first time using a computer ? <| sep |> Depends where you are . Pay including benefits total compensation in some parts of the US is indeed low and far below historical norms . Teachers in my area have taken pay cuts for years . most made more money 510 years ago . As for the hours worked , I ' m not sure what you mean . Most teachers work far beyond a normal work week during the school year , and they often work during the summer to make up for low pay . I have colleagues who work weekends to afford health insurance premium increases . With all that going on , teachers in Title I schools often also deal with workplace hazards like fights in class and bodily fluids in a semicontrolled environment . A school in my district was on lockdown recently because a bullet was fired into a classroom from outside . I mean , they simply don ' t pay enough to deal with shit like that . let alone verbal abuse from students that people in other professional jobs never deal with . I ' m not saying teachers should make 6 figures , but they should be starting higher than $ 3040 k .