The following is a guest post from Penny who writes at She Picks Up Pennies.
This post started with an exchange on Twitter. Penny said something like, “I’m not mad about people who earn six figures because I hope to join them!”
I was impressed with both her intention and thinking and I had to know more. I told her I would love to have her share her thoughts in a guest post and the rest is history.
She makes so many meaningful points in this post! Here are some of my favorites:
- Even people who are locked in to careers or fields where raises are “set” and can’t be altered can find ways to earn more
- Continual education plays a big role in growing income
- If you take control, manage your career, and become creative in considering options, you can earn more
- If there’s a will, there’s a way (I’m so impressed by her initiative in funding her advanced degree).
There’s much more here and I don’t want to spoil it for you, so let me turn it over to Penny…
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I don’t make six figures. Even the most generous rounding won’t get my salary there. My husband? He’s even farther away. We are two teachers from the Midwest. But just because we are not making six figures now doesn’t mean we won’t get there.
We will. I’m sure of it. It’s time to talk about it, too. No, it’s not about tooting my own horn. It is something much more important than busting out the old kazoo. It’s time for more people to believe that their situation now doesn’t have to be their situation forever and to realize that there’s nothing wrong with striving to be a high earner.
A Little Backstory
I have been teaching in a Chicago suburb for a decade and my husband has as well for not quite as long. I point this out because education is a profession that varies widely in terms of compensation. In education, just as on House Hunters, it’s location, location, location.
Our prospects are much better than teachers in some states, but both of our incomes are tied to salary schedules that are determined by the schools’ budgets and what the taxpayers are willing to allow. My salary schedule is much more generous than my husband’s, allowing me to be the breadwinner (maternity leave notwithstanding). But his coaching stipends and curriculum work pay is much more handsome.
All of it, though, pales in comparison to a lot of other professions that people normally flock to if they have ambitions to pull in six figures a year. Still, I’m a big believer in doing what you love along the road to wealth. Now that I’ve done this job for ten years, I’m finally ready to share my plan to pull in six figures as a teacher and some strategies that might help other mid-income earners do the same.
Play the Long Game
I got my teaching degree in the middle of a huge job shortage.
You might remember the recession as the time that everyone lost their jobs. I remember it as the time when everyone and their uncle decided that getting a teaching degree and hopping into the classroom would be a good failsafe. It wasn’t. There were over 700 applicants for the one position I applied for. And nearly 600 for the second.
I accepted the first job I was offered because the job was there and the money was there. Or so I thought. After getting fired (and later recalled) not once, but twice, I knew it was time to leave for greener pastures. Namely, I needed to find a district that could afford to pay their teachers’ salaries.
So I took a $10,000 cut in pay. Let me say that again. $10,000. Why? Because at 23, I realized something. The job you do now doesn’t just matter in the sense that it gives you something right for the current year on the resume. The job you do now is a stepping stone for 5, 10, or even 30 years from now.
The cut in pay stung. Don’t get me wrong. But when I reviewed the salary schedule, I realized that while it would take me several years to climb back to what I was earning in my previous district, I would max out making almost $30,000 more. Per year.
I’m not a teacher. So what? I realize that money in education is vastly different than most other career fields. While we enjoy both the good and the bad that comes with having very public salary schedules, it is possible to play the long game in many jobs. Networking, informal conversations, and even snooping researching on sites like Glassdoor should at least give most everyone some initial insight into their field. More than anything, though, flexibility and adaptability if you find yourself in a less-than-ideal situation go a long way.
Invest in Yourself
Once I landed a job with more stability, I started to explore the different ways that I could boost my income. As educators, there isn’t much in our field by way of raises and bonuses. At least not in the traditional sense.
Instead, most school districts operate on salary schedules that offer lane changes (read: more money) based on graduate education hours. After accepting a much smaller salary, the idea of spending more money seemed downright dumb. But again, I was thinking long term. I wanted to get as far over on the salary schedule as fast as I could, and that meant more school.
There was no way I was taking out a student loan. That seemed insult to injury. So I leveraged my high credit score and took out several zero-percent interest credit cards. After calculating what I could attempt to cash flow (Ah, youth. At 23, I had no childcare costs or car payments, though I was saving furiously for a house.), I created a payment plan that was much more favorable than any student loan or university payment option would have been.
From there, I completed a Master’s degree in reading and I went on to pick up several other certificates and one more Master’s. Each program was more in-demand than the last. Now, I’m in my early 30s. I’ve maxed out the salary schedule in terms of education credits, and I’m qualified to teach some of the most sought after areas of education.
