I just got a $4,500 performance bonus and a $1,700 raise and it couldn’t have come at a better time

[rosabkug]

I’m out of cards today so balance transfers. I have 11k in credit cards and one card with $4,400 on it. I’m going to use that bonus money to pay that card off.

October backtracked because over $2,000 of unexpected things came up. Slowly I’m digging myself out of this hole..

 

[jeanann5]

@rosabkug You get bonuses? Nice. Is that separate from Christmas bonus? Heard from a somewhat unreliable source that my company also does performance bonus

 

[rosabkug]

@jeanann5 I’m a teacher. I got for exceeding growth based on state exams my students took

 

[tkarp]

@rosabkug Thank you for your service

 

[scopes]

@rosabkug The fact a teacher is posting in poverty finance shows what is really wrong with our country today.

 

[pattisusan52]

@scopes I don't disagree with you that teachers are generally very underpaid, but anyone can be in poverty if they don't watch their expenses. Not saying that's what happened to OP, but they do mention having $11k in credit card debt.

 

[brendacathleen]

@pattisusan52 I have to wonder how much of this credit card debt is from them helping their students though

 

[pattisusan52]

@brendacathleen Regardless of what the students need, your first duty should always be to yourself and your own household. I realize that may not be popular, but you can’t take care of anyone else if you yourself are already drowning in debt

 

[brassmonkeys]

@rosabkug This sickens me that we have teachers who have to worry about making ends meet. I hope you know how much we appreciate your hard work that you give to these students day after day!

 

[akamommy]

@brassmonkeys Honestly teaching should be one if the highest paid jobs, especially for K-12. We trust schools to partner with us to raise our kids and turn them into functioning humans. Some parents don’t (or can’t) raise their kids at all, and the teachers they have at school shape their life entirely. Such a huge impact on society.

 

[wallaceholt]

@akamommy Ib

 

[bluesh1ft]

@akamommy Some teachers have a huge impact, many are irrelevant. Do your own count of really awesome teachers you had. A half dozen maybe?

That's not the point though. Why are teachers salaries so low? Because the market doesn't work to set their price/wage. Privatizing the schools and rethinking how we teach will allow businesses to pay teachers that are awesome a premium. Why? They want to lure all those students and their parents' pocketbook.

How many LeBron James caliber teachers are out there stuck in the generic teacher pay scale. Why is she only teaching 30 kids at a time? Shouldn't we get her on twitch or YouTube teaching hundreds of thousands of kids at a time? Her salary would likely go up substantially.

 

[gre97]

@bluesh1ft Amazing teaching comes from building amazing relationships. You have clue what you’re talking about.

 

[annazx]

@brassmonkeys Appreciation aside, you can pay people whatever you want, if they’re bad with finances they’ll still find a way to struggle to make ends meet. Not taking a jab at anyone, just saying it’s not necessarily the income, it’s the outflow.

 

[good2bbrad]

@annazx You aren’t wrong, but teachers are criminally underpaid in most states.

 

[localeducator]

@rosabkug I'm a teacher as well. In the last 12 years my cumulative raise has been $1200. Bonuses? Never heard of them in my job. Though the district once bought us each a school
shirt.

 

[christiancubbs]

@localeducator Check out this fatcat over here with his shirt