Quote Originally Posted by waterboy View Post
What about those who are extremely smart, valedictorian and salutatorian in fact, choosing to be a teacher or a registered nurse? Both are making over a 97 average in college, but that is what they have chosen as their careers. Does that mean they are just not smart enough to become doctors or engineers? NO!

As the spouse of a teacher for 22 years, I can tell you that you really have no clue about the time teachers put in at their jobs. While it may be true for "some" teachers to only work about 9 months out of the year, it is not true for the vast majority of them. I've seen my wife work from 7:15 AM to 10:00 PM five days a week, and then at least 8 hours on Saturdays getting lesson plans together, grading papers, entering grades, etc. That doesn't include the continuing education classes they have to take during the summer. Suffice it to say, she used to work 12 months worth of hours in the "9 months" you're talking about. While her salary is "decent", it wouldn't be worth it for most people. You absolutely have to WANT to do it. Putting up with poor excuses for parents and state mandated testing guidelines, etc. is a whole other thing. The idea of getting rich is definitely not why teachers do what they do. If that were their intent, they definitely chose the wrong career. My wife worked 40 hours a week while working toward her degree. She knows what a "regular" job is for sure. I have nothing but respect for teachers, and yes, I believe they should be paid more. Incentive pay is extremely tough to gauge due to varying student abilities, so I wouldn't know the first "fair" way to make it valid.
I don’t think you understood the point of my post.

I’m not saying all teachers aren’t capable of doing other jobs. Vast majority certainly are. And for those who excel, they would have no problem getting the certifications even if the bar were raised substantially.

What I’m saying is they should make the degrees and certifications more difficult to get. That would force out the mediocre candidates, and the ones who aren’t doing it because teaching is what they love. This would drive up wages for teachers like your wife.....

I think everyone on this thread thinks I’m the bad guy because they aren’t actually reading what I’m saying. I’m saying good teachers are victims of the lax requirements to be a teacher.....