I'll put my two cents in - as the child of a history teacher (and now
department chair) at the high school I grew up in, I'll attest to the
fact that the money isn't bad to begin with - with my Masters I could
have probably started at $30,000. But as for the "only work 180 days"
myth and the "summers off" - I know my father works all summer long, as
do nearly every single other teacher that I know. And for the 180 days,
my father is up late correcting papers, creating tests, calculating
grades, up at 6 to be at school before the kids and not home until at
least 4 with - as someone else mentioned, no comp time. Just "part of
the job". Having to call the police on a regular basis because of unruly
kids, overcrowded classrooms and not enough time to teach what needs to
be taught, teaching to the test, not what should be known...all just
"part of the job".

I believe the reason that your figures seemed so outlandish was that
they appear to be the higher end of the spectrum. Yes, $95,000 is a lot
of money in Iowa, but in NYC? Student loans, rent, utilities...doesn't
seem quite that high anymore. And as for the "surgical professor" you're
talking a whole different ballgame. Since when was the last time they
taught surgery in public schools? And how many of those surgical
professors are there? (That actually seems quite analogous to the Major
League Baseball Player salary figure).

Anyway. It has been only in the past five years that teachers salaries
have become more in line with the rest of the country.

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