/business/math? Schools are often looking for people with those qualifications. You should consider becoming a teacher."

The most common response from those people: SILENCE.