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lettertotheeditor
- Thu, Jul, 28, 2005
Editor’s Note draws comment
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This is a response to your Editor’s Note regarding teachers’ salaries.
Teachers are paid for 200 (8 hour) days of work. These days do not include holidays, summer vacation or weekends. If a teacher needed to take an unapproved personal day, he/she would be docked 1/200th of his/her salary plus a percentage of the insurance cost. For example, an experienced teacher making $40,000 would be docked $200-plus a day.
As an elementary teacher, I know most teachers devote more than 8 hours a day and go above and beyond the fundamental requirements. We do this for the benefit of our students. I knew going into the teaching profession that the pay would not be based on what this occupation deserves. I teach because I sincerely enjoy observing the progress and growth my students achieve throughout the school year.
I personally do not get overly concerned about my salary. I do get upset when uninformed people make comments about teachers only working nine months, get paid for vacations and holidays, etc. We work to the end of May and start the beginning of August. That’s almost 10 months. Some of us have already started setting up our classrooms and it’s the third week in July.
The bottom line is teachers are contracted to work 200 days. Their salaries are divided into 12 monthly paychecks. Please don’t belittle this with misconstrued comments that teachers are paid for 12 months (of work), because most teachers deserve respect for all the days and overtime hours they give of their own time.
Respectfully,
Lori Kilbey
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