Please put to rest

[NU Houston]

If it’s such a cakewalk, you should get into the business, hdhntr! I’ve been teaching 20+ years and still make under 50k.

Really? Our school district here in the Houston suburbs has starting teacher salaries of $51.5k. You should move to Texas!

 

[Fitz51]

Really? Our school district here in the Houston suburbs has starting teacher salaries of $51.5k. You should move to Texas!

Everything is bigger there, including starting teacher salaries!

 

[Bwm57]

That's because he's undersized and slow for NFL standards not because he went to NU

Yeah, he’s so slow that he posted the sixth fastest 40 for running backs with a 4.52.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Yeah, he’s so slow that he posted the sixth fastest 40 for running backs with a 4.52.

40 time shmorty time. JJ is my 2nd favorite Cat ever after Persa, but he's not fast for the NFL. Everyone was shocked he put that 40 time up on these message boards.

And that time would be great if he were like 20 pounds heavier and didn't have a billion carries under his belt.

JJ was incredible at NU, but having all of those carries probably isn't a good thing in the NFL's eyes, even though it was great for us

 

[corbi296]

Yeah, he’s so slow that he posted the sixth fastest 40 for running backs with a 4.52.

JJ didn’t have the prototypical size/speed that the NFL puts a premium on. Too many NFL teams put disproportionate weight on athleticism and potential over production. NU typically recruits and plays players putting a premium on production over athleticism/potential. That is why NU players like JJ are drafted lower than where we all think they should be. Not an NU bias but more of a bias on potential/freaky athleticism over production.

 

[Fitz51]

Please put to rest.

 

[SmellyCat]

It seems that the NFL is also de-emphasizing the need for that one "bell cow" back that we've seen in past generations and instead like the flexibility afforded by a stable of backs who can do a lot of the little things. Unless that back is a freak like Adrian Peterson, NFL teams aren't as interested in investing in a great every-down back. I think Jackson will make the Chargers happy, but he was probably never going to be the bell cow for anybody (well, after he was for NU of course), so there was no need to invest anything special in him.

 

[Bwm57]

40 time shmorty time.

You’ve got me there.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

Really? Our school district here in the Houston suburbs has starting teacher salaries of $51.5k. You should move to Texas!

Well, having a seven-year span where we didn’t get a single raise because of the economy didn’t help much. That said, we did get these awesome little tiny umbrellas for a Christmas bonus one year.

 

[pawildcat]

Really? Our school district here in the Houston suburbs has starting teacher salaries of $51.5k. You should move to Texas!

That's why Oklahoma is losing a lot of teachers to Texas. West Virginia, near where I live, loses teachers to Virginia, Pa. and Maryland because of the low W.Va. salaries.

 

[Fitz51]

That's why Oklahoma is losing a lot of teachers to Texas. West Virginia, near where I live, loses teachers to Virginia, Pa. and Maryland because of the low W.Va. salaries.

West Virginia has schools?

 

[hdhntr1]

Better read a little more carefully. Those are the average STARTING salaries for 2017 graduates. That is not the same as average salaries for all college graduates with a bachelor's degree. You have to buy food and housing for 12 months whatever hours you're working, so your contention that a $35,000 salary is somehow the equivalent of a $52,000 is bogus. If you really think teachers are underworked, you need to talk to more teachers.

You don't want to make 60K because you're paying higher taxes? You've got to be kidding. You think your hypothetical teacher would refuse a bump from $35,000 to $60,000 because he might have to pay more tax? C'mon, now.

As far as substitute teachers, most have generally been people who want to get into teaching or people who have retired from teaching. Even when I was doing some substitute teaching about 30 years ago and there were a lot more candidates out there, there was a severe shortage of subs in some disciplines. It's not a "different matter" if your kid gets a sub who isn't trained in the appropriate subject matter.

As I've said before, why aren't people just falling all over themselves to get into this profession where apparently you get good money and don't have to work much? I suggest it's because it isn't as simple as that. But you get what you pay for, and it's becoming more and more apparent that for a growing number of college graduates the pay is not enough.

I was using starting salaries for all including teachers where average starting salary is around $35k. But if you are going to use average salary of all graduates no matter how long out of school, fine. Then you have average overall teachers salaries averaging around $60K as well but again for an 8-9 month year rather than 12 month as other professions.

https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/high-school-teacher/salary

So according to your figure, the average teacher makes what the average graduate makes but they do it for working 8-9 months rather than 12 as other professions. They have the opportunity to either have that time off or work to generate additional income by working during the summers. Sorry but I am not someone that believes a person should get paid for work that they are not doing, so when a person is only working 8-9 months, I do not believe they should be paid the same as someone working for 12 months. .

As far as why more are not flocking to it, can be for a variety of reasons. A lot of people do not know directly out of HS that they want to go into teaching. There are several barriers to entry that have been put in place. You cannot at this point just get a degree in anything and just go into teaching. I believe you also have to have teaching credentials including student teaching etc. These mean you likely have to elect to go into the teaching profession fairly early along (sort of like engineering), If not, you have a hard time getting everything you need without adding another year or so. I am sure some go back and pick up what is needed but I am not sure how much longer that takes. Because of this, I would think HS Counselors are partly to blame. They are generally 5-10 year out of sync The see a shortage or surplus in a field and advise based on that but that shortage or surplus is at a time significantly before the person they advised will be entering the job market. Also the shortages are not necessarily where the person wants to be and once they commit to a school district, it can be harder for them to move. Get tenure in one place and do you take a chance to move? Also some are not wanting the social restrictions that come with the job.

I am not saying that teachers cannot be underpaid in some areas. Just that overall, they are not.

 

[hdhntr1]

West Virginia has schools?

Kindergarten through 5th grade.