[quote=CA renter] . . . Yes, there are many difficult “white collar” jobs, but there are very few that deal with the type of stress that teachers deal with, especially as it relates to difficult students (behaviorally, mentally, physically), and in trying to get a *very diverse* group of students to understand the quality and quantity of material required to “pass the tests,” and/or advance to the next grade.[/quote]
I’ve seen more than a few public school teachers in action in my day at ALL grade levels and I just have to say that I have the utmost respect for what they do and the results they get from what (and who) they have to work with. They don’t have any choice in their working conditions. I myself couldn’t do the job without losing it my first week and getting the ax. I don’t have the patience or personality for the job but am grateful that there are people out there that do, and excel at it.
In addition, I have several relatives that are retired teachers. Most have taught in (or ran, as principal) public schools more than 30 years. Sure, they receive a pension, but none are living lavishly. The ones that are still ineligible for Medicare have to PAY several hundred per month for their healthcare out of their pensions and are only offered HMO’s thru their retirement assns. I don’t think their benefits are that great after retirement. Fortunately, for my relatives, their homes and other properties are paid off so they are okay. I am unsure if this is the norm for the majority of retired CA teachers, but it could be. Teachers tend to buy their home near the school they end up at as a longtime teacher. Like policemen/women, teachers don’t mind living in the same areas where they work. Therefore, most of their mortgages aren’t/weren’t as high as they might have been had they been in a different line of work where they would be worried about their “image.”
I never met a cop or a teacher that was not down to earth, pragmatic and realistic.
