Mom shares how her salary as a teacher is less than 50% of what her teenage son makes

It is a fact that teachers in the USA earn way less than many other professions. According to the National Education Association report, an average teacher's pay has failed to keep up with inflation over the last decade. A woman, u/jbp84, shared on Reddit how her salary as a teacher is less than 50% of what her teenage son makes at his new job. She titled the post, "18-year-old son's wages vs mine."

The woman wrote, "Tagged humor because it's either laugh or cry." She went on to talk about her son's education and work, sharing that he graduated from high school a month ago and has a job with a local roofing company in their solar panel install division. The mother said, "For commercial jobs, he's paid $63 an hour, $95 if it's overtime. For residential jobs, he makes $25/hour." She added, "He's currently on the apprentice waiting list for the local IBEW hall." 

The mom then compared her son's salary with hers. She revealed that she is 40 years old and has a master's degree and 12 years of teaching experience. "$53,000 a year with - $70k in student debt load. My hourly rate is about $25/hour." She concluded, "This is one of the things I think when people talk about why public education is in shambles." The post garnered 17k upvotes on Reddit.

The woman further wrote in the comments about her school district and why their salaries are the lowest. She explained, "We’re in the middle of contract negotiations now and working to get a more fair salary schedule. Of the 12 districts in our county, we’re 11/12 in teacher retention and salary increase over the last 10 years. My district is egregiously low, but the average in the area is only slightly better." She further noted, "Cost of Living does factor in, but even where I am (relatively cheap to live; rural/suburban) we’re still seeing exorbitant increases in rents and home prices like the rest of the country. Private equity firms snatching up homes and buying properties isn’t helping."

People in the comments were quite worried about what the mom shared. u/Historical-Raccoon46 commented, "Good God. Where do you live? A teacher with 12 years experience and a master's makes much more in New Jersey." u/sdega315 wrote, "$53K after 12 years teaching is ridiculous. In my district, teachers with a BA or BS start at $50K. I am sure the cost of living is higher where I am but still." u/thisnewsight shared, "You all need to move to states that pay well for teachers. I’m at year 3 making $90,000."

u/ConstructionWest9610 said, "Why haven't you applied for PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness)? Moved to a better-paying school system? Trade jobs take so much a toll on the body. I see how my father-in-law has worked in a quarry since 16. Deals with tons of pain head to toe from the job." u/aritina wrote, "It’s so crazy to me how teacher pay varies so drastically from state to state. I’m a 3rd-year teacher in Massachusetts and make more than you. Not okay!"