I’m not a teacher. So what? Figure out what makes you worth as much money as possible. What skills or talents do you need? Then, invest in yourself. Be smart about how you pay for that investment. Inquire if your work covers tuition or will provide some kind of financing. See if there are cohorts or other ways to acquire discounted tuition if you are in need of more traditional schooling.
Otherwise, explore all of the ways that you can take classes or gain skills online, some for very little or no cost to you other than your time. If you find yourself doing this at the start of your career, the financial cost might be a bit much to bear at first. But no matter how much I learn about investments, it seems pretty clear to me that the one that consistently pays off in any market condition is the one we make in ourselves.
Stuck, But Not Really
Now, here’s the current conundrum. I still don’t make six figures. I have made some really smart money moves, but even now, I’m not slated to pull in six figures for another decade. I have two choices. The first option lets me sit back and let time work its magic. Each year of service nets me a small raise. It also gives our money in the market more time to do its thing. Conversely, the second choice involves monetizing our talents and skills. Otherwise known as prioritizing the side hustle or the passion project.
Some—like coaching and tutoring—are fairly specific to our careers. Others, though, are things most people could pursue. As teachers, we also have the option of picking up extra work on occasion by joining various curriculum teams (Who am I kidding? This is very rarely ever a paid assignment.), subbing, or even proctoring tests on the weekend or over the summer. It all adds up.
I’m not a teacher. So what? While you may think side hustling is a no brainer, I’m not sure that’s the first course of action I would take if I were following another career path. Many careers not only reward performance with raises and bonuses, they also let you negotiate your salary. While I know not every negotiation is a success, I also know that none of them are if they don’t happen. If you find yourself feeling stuck at work, though, then it might be time to pursue a passion project that allows you to capitalize on a talent or an interest while still paying you a reasonable amount for your time. Basically, don’t give your time away for nothing or next to nothing.
Six Figures Doth Not a Scrooge Make
Very few people in real life know that I aspire to pull in six figures. That’s not because I blog anonymously. It’s because my career is typically thought of as a labor of love, a calling, a service to the community.
The media and even people in my own neighborhood make it very clear that they feel that teachers are undeserving of big incomes. But the real truth is that many teachers are uncomfortable talking about money because we love what we do, and we have this bizarre notion that someone’s passion should be enough to pay power bills and mortgages.
While no one is asking us to starve (we’re not artists, for Pete’s sake), popular culture seems to support the notion that teachers can and should live on meager earnings. Take Matilda. You know, the Roald Dahl book you haven’t read since third grade. The teacher in the book who Matilda absolutely loves spends her days eating bread and butter because of her pittance of a salary. It’s a heartwarming tale of dedication.
Then, there’s the Freedom Writers story that took off more than a decade ago. She earned little pay and gave so much of herself that she sacrificed her marriage and much of her happiness. It’s the price you pay for doing what you love.
The quest for six figures gets even more complicated when you consider the ways in which our country tends to vilify any individual with a big income. Let’s look at Scrooge. Whether we’re talking about the original Dickens character or the McDuck cartoon version, one thing is abundantly clear: Rich people are misers who think little of others without divine intervention. News headlines describing real-life millionaires aren’t much more generous. But net worth doesn’t dictate self-worth. No one should apologize for seeking wealth.
Final Thoughts on Seeking Six Figures
Maybe educators will never be paid their true worth. Maybe teacher burnout is inevitable. But that isn’t going to hold me back from pursuing more money.
Even if I don’t quite make it, I’m going down swinging. And I’m taking the stereotypical teacher narrative and Scrooge archetype with me.
Join me, won’t you?
My wife is an educator and did several of the same things. Master’s degree to pursue adminstrative positions. She did that so that she could fight for teachers and help them, because she felt like no one else was advocating for them.
My favorite part of this though is the idea that your “net worth does not determine your self worth.” So so good. And so true.
We can achieve goals, but if we don’t love the life we live along the way, what’s the point? And if we put money aside to achieve our goals, that doesn’t make us a scrooge… It makes us determined.
Great post. Seriously. Sending it to my wife now.
TPP
Thanks, TPP! That’s huge that your wife decided to pursue administrative roles to advocate for teachers. We definitely do a huge disservice to the professional when admin has never been in the classroom.
As for loving life now, I’m trying really hard to make that my priority. It’s so easy to get caught up chasing numbers that you forgot that today matters.
