Worth the Wage

A Counter-Cultural Experiment in Education

Everyone knows teachers are underpaid. What everyone takes for granted is how much work teachers do for no pay. Teachers work unpaid overtime--all the time--so much that it has become the norm. It's expected. That's just the culture of the education system. I wanted to see if there could be a different way.

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This school year, I made a resolution: I will not put in any more unpaid overtime. There are obvious benefits to this philosophical shift in work ethic. Work-life balance. Self-care. I hope to be more present and effective with my students, since I'll have more time away from work to rest and regroup. But I also hope to start a conversation around this idea that may help other educators worn down by a system that devalues their contributions.

The idea of compensating workers appropriately is actually a biblical one. That's where the title of this blog comes from. In Luke 10:7, Jesus says, "...the worker is worthy of his wages." Not even Jesus expected those following their calling to work for free.

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