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It’s no secret that teachers work diligently to provide a high-quality education for their students, but it’s also no secret that teacher salaries do not come close to aligning with the amount of dedication and care they provide each and every day. Creator of the Crying in My Car podcast Devin Siebold, a former teacher and current comedian on the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour, and co-host James Yon recently talked about the shockingly low amount of take-home pay teachers receive. Even more shocking is the amount of cash teachers have left after paying their bills.
Siebold may be a comedian, however, his very real thoughts on how hard teachers work vs. how little they get paid are no joke. Clearly, we need to talk about the real, serious implications low teacher pay has on educators across the country. Here are just a few.
1. Low Salaries Lead to Teacher burnout
Obviously, low teacher salaries impact teachers and their families the most. Teachers are well educated, often carrying a Master’s Degree or higher, which usually translates to a decent bump in pay. Not so for teachers. While most educators go into the field knowing about the low pay, they often don’t realize how struggling to live on it can translate quickly to burnout. And, even if a teacher doesn’t burn out, many often feel forced to leave the field simply because their teacher pay is not enough to support a family.
2. Low salaries affect student performance
It’s tragic when good teachers leave the classroom, because losing teachers negatively impacts students. It’s critical that students have access to teachers who love to teach and are willing to work long hours for little pay. These kinds of teachers make the most difference in the lives of students. When students don’t have access to caring, giving teachers, they can fall through the cracks. A lack of quality education will follow kids for the rest of their lives, possibly impeding their ability to go to college or get a well-paying job themselves in the future.
3. Severe financial limitations for teachers
Siebold notes that one teacher only has $25 left after paying all her bills, including a $1300 rent payment, which is actually on the low end of the rent scale. Many teachers work in school districts where they cannot afford to live, bumping up their gas and car maintenance costs getting to and from school. Homeownership is out of reach for many teachers, who must work for years to save enough to put a down payment on a house. Many teachers eat cheap meals at home and don’t have enough at the end of the month to even enjoy a meal in a restaurant.
4. A big chunk of teachers’ salaries goes into buying classroom supplies
Let’s be honest, those few dollars left after teachers pay all their bills usually get spent on things for their classrooms, because no teacher would leave a student pencil-less.
But teachers can’t pay their bills with love. It’s time to appreciate teachers A LOT more, even if it’s just to buy their coffee in the morning or fulfill their Amazon wish list.