Great post, Penny! As you know – I am finishing up year 29 in education. I have two Master’s degree and a doctorate and I’ve never earned six figures. Had I stayed as a principal in the last five years, I would have made six figures. I’d likely be at around $120,000 right now. But I gave that up to go teach at the college level, not work 12 months a year, and have fun educating the next generation of teachers. Five years ago, I knew I was almost to FI because of this community (and that’s never making six figures and being a single mom for a number of years…)
I love following your story and I appreciate how you are trying to teach your peers about money and maternity leaves, etc… You are an inspiration for your generation. You love your job and you are a role model but you also believe that we should all strive to be who we want to be and get paid for it. Keep swinging, Penny! You’re hitting home runs already!
I love your story, Vicki! You are such an important reminder that you can do all sorts of amazing, kick butt things with money even if you don’t have the traditional high-income career. Now if we could just get you to really retire 😉 I kid, of course!
Really an excellent post. Very much enjoyed how you were able to weave teaching and non-teaching professions into the discussion so that a broader audience could relate.
I make six figures and have for a long time. It is nice but in retrospect not as important as I once thought. It is simply a number. I admire you for following your passion. Unfortunately income and passion often intersect and you need to choose one or the other. I think we all try to straddle that path for a while but eventually it seems that we often have to choose.
Bests of luck!
You’re right! There’s some overlap but ultimately you have to make a choice. A lot of the best teachers are leaving for ed tech positions, which I totally understand. I’m fortunate that my district pays relatively well! I wish I could say the same about my husband’s!
I love this post. My niece is an educator & she works so hard & her compensation is not at the level of her dedication (Sadly, I find this to be true with all my teacher friends). In general, I feel educators are grossly underpaid. They have the future of our children & our nation in their hands & their salary should reflect this responsibility.
Good luck Penny & I know you will hit your 6 figures! I will be going over to follow your blog.
Wow! That’s a huge compliment, Jacque. I would be flattered if you stopped by my blog. Kuddos to your niece for pursuing education. We need all the good teachers we can get! Now more so than ever in my humble opinion!
Great to see you here Penny-and I know you’re going to make it!
It’s so good to be here, Liz! My first guest post that isn’t part of an awesome interview series (ahem!). I appreciate the support and the wisdom from folks like yourself in the PF community!
Penny,
I am so glad you speak so openly and honestly about being paid what you’re worth. As an ESL teacher who’s a contractor, I find it hard to give up my contractual gig to jump on the salary scale of a school because I feel like I would be underpaid. And unfortunately, I still find it hard to shake the feeling that what I’m paid equates to what I’m worth, professionally speaking. Despite teachers’ relatively lower earning trajectories, though, Thomas Stanley of The Millionaire Next Door found they were more than twice as likely as the average American to be prodigious accumulators of wealth. So, despite low pay, or perhaps because of it, teachers tend to save and invest more than doctors, lawyers, and other traditionally higher paid professions. So I hold that thought close.
You’re right, Laurie! We can be great savers. Unfortunately, more and more young teachers are coming into the profession with $10k, $25k, even more in loans…and are taking out more loans to climb the pay scale. What a hole to climb out of!
The great thing here is you are clearly taking responsibility and being 100% accountable for your life journey.
By reading your post, I know you lead a successful life in whatever you do.
I am also curious if you ever clearly defined what your definition of success, in your professional life, in financial life.
Hey, Ari! I think you’ve actually inspired a blog post or two in terms of how I define success. Professionally, success is a student coming back a year or five or ten later and sharing what they actually learn. Of course, there are other markers. Professionally AND financially, I’m about there in terms of maxing out my salary schedule. But I still have a lot of success to try to cultivate in my classroom that matters more than dollars and cents. In my financial life, I feel like success is a moving target. I have to remind myself the fact that I bought a house at 26 on my own and my husband and I can do many things (within reason) to support ourselves and our son AND have fun means I’ve already had success.
And you’re totally right. I do take responsibility. I chose my profession. Though I can’t imagine leaving it anytime soon, I will do what I can as an individual to earn more (and I can be involved in my union, etc., to help my profession along as a whole).
Thanks for giving me so much to think about!
Thanks for sharing this Penny!
I have a sister who is a high school teacher and is continuously looking at ways to increase her salary. It definitely isn’t as easy as other fields because of the schools funding, but as you point out, it can be done!
I am fortunate in my career that pay increases are not that hard to come by, as long as you put in the effort. I have found that by “raising my hand when nobody else will” has put my name in the back of the mind of the majority of my managers. This has helped me obtain leadership roles, which have begun to slowly increase my salary.
