by Ryan Schuette
NPR
November 19, 2015
We’re brought up to believe our teachers are modern-day saints.
Just look at how we portray them in the movies and on TV. From Dead Poets Society‘s iconic Mr. Keating to resourceful LouAnne Johnson in Dangerous Minds, we reinforce time and again that teaching is a noble calling.
These teachers are heroes, we’re told. It’s hard to imagine them even thinking about money.
But their real-life counterparts aren’t getting rich, either. The average pay for a teacher in the United States? About $56,000, usually higher in urban districts, lower in rural ones. Add the fact that salaries fell in recent years, and it’s probably no surprise that more teachers are leaving the profession, with fewer entering it.
And yet, here and there, in a few places around the country, some teachers have attained what has long been considered a mark of success in this country: a six-figure salary.