Teachers earn the pay they are getting

Every so often the topic of teacher pay arises. Teachers have been struggling to get a fair wage for decades. Districts are finally coming up with salaries that attract and motivate people to work in their schools. Why is the Sunday, Oct. 28 Daily Herald article ("School jobs pay off") slanted as to find fault with this idea?

We live in the world of No Child Left Behind, a time of unrealistic expectations and goals set for both students and teachers. Teachers are expected to put forth extra time and extra effort to help our students to succeed.

In the Sunday article, it states the average teacher works 36.5 hours a week. I would like to know how they get all that needs to get done in that amount of time.

Our students have a 7 ¼ hour day. They start at 7:45 a.m., I get to school around 6:45 a.m. Students are dismissed at 2:55 p.m. I usually leave around 4 p.m.

During this extra before- and after-school time have I graded any papers or planned any lessons? No, not usually. This time is spent working with students who are struggling, prepping for the day, meeting with parents or administrators, or collaborating with other teachers.

When do other things get done? At home, when I would rather be spending time with my family, taking care of my household, or actually taking care of myself. I put in an average of 10 hours a week at home doing my job. That puts me around 55 hours a week. Take 10 weeks for summer break, the average goes down to roughly 45 hours a week.

But during the summer is when I am researching different ways to present new ideas and curriculum, planning how to put together my curriculum for the next year and taking classes so I can stay up to date with current ideas and strategies. I "work" during the summer, for no additional pay.

I take issue with articles such as these that downplay teachers and their fight to be treated equal and fair in the compensation department.

Roberta Murphy

7th grade teacher

Bensenville