Great post!
I think that attitude will get you so far, Sean! Raising your hand when no one else will HAS to be solid life advice in terms of money, taking positive risks, everything really!
Wonderful post Penny. I love how you’ve taken advantage of every opportunity to max your income while you still get to work in a field you love.
I sometimes question choosing a career that was safe and paid well over chasing my passions. In a way, it comes down to passions now or passions later. If you earn big and save you can FIRE and the start your passion work then. Or you can be working on your (presumably lower paying) passions all along and wait until a more traditional age to retire.
One huge benefit of being a teacher is having long periods of time off. I can only imagine how awesome it would be to have a two-month summer free each year. If you think of it that way, You’ve been 16% FIRE’d from the start.
It’s my mini-retirement for sure! Sadly, the summers are getting shorter. I have 8 days that I have to work, but I only get a time sheet for two of them. It’s what is best for my building and my students, but I’m trying to actually “retire” now that my son is here!
Ah, the two months off in the summer…..most teachers I know pick up a second job in the summer so that they can afford to be teachers. If not working, they are taking college courses to keep their certificates updated.
P.S. I’m a retired teacher and principal that did make over $100,000.
In SF, if you’re there long enough, a teacher can get $100k salary but it is SF which means it can’t go as far. My dept head biology teacher tutored, coached, volunteered etc. and he pulled in $100k but really he deserves more because his talent and smarts anywhere else in biotech (non teaching) would have netted him more
I’m more than certain there’s a higher portion of dedicated teachers in the Midwest and my heart just melted at the mention of Matilda.
I grew up in SF. Big city. And for high school I went to the ghetto side of town where a lot of the teachers were burned out. A few of them left for private school after 1-2 years of teaching where the pay is a lot higher. I would have done the same. At an inner city school, it’s more work and stress for less money and less respect. The actual kids weren’t great to deal with either. High schoolers aren’t as cute as 5th and 6th graders when they’re mad. These kids carried pocket knifes now!
You’re right that there’s tons of variables in teaching. I used to work at a Title 1 school that was almost 90% free and reduced lunch/low income. I would still work there today if it were up to me, but their funding was so bad. 🙁 It’s also interesting to look at how teachers are paid. We live in a very high COL suburb *for the Midwest*. But that’s also why my salary is so high. My district can pay what they do, at least in part, because of property taxes. It gets far more complicated when states have universal salary schedules and other things I don’t really understand 😉
Location is a big factor. As you know, six figures in SF is not six figures in the Midwest. Income is very relative depending on the local cost of living. I have many family members and friends who are teachers (all in the Midwest) and none are close to six figures nor aspire to have such income unless they have outside hustles. When I was entering college 30 years ago, I considered teaching until I saw the salaries and how they plateaued. I was too money motivated and pursued a different path. Now I am in my late 40s and winding down my work schedule and considering becoming a part-time business teacher at a local college and/or private HS since money is no longer my motivation. I would like to see more entrepreneurial education opportunities for teens.
I agree! I think there is a lot of potential in terms of helping students take a look at business and finance and entrepreneurship. Our high school has an amazing DECA program that I would love see expanded into the earlier grades.
I think it is important to note that the reward of going back to school (aside from personal satisfaction) was clear and understood before going back. If I do this, then I get that.
That is much different than other people in the working world (specifically outside the education realm) who go back to school and think they now deserve more money simply because they’ve completed an advanced degree.
Right! It definitely helped. It also made it really easy to see which programs are worth it and which aren’t. For instance, I knew it would cost $12k to get a Master’s, but I also knew exactly how long it would take for me to make my money back — no guessing required. That’s a huge advantage of a salary schedule!
Excellent post, Penny!
I spent pretty much an entire career working as an archaeologist, then teaching it online at night as an adjunct (historically, archaeology and teaching are two of the lowest paid professions).
However, I have a number of friends and family who are K-12 teachers and I have always envied their dedication. Teachers earn less than half of what they deserve because few things are more important than educating the next generation. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the “…bizarre notion that someone’s passion should be enough to pay power bills and mortgages”.
I will be following your blog soon.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you will stop by my blog! I would love to hear more about your careers and other insights 🙂
You could certainly write a totally different take on this post as an adjunct professor! You’re right that teaching is typically poorly paid, and I think it is just appalling what we do in higher education, especially given its costs. I am certain that your students were better for having you, but I am certain that that role came with its own frustrations.
