California teachers are struggling financially outside the classroom. What are they doing to manage?
The average pay for educators in the state of California is considered the highest in the nation, according to research collected by the National Education Association. Although this is the case, teachers are continuously struggling to manage an average lifestyle. With the cost of living rising, including housing, utilities, and groceries, it has hurt teachers significantly. Some big trends circulating on this topic of inadequate wages are teachers having to take on side jobs for security, budgeting their paychecks, and experiencing burnout.
Teacher side jobs
With teacher schedules averaging 40 hours Monday through Friday while school is in session, seasonal breaks, and most having summers off, side jobs are necessary. One common side income you might think teachers use is tutoring, but most are taking on non-education-related jobs. Based on the post provided below by Impact Media, it is commonly seen that food delivery, working in restaurant service, and even bartending are the majority of side jobs for educators. By observing the hours of teaching all week and managing a side job, teachers are questioning whether they can make their financial issues work in the long run. Something I found interesting in my research on this topic is the articles on the “many ways” teachers can make extra cash. Some suggest canceling car insurance, borrowing money from your home's equity to consolidate debt, and searching for unclaimed money in your name. These suggestions are missing the point of trying not to stress over financial burdens. In the end, an educator may just be putting themselves in worse scenarios with these suggestions.
Budget my paycheck with me
This trend was all over TikTok in the teacher search. The perspective seen in most of the videos in the teacher budgeting hashtag is housing, essentials, and travel budgeting on a teacher's paycheck. Teachers feel they are missing out on life and want to be somewhat spontaneous; many influencers come from different backgrounds, some having children, being in a two-income household, or being young and single with no children. All budgets are different based on pay, essentials, and whether some can afford to do fun activities. I found it unique to see the different perspectives and pay depending on whether a teacher worked in a public or private school. In the videos below, I have provided two different source perspectives on budgeting that had high social traction. The video to the left includes an art teacher and single mom of three known as @lauren_in_louisville , and the video to the right includes a young and single high school teacher known as @eli_carbullido .
Truth behind teacher burnout
Financial struggles are becoming more common, and teachers are feeling undervalued, causing emotional and physical fatigue, which is leading to teacher burnout. For some educators, this can be short or long-term, even escalating to the point of quitting their careers over it. Something unique is that this commonly stems from a lack of respect from students and their caregivers. With trends of students disrespecting teachers in the classroom, there are no longer expectations of what acceptable behavior is. Teachers online are saying they are spending more of their time regulating behaviors instead of teaching, leading them to resign. One thing I find missing from this circulating topic is how this correlates with school districts’ cutting vacant positions due to funding. The video below provides context for understanding stress and burnout in teachers.
How can you support educators?
Teachers are at the center of setting up the impact of student success and the future of the community. They challenge students to reason, think, and communicate, but if they are not feeling supported in or out of the classroom, their value decreases along with their pay. Having to manage between working multiple jobs, budgeting those jobs, and then causing burnout is an issue that will continue if there is no focus on inflation and teacher salaries. There is more to do to aid these obstacles; my story will highlight these issues from the perspective of San Diego educators.