This is a really optimistic look on the system. Yes, teachers do get long breaks, but they often have to plan, grade, etc during those breaks. You also have ext

This is a really optimistic look on the system. Yes, teachers do get long breaks, but they often have to plan, grade, etc during those breaks. You also have extracurriculars (sports, band, clubs, etc) which require work during breaks and outside normal teaching hours. It really doesn't help that things like TA funding are quick to get axed when times are tough, increasing workloads for teachers. Despite how neutered unions are in some states, without them, there would be routine labor law violations (the principal at my high school tried to force teachers to teach 4 classes a day despite state law requiring one class block be set aside for planning/grading). State legislatures also tend to pass bills for improvement programs without providing appropriate funding for training or materials, further straining resources and often inhibiting the ability for teachers to do anything but teach to the test. >there are teaching jobs anywhere there are people so it's relocation-friendly. This is true, but salaries vary widely. If you have a partner with a good-paying career, you can afford to relocate to wherever, but if you're single or otherwise not flush with cash, your relocation opportunities are limited. It really doesn't sink in how little they're paid until you come across your teachers stocking shelves. They put up with a lot - shitty legislatures, parents, administrations, students, poor facilities, underfunding, and pay that (in some states) is less than minimum wage when broken down hourly.