Great post. Good to read from someone whose career does not involve making 6 figures (sometimes while they are in their 20s)- if one follows the PF blogs, it’s easy to forget that the majority of the population makes nowhere near that! But being in that vast throng does not mean that it’s impossible to improve one’s lot, eventually make a high income, and someday reach FI.
I, too, work in an industry with salaries that are tied to budgets and salary cohorts. But I have found that side hustles, both in and out of my field, help to increase my income. It is sad that we have to give up even more of our time to get there, but I guess the sacrifice makes the reward even more satisfying??? In any case- thank you for sharing your journey, your goals and your insights. It is comforting to me to realize that there are others in my circumstances.
And as an aside/end note…. You write very well. Well constructed sentences, excellent choice of words, good spelling, well developed and organized arguments, concise style. A pleasure to read! (Unlike many other bloggers… :-D)
That’s music to my ears, Patsy! I’m not sure you can pay an English teacher a higher compliment. Ha!
Thank you for reading about my journey. And you’re right about it being a balancing act with earning extra and having more time. I think everyone understands that, but it can mean something very different when you have a middle-income salary.
I was one of those people also looking for teaching jobs during the recession. I had a few interviews, but never any offers and today I’m not a teacher, I’m an office manager. I admire your dedication to your six-figure quest and support you in turning around the Scrooge view of six-figure people.
Good luck!
Thanks so much, Patricia! Do you think you’d ever go back to applying for teaching jobs? As I’m sure you know, the field is really hurting for teachers now.
As a teacher I do make six figures but it is not base salary. It is from the extra classes and advising I do. I look forward to the day when I don’t have to. Where my salary is enough for my lifestyle AND to max out my retirement accounts
That’s awesome, Jason, that you’ve found a way to cobble that together! This is my second summer not teaching summer school. I miss the money, but $2k for 6 weeks was not worth it…at least not now that our baby is here!
I AM an artist, “for Pete’s sake.” I still do not intend to starve. Do you think its okay to think its usual and customary for artists to starve but not teachers? Sheesh. An artist friend of mine pulls in 20k for a portrait. EVERY portrait commission. This is her only job. Tutoring art can be very lucrative. So please pull that phrase.
It was tongue in cheek, or intended to be 😉 I don’t think anyone should work for free, and if you swing by my blog, you’ll see I’m very vocal about that. I know there’s the whole troupe about exposure and whatnot. Nope. Pay people what they’re worth.
I used to be a teacher and during that time earned two Masters degrees. Though I left the classroom, I stayed in the field and my degrees never failed me–I got positions that I “shouldn’t have” based solely on my experience. The best part? My second Masters was a full scholarship (and life-changing in terms of content). Stay in school kids!
That’s amazing that you were able to land a scholarship for the second Masters. Woot!
It is all relative. I am making six figures in my early retirement side gigging a couple of days a week doing consulting I enjoy even though I do not need an income at this point. It is hard to get there in education because of the supply demand equation. As you said hundreds of people applied for the job you got. When I graduated with a chemical engineering degree I got eight firm job offers before I even got my degree because there were only a handful of graduates for the 120 companies that came to our university to recruit us. Certainly teaching has more social value than making gasoline but the market is based on supply and only a tiny percentage of the college going crowd choose chemical engineering while many graduate with a teaching degree. As long as some jobs are under supplied because of the difficulty in obtaining the degree those jobs will be the ones paying six figures and up. The same thing accounts for high pay for medical doctors, electrical engineers and other specialty fields that require a ton of math and science to graduate. However even at relatively less pay there is no reason you can’t accumulate and grow great wealth while still having the satisfaction that you are changing people’s lives through providing them education. Most people would hate the kind of engineering I did, even though it was a great fit for me.
Oh, I absolutely could have chosen to pursue a more lucrative field. I just very firmly believe that I wanted to pursue my passions now, not later. There may be plenty of teachers, but there are other ways that teachers can distinguish themselves within the field. Unfortunately, it doesn’t net the pay increase that we might like. But that’s the trade off, I suppose, for pursuing this field. And you’re spot on with still being able to accumulate wealth. I’m working on it! 🙂
I love everything about this article. Too many folks want to pile on higher income earners as if they did something wrong to get there. The majority that I have met are wonderful people who treat their income and wealth with respect. They find ways to be very charitable with what they have. Now this isn’t everyone mind you, but I suspect a larger percentage than society gives credit to.
