re: Questions about the teaching profession.

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Why do most teachers complain about being a teacher?

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Majority of teachers are women, so I say it's to get sympathy/attention.

Several reasons (anecdotal - my wife and 2 daughters are all counselors or teachers; also numerous friends and several cousins - they have worked in a variety of different school systems in different states). This comes from them...

1. lack of accountability. Too many modern parents have no discipline over older kids.
2. lack of parental role. Too many parents have no awareness of their child's behavior patterns and no willingness to hear about problem behavior "not my son/daughter - he/she's a good kid - teacher is incompetent or hates my child" - and these parents are often either altogether absent, have unrealistic expectations, or else are unreasonably demanding.
3. dysfunctional family life at home.
4. unreasonable pressures and increasing demands on teachers/counselors by school boards/legislative bodies to teach for mandated testing, leaving less and less class time for actual instruction or counseling.
5. failure to recognize teachers as professionals in their own right; few actual choices given to teachers/counselors
6. political pressure from local school boards to keep parents happy often leads to impotent administrators in the local schools, which means less and less on-site support for teachers in the event of some inevitable student/teacher/parent issues when they may arise. You should hear what goes on in some parent/teacher conferences.
7. Weak or highly politicized unions - especially in right to work states like Florida means teachers are often left hanging on the line in times of legit complaint.
8. Shootings in random schools leave a lot to be desired for overall school security. Arming teachers may sound politically sexy, but think about that for a minute. Would you have wanted your screaming Jr. High PE coach to have had a gun on any given day in the locker room?
9. low pay compared with other professionals.
10. less and less actual job satisfaction due to all of the above. Many excellent teachers are leaving the profession. Fewer college grads are entering it. That leaves... who? teaching our children and grandchildren.

Sure there are some rotten apples in any teacher barrel. But the vast majority of them are quite devoted to teaching children, not feathering the nest for some bloated bureaucrats, jumping through political hoops, or coddling insane or incompetent parents.

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I did some google searches. Average teacher salary is $56,000. But that’s for 9 months work. Extrapolate that over 12 months, and they are making the equivalent of $75,000 on average.

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You must have done a nationwide search.... Some states pay teachers very well.... not true in the south. average classroom teacher will make 32-45,000. Extra stipends for club sponsor, coach, director, etc may bump it up some.
I teach a full load of classes and coach 3 sports and don't make 60,000 in South Arkansas... and I get 2 weeks off in the summer.... so don't talk to me about it being a 9 month job... that's total BS.

Remember teachers are responsible for helping produce the next generation of professionals.... and we are grossly underpaid... but that's cool?

I promise you I deal with more crap in a day than pretty much anyone on this board for probably a lot less money.

Granted I didn't become a teacher/coach to get rich, I did it because I love what I do.
I have an admin degree now and will be transitioning to the other side of education... and I can guarantee you I'll be pushing for my teachers to get paid better every chance I get.

They don’t complain more than any other people. The OT just has a thing for bitching about teachers

My wife is a teacher and loves it. She can't imagine doing anything else. She even teaches ~180 mostly low-income ESL 5th graders. She's a saint for some of the shite she puts up with, so I don't mind her occasional bitching. Everyone occasionally bitches about there job.

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They don’t complain more than any other people. The OT just has a thing for bitching about teachers

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It's the ipso facto factor. There, you have it. The ignorance of the value of teachers, what teachers do, the lack of accountability, and ad infinitum of those who bash teachers and teaching demonstrated before our very eyes.

Picture some of these in a parent/teacher conference. And weep for our children and teachers.

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Some states pay teachers very well.... not true in the south.

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true, but the cost of living is much cheaper.

I think people would move if making more were more important than staying in the location where they are currently employed.

It would take them paying six figures for me to even consider teaching.

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I have a friend who teaches art at a middle school in Houston and makes $55K.

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How do you live off that shite?

Texas teachers who don’t live in major cities or suburbs are lucky to start off with 40k.