I have to say, the "equivalent to a grade school teacher" is something that could totally piss me off out of context because (1)I am a grade school teacher (2) the implication is that the level of skill and professionalism necessary to write for TV is greater than the skill and professionalism necessary to teach (3) infers that teachers are less than writers, even though our education and professional credentialling requirements, particularly in california, rival that of other professions that require post-BA/BS work.

Regardless of how it was meant, I had exactly this reaction. But I am so sick in general of the use of the terms "schoolteacher" and "grade school teacher" because they are almost always used in a condescending manner. Teacher or educator, kthxbye.

I know that the statement is probably meant simply to emphasize how little writers, like teachers, make, but I can't help how it makes me feel.

Obvious, the reaction that I have is shaded by being a teacher.

And again, the quote is not necessarily a quote as it was in an unspecified article. Don't know the context.

I am having a hard time explaining it. If you say, "X job gets paid so little, almost as little as a teacher" there are a couple of problems. The implication is both teachers are underpaid and that X job should be paid more than a teacher for a variety of reasons.

It's something that is tiresome to read when you are a teacher. But writing this all out, it makes me feel like the caveman from the Geico commercials complaining to his therapist.

It's something that is tiresome to read when you are a teacher. But writing this all out, it makes me feel like the caveman from the Geico commercials complaining to his therapist.

Well, here's this: I make a tad less in journalism than the average WGA writer (going by the $50K average) even though I'm in a flailing industry and TV and film, despite having problems, is still immensely profitable. I would expect if newspapers made a lot more money, to make a bit more myself, and I'm sure my union would agree.

The probelm with comparing any profession to teachers is that teachers' pay isn't (and shouldn't be) linked directly to profit.

BKV on the strike [link]

The probelm with comparing any profession to teachers is that teachers' pay isn't (and shouldn't be) linked directly to profit.

There's also the fact that there have to be a huge number of teachers per capita compared to professions that pay well, like doctors or lawyers. Education is in the same ballpark of importance as medical care, but one GP can serve hundreds of patients, whereas I'm dubious about even the best teachers being able to teach effectively if they're given more than 30 students in a class.

as well you should be dubious. Plenty of literature support small class sizes - especially for elementary grades.

According to most research, the ideal class size is about 16.

I understand the teachers’ irritation at always being the benchmark for low pay (I'm a teacher myself), but you can see why it's a good rhetorical device. If you say “equivalent to a teacher” you automatically carry the emotional meaning of “absurdly underpaid given the training, skills, and positive impact that the person has.”

That’s why they don’t say “equivalent to a long-time GM assembly line worker” or “equivalent to a guy who takes tickets on the Washington State Ferry system,” even though those might be equally correct from a purely factual point of view. Hell, those people may be underpaid too. But you can’t be guaranteed that your audience will know it in their heart the moment that they read it.

On the way back to my car today, I had my first encounter with someone who didn't know what a writer did. "So you guys write the stuff that the actors say?" Hand to god, I always thought it was an urban myth that people believed the actors made it all up themselves.

The person, however, was very nice, asked me a few questions about why we were striking and wished me luck.

maybe you need a heavier sign.

Perhaps. That might have had the side benefit of not blowing apart from the sticks in the wind.