I as well took about a $20k+ pay cut when transitioning from the military. It was a terrifying financial choice, but I wasn’t making it with a focus on 1-5 years. This was a 5+ year play for me and I knew this opportunity would pan out! 2 and a half years in and I making much more than i was before I left the military and was absolutely the right career move to make. We need to do a better job educating folks on career advancement and setting yourself up (financially) to be able to make those type of decision.
Thanks for the perspective Penny!
I love that you were willing to take that pay cut to play the long game! It sounds like it worked out well, but I have no doubt that it was stressful at the time.
Penny – Great post and you have gone beyond what most teachers do to maximize income. Teachers are underpaid. My wife taught for 18 years and the most she ever made was $26000 (when she was single in Alabama), but she would never have traded the experience and sense of accomplishment she had as teaching in a low income school district and helping kids envision a better future.
Thank her for me! I know I’m just an internet stranger, but honestly, teachers deserve all the thanks they can get. 18 years is an incredibly long time, and I’m positive she made a huge difference. It’s so sad that she couldn’t be paid more. Sigh.
“But the real truth is that many teachers are uncomfortable talking about money because we love what we do, and we have this bizarre notion that someone’s passion should be enough to pay power bills and mortgages.”
I saw that and sort of snorted at the similarity between that and working in the arts and then laughed out loud when you wrote “we’re not artists, for Pete’s sake.” I have no idea why people think that noble or creative jobs are a reward in themselves. We all still have the same base expenses in life. If you’re working 40 hours a week in a job that provides any sort of value, you should be able to cover them.
YES! You hit the nail on the head, Mel. It’s the same with writing or with blogging, right? The satisfaction, the exposure, the love of it. That’s all fine and well, but I can’t pay my bills with warm fuzzies, can I? People definitely need to be paid what they are worth across *all* fields.
Great post! The underpaid teacher and the starving artist both seem like 2 careers that have a very unique association with money. Same seems to be true for just about any job in the government. If people see a government employee get rich slowly (when they’re not) i wonder what they think?
It seems to me that many think it’s because they’re too highly paid rather than because they themselves aren’t doing anything (or maybe they can’t depending on their situation).
I am always quick to invite people to join the ranks. The good (and very sad!) thing now is that there will never be enough teachers, I fear. So anyone who wants “summers off” is welcome to join me! 😉
I also must admit that I am guilty of this to an extent when I think about other careers. We tend to see the glamor (or the dollar signs!) and not all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into other professions.
I was really surprised not to see unions mentioned at all in this article! You talk about steps and lanes a little but what raises the wage is the collective bargaining process which doesn’t means unions get everything they want but they have a lot more power and knowledge about the employer’s financial position than an at-will worker bargaining on their own.
If you are a teacher and salary is your number one priority you better make sure your bargaining team knows, or better yet get involved in bargaining yourself, because the people with other priorities like pensions, healthcare, and paid leave certainly speak up in my local! Though thanks to the incredible work in states like WV, OK, and AZ I think teacher pay is finally being addressed.
A teacher who loves her union,
Alice
I could talk about unions forever, Alice! I didn’t in this post because I didn’t want to get too lost in the weeds for people who aren’t part of the profession. My parents are both retired union workers, and I will be part of a union for as long as I can be. Sadly, the right-to-work nonsense is rubbing off, and we just got a letter from our union saying that it is now optional to be part of a union. I have to be honest and say that teachers’ unions (at least in our area) aren’t what they used to be. But as long as I can, I will fight for mine. So glad you spoke up, Alice! Your building is lucky to have you!
i just couldn’t resist jumping in here. even though i’m a b.s. chemist i’m in a union at this big company as more of a technician. we just allowed our first tier system on the plant this year and it’s the beginning of the end. even though i’m in the higher tier i would have conceded something in my future in order for the people coming in to make what i make. nobody ever wants to address the sacred “higher tiered” people. geez, about 15 years ago i knew of home-ec teachers pulling down 80 or 90k while the physics and math teachers unlikely reach that level, much less with the lifetime gold-plated benefits. i say, share the pain. now i’m fired up and need a drink.
No typos! (At least none that I saw.) That deserves recognition! (I’m talking to you, ESI scale interview posts….)
So many great points made in the article, and the comments! I just wanted to raise my hand as a ten-year veteran teacher in MA who just crossed the six-figure salary mark. This was through a combination of graduate credits, years of experience and some coaching opportunities. It can be done!
I have to know, in 2023, are you any closer than you were when you published this post??