4 ms·

Wait a second, are American teachers only paid for the hours they are spending in the classroom? Here in Germany, 20 hours is what you spent teaching, but it is

Wait a second, are American teachers only paid for the hours they are spending in the classroom? Here in Germany, 20 hours is what you spent teaching, but it is a full-time job, as it is expected that you spent at least an hour preparing for every class.

bpt3 7y ago
They're generally salaried so they're paid a fixed amount no matter how much they work, with that amount normally negotiated by their union. All data indicates that teachers are working less than 40 hours a week on average, which makes me believe that the ones putting in 50+ hours are a vocal, tiny minority.
- breakbread 7y ago
  I think it depends on the grade and/or subject you're teaching. My wife has taught HS English for a decade and the 45-50+ hr weeks has been the norm for her and her colleagues. I have the impression (from my wife and her coworkers) that it's much easier for elementary and middle school teachers to work the contracted hours and not bring their work home with them. High school just comes with a lot of extra baggage too.
  - bpt3 7y ago
    I can see high school English being more time consuming than average, and certainly more than elementary school. I've never understood why subjects and student age aren't considered in teacher pay scales across the board. My experience is limited, but I've never seen an instance where anything other than time and credentials (generally degrees) were considered.
  - mrguyorama 7y ago
    Middle school (5-8) is where the work for students (and therefore teachers by necessity) starts to pile on
  - robocat 7y ago
    Do you think that the non-work hours and other non-financial incentives (perks vs bricks) get used to vary the incentives for different types of teachers? "Union contracts generally mandate that gym teachers must be paid the same as calculus teachers, with the predictable result of surpluses of gym teachers and shortages of calculus teachers."

bpt3 7y ago

They're generally salaried so they're paid a fixed amount no matter how much they work, with that amount normally negotiated by their union. All data indicates that teachers are working less than 40 hours a week on average, which makes me believe that the ones putting in 50+ hours are a vocal, tiny minority.

breakbread 7y ago
I think it depends on the grade and/or subject you're teaching. My wife has taught HS English for a decade and the 45-50+ hr weeks has been the norm for her and her colleagues. I have the impression (from my wife and her coworkers) that it's much easier for elementary and middle school teachers to work the contracted hours and not bring their work home with them. High school just comes with a lot of extra baggage too.
- bpt3 7y ago
  I can see high school English being more time consuming than average, and certainly more than elementary school. I've never understood why subjects and student age aren't considered in teacher pay scales across the board. My experience is limited, but I've never seen an instance where anything other than time and credentials (generally degrees) were considered.
- mrguyorama 7y ago
  Middle school (5-8) is where the work for students (and therefore teachers by necessity) starts to pile on
- robocat 7y ago
  Do you think that the non-work hours and other non-financial incentives (perks vs bricks) get used to vary the incentives for different types of teachers? "Union contracts generally mandate that gym teachers must be paid the same as calculus teachers, with the predictable result of surpluses of gym teachers and shortages of calculus teachers."