The other day, my mom made an offhand comment that ended up sparking quite the discussion - a discussion I want to continue here.
She said "Mr. [our neighbor] must be a good teacher. He makes 53,000 a year!" I asked her how she knew this. I had once seen a chart that outlined the salaries of local teachers based on degrees and years of experience, but there weren't names.
"Oh, this had names. Some teacher made $91,000."
WHAT? Names? Exact salaries? I had to track this source down.
Finding it was interesting, appalling, and depressing. While I could see just how much teachers who had once complained about being poor made, I was also in fear that one day MY salary would be out there for the whole world to see. I'm going to be a teacher some day. What's to keep me from seeing how I measure up to my coworkers? Isn't comparison the enemy to happiness? On another hand, I realized I was seeing the salaries of people I am now friends with. People I respect and revere as role models in my life - their personal information out there for me to look at. It felt wrong, like I was invading their personal space. I could see what entire families made, husband and wife's names right next to one another for the world to see exactly what they make combined.
Who decided that teacher's salaries are public knowledge? What other professions are subjected to this? Is it fair to subject teachers to this level of scrutiny?
Just think about it. A friend asks you to buy something from their kids fundraiser. You say you don't really have the money right now. Said friend goes online and finds your salary and wonders why you don't have the money. Not everyone thinks to realize that things happen - heaters break, loved ones die, accidents happen, and none of the above could ever be classified as "cheap".
With all the problems in today's world, I can't say this is that worthy of a cause compared to hunger and poverty. However, it is something we should think about asking someone to change. We can't just go on thinking this is okay. I've always been taught that there are certain things you do not discuss in polite conversation, and salaries are one of them. My sister once marveled that one of her coworkers was terminated for discussing salaries, but my mom was not. She said she would have done the exact same thing as a boss.
Teachers aren't babysitters. We don't need to brag about how much or how little they get paid.
