It’s been a stereotype for at least the last 50 years. Why has this never changed? Why has organized labor not had a substantial effect for such an essential part of the workforce?
To add to the (absolutely accurate) commentary in the rest of the thread, this hits on a something Grabber talks about in Bullshit Jobs. Almost universally, the jobs that are the most important to society actually functioning are the ones that pay the least (with the one notable exception of physicians). There’s this idea that you should be “grateful” to have such an important job, and that’s in a way almost part of your pay. See also nurses, elderly care providers, daycare employees, anyone who works for a charity. People in charge use this “moral capital” as a way to convince you to take less actual money
physicians in primary care are the lowest paid doctors. they might make 200K a year, often less, but that’s peanuts compared to other specialties that are making 2-4x that. a dermatologist makes like 400K for popping pimples.
are they not underpaid everywhere else too? I don’t think this is a USA only issue, all public teachers where I live with the exception of teachers for universities complain about low salary
No, in many Euro countires it’s a good-paying middle-class job with reasonable hours. in rich places in the USA, it’s also a good paying job, but the vast majority of the USA isn’t wealthy, it’s poor.
The underpaid people at uni are all the non-tenture track faculty. tenure track faculty are paid well, usually more than double non-tenure faculty.
Let me tell you a story about a man named Ronald Reagan.
Teaching isn’t considered a professional job in the USA. It’s considered to be part of the service industry, thus the low pay.
My entire life I have been hearing how teachers are overpaid, lazy, pathetic losers who just want to leech off the taxpayer. And frankly… probably 30-40% of them are. The profession attracts a lot of slackers. The other 60% though should probably be making double what they are. I went to school in a poor district and 1/3 of the teaching staff were shitty teachers and often day-drunk at their jobs. I had like 3 good teachers in my high school, most were doing the bare minimum.
I wanted to teach but the salary was just too low to ever consider it. Nor would I ever have been qualified enough to teach at some elite private school where the pay is good.
I can’t recall ever having shitty teachers in public schools up until uni. In fact, I got amazing teachers who cared and sometimes went above and beyond. None of them came to school drunk, save for one uni teacher who was also named the top surgeon in my city. 🤷♂️
sounds like you went to school in a rich town. yeah, in rich towns they tend to be much better because they have better pay and/or they don’t really need the money. a know a couple of millionaires who are teachers, but at that point it’s just volunteer work for them. they aren’t living off the salary.
Teachers are not lazy. The institutions charged with supporting teachers are lazy.
all the dumbest people i know became teachers because they wanted a minimal effort job. nobody who was smart and hardworking I’ve ever met wanted to be a teacher. a lot of party people did though.
not every teach is crappy, but you are ignorant if you think every teacher is some hardworking dedicated person.