Locksmiths and Teachers
How nice of you to print locksmith Dennis Barney’s letter (Feb. 26), which compared the salaries, hours, vacations, etc., of teachers and locksmiths. Too bad he left out a few things.
1--After six years of college, Los Angeles teachers start at $20,600 a year.
2--After six weeks of training, people without a high school diploma are hired as locksmiths starting at $31,532 in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
3--When Barney leaves his work location he goes home and spends time with his wife and kids. I get to go home and grade papers from 190 students. Then I get to record the grades in my roll book. Then, about once a week, I get to sit down and figure out all the students’ grades so I can let them know how they’re progressing.
4--On Saturday and Sunday, while Barney is at the park or beach with his wife and kids, I’m grading more papers and making lesson plans for the coming week’s classes.
5--Thanks to his decent salary, when Barry gets a vacation he gets to go somewhere. When I get my vacation I get to work more hours at my second job, and catch up on all the yardwork and housework.
6--75% of all male teachers with families have a second job.
7--Teachers do not work 6 hours a day. Perhaps Barney hasn’t noticed me sponsoring clubs during my lunch break, chaperoning dances on Saturday nights, selling tickets at football games on Friday nights, supervising at lunch, staying after school until 7 p.m. to coach a sport, filling out and writing scholarship and financial aid forms at home for worthy seniors, etc., ad infinitum.
It doesn’t take an I.Q. of 180 to figure out why our schools are doing poorly. You get what you pay for.
The kids’ lockers all open and the teachers’ filing cabinets don’t jam, but kids are graduating who can’t read or write. Gee, I wonder why?
The Los Angeles district has enough locksmiths, bus drivers (starting salary, $23,046), roofers ($32,392) and tool sharpeners ($30,054), but can’t find enough college graduates who want to become teachers. Gee. I wonder why?
Do I sound bitter? Gee, I wonder why?
LOU COHAN
Cypress