It's no secret that teachers in the United States are underpaid. But the public clearly needs a reality check of what "underpaid" actually means.
To prove a point, three female high school students sat together with their Spanish teacher, discussing what she makes annually as a teacher and for leading an extracurricular group, the high school's Spanish Honors Society.
Sitting in a circle, the teacher leaned in and asked:
"For, I guess, Spanish stuff, how much do I get paid?"
The girls made several clarifications, like the fact that this only included the school's academic year, that the teacher had about a month off for "vacation," and that, yes, the total amount she was being paid for Spanish Honors Society was "in dollars."
After a little back and forth of clarifying what the teacher meant, one student guessed:
"$10,000?"
Another student shared what they used to assume their teacher made:
"I guessed $1,200 or maybe $700."
Seeming embarrassed, the third student confided:
"I guessed $30,000.."
The teacher waited another moment before telling them, giving a quiet drumroll on the desk.
"Are you ready? Okay, the total is...$165."
The first student who had guessed looked shocked and clarified again:
"Like...dollars?"
The teacher wrote about this moment in the comments, assuming the student thought she meant that she made $165 per month, rather than in total for the entire academic year.
@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
The rest of the video was simply the students' reactions, clearly believing that their teacher should be making more.
You can watch the video here:
Fellow teachers chimed in and agreed that teachers were not paid enough for their extra work.
@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
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@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
Others felt the students' collective reaction was a sign that teachers needed to be more transparent about what they're paid.
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@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
@maestra.mcghee/TikTok
While it's known that teachers work hard and should be paid more for the work that they do, many people likely do not know that there are teachers out there, planning, hosting, and teaching Honors Society programs for students who are seeking advanced education, only making $165 for an entire year of extra work.
Or, oftentimes, nothing at all.
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