Musings

Venting

I'm sorry. I just have to vent. I know no one reads my blog but that's okay. As long as I have some outlet for how annoyed I am, I'll feel better...even if it doesn't produce any results (or sympathy).

So...I'm a teacher - have been for 6 years now. I love what I do. I love working with kids. I have friends where I work and enjoy going to work. There are certain aspects of my job that I dislike...the ridiculous amount of paperwork, for example, the "educational programs" that are constantly being thrust on me with no basis in reality that are created by people who haven't set foot in a classroom in years (think George Bush's "no child left behind") and various other annoyances - just like everyone else's job. But what really pisses me off, is my crappy salary. I bust my ass working with those kids and what do I get in return? A salary that WON'T EVEN ALLOW ME TO BUY A ONE BEDROOM CONDO WITHIN A 50 MILE RADIUS OF MY JOB! It's just utterly ridiculous how people in jobs like mine (policemen, firemen, etc) are so underpaid. Yes, teachers do get an extra 6 weeks off a year, but aside from that, our salary is still far below what is needed to live in this area (I live in northern Virginia). My roommate just got a job offer that pays 70,000 a year at an hourly rate of $34/hour. I only get paid around $29/hour. And I'm 4 years older than her! I've been working 4 years longer than her and she now makes over 20,000 more than me. If I got paid her same hourly wage (for sitting in an office and looking over paperwork) I'd be making $8000 more a year!

And, while I'm at it, for all those critics who complain that the reason teachers don't get paid more is because we do get those summers off, I would gladly work over the summer if that's what my job entailed. I didn't choose teaching because I got a built in summer vacation. I chose teaching because I love children and I love education. The reason schools don't go year-round right now is because the government doesn't give us enough money to fund that. My school has applied several times to go year-round but keeps getting turned down because of funding. If it meant a higher salary because I'd be working more hours, I'd do it in a second. Most teachers work in the summer anyway just to make ends meet. Do you know how hard it is to find a summer job? No one wants to hire someone for just 6 weeks. Most teachers work second jobs during the year too. It's a travesty!

You want to talk about the decline of family values and why marriages are falling apart and the concept of a nuclear family is quickly disintegrating? Let's look at the way of life here. In order to afford a home and raise a family, BOTH parents have to work. Two parents who work full time have a hard time being there for their kids and an even harder time being there for each other. Is it any wonder these familes are struggling to stay in tact? Bush bemoans the loss of the idea of the family unit yet he makes it impossible for a family to thrive! Affordable housing is non-existent unless you clear over 100,000 a year and even that will only get you a tiny townhouse. The government has done nothing to help control the housing market that is spiraling out of control and forcing people into massive debt. People do not need 1.5 million dollar luxury homes. People need a roof over their heads at an affordable price. I don't understand why the government can't make some sort of agreement with a builder to provide "normal" houses for people who can't afford and don't want or need master suites, jacuzzis, hot tubs, skylights, 2-story foyers, hard-wood floored, all brick homes. This society is like "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, I want more" and no one ever stops to think about those of us who don't want more. Who just want enough to be happy. Yet, because everyone else is driving up the market with their spend more than they really have attitude, the rest of us are getting screwed because we're not willing to be house poor.

Clearly my diatribe has gotten out of control but the reality of my paycheck has really hit home this last year since housing prices have gotten completely out of control and have basically put me in a position to never be able to buy. I would like to have stayed home with my kids for a few years or at least work part time once I had children but now I see I'm going to have to give up that dream if I choose to buy a home to raise those children in. It disgusts me the way America has emphasized monetary goods and equated success with money leaving those of us who do good for the sake of doing good to get penalized for our altruism.

posted by Jen Larkin @ 10:17 AM