Selfish Teachers Refuse to Teach

If I didn't like my job, I would find a better job, give at least two weeks notice, and quit. What I wouldn't do is act like a big baby, refuse to come in, and call some union thugs to prevent me from being fired for not doing the job I'm paid to do. But then I'm not a West Virginia school teacher.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Teachers demanding better pay refused to show up for work Wednesday and forced the cancellation of classes in at least 12 counties.

Lawmakers last week approved a 3.5 percent pay raise for the state's nearly 20,000 teachers, but the educators' union said it was not enough to keep West Virginia competitive with the rest of the country.

West Virginia teachers' salaries now rank 47th in the nation, according to the West Virginia Education Association. State officials said the average teacher earned $41,388 last year and has about 18 years of experience.

First, they have summers off. So the real average salary is around $50,000 (what they would earn if they worked full time like everyone else). That seems pretty good to me. The median income level of a two-person family in West Virginia is $37,493. Another way of saying this is single West Virginia teachers are financially better off than most married couples in the state. Sounds pretty fortunate to me. This doesn't even count fringe benefits, like having sex with underage students.