Misinformed Alex Meyer substitute teacher story/Teachers' pay

[Thrylos]

We all have read it by now. Alex Meyer is working as a substitute teacher during the off-season and makes $63 a day. That is the story. It was first told by David Woods, and Indy Star reporter. The original story is here. Now either Woods or his editor, to make it "more interesting", gave it an interesting title: "Millionaire pitcher Alex Meyer subs for $63/day". Probably "millionaire" refers to his signing bonus when drafted, which was $2 million dollars. No mention to the fact that he might not even make $50,000 a year in baseball and has about $20 food per diem by the team.

 

The story moved to every news outlet in the US and even crossed the ocean, where an Ashley Collman at the Daily Mail, penned this gem. The first sentence of the article:

 

Alex Meyer gets paid $2million as a baseball pitcher, but in his off-season from slugging for the Minnesota Twins, the 23-year-old accepts a meager $63 a day substitute teaching in his hometown

 

And the headline indicates that Meyer is "making $2 million a year".

 

Got to love the press some times...

[Seth Stohs]

Also, there's no way he's only making $63 a day subbing... I guarantee it's closer to $150, but that's also not an important detail.

 

My guess is that Meyer, who is still not 40-man-roster eligible, is making the standard, $1,500-2,000 a month that all minor leaguers make.

 

But, as Jeremy Nygaard tweeted, having that $2 million (or whatever it is after taxes) in the bank certainly is helpful!

[twinsfan34]

Substitute teaching pay is lousy. Can make more as a horrible server at a decent bar, I've had both jobs, and I worked them concurrently until I became a full time AP Calculus teacher.

 

Here's Greensburg Community school pay where Alex Meyer has been working:

 

http://www.greensburg.k12.in.us/admin/Job%20Opportunities/documents/Sub%20Teachers%20requirements.pdf

 

A little less formal, but it's at the expected rate.

 

One of the top 10 richest school districts in the United States, Highland Park in Dallas, TX - also home to Matthew Stafford and Clayton Kershaw among many others is $85/day.

 

 

http://www.hpisd.org/Portals/0/docs/personnel/Sub%20Application.doc‎

The pay for a substitute teacher is $85.00 per day. In some cases substitutes are employed for a fraction of a day at correspondingly lower rates.

[twinsfan34]

Highland Park, Texas

 

http://www.city-data.com/city/Highland-Park-Texas.html

 

Estimated per capita income in 2011: $122,226

 

Estimated median house or condo value in 2011: $966,745

Texas : $127,700

 

and yet, that $85/day is the highest in the DFW metroplex.

[TheLeviathan]

Also, there's no way he's only making $63 a day subbing... I guarantee it's closer to $150, but that's also not an important detail. !

 

In my district it's $75, so it may not be that far off.

 

ive always justified not taking days off just so that some poor person doesnt have to endure my kids without me for only $75. That seems cruel.

[glunn]

Despite the inaccuracies, this makes me want to root for Mayer even more than before I read the story.

[Guest USAFChief]

To pile on...I sub'd for a year after I retired. I got $75 for elementary and $90 for middle or high school.

 

For middle school I should have gotten combat pay.

[goulik]

And now with obamacare, you can only substitute a certain number of times per week or the schools have to give health insurance so they are restricting the sub days

[Jeremy Nygaard]

And now with obamacare, you can only substitute a certain number of times per week or the schools have to give health insurance so they are restricting the sub days

 

I haven't heard that. In my district in Wisconsin, sub pay is $85 or $90, and if subs got health insurance they literally would have to pay in, not get paid.

 

$63 seems terribly low either way. Less than $8/hour?

[70charger]

I actually read that article on the Daily Mail the other day. I can't remember what I was doing on the Daily Mail website, but I saw a Twins pitcher in a story link, and I thought it had to be interesting to make it onto a British paper. I looked, and in reading the article, you could tell it was written by somebody with no real knowledge of baseball. A "gem" is a good way to describe it.

[TheLeviathan]

I haven't heard that. In my district in Wisconsin, sub pay is $85 or $90, and if subs got health insurance they literally would have to pay in, not get paid.

 

$63 seems terribly low either way. Less than $8/hour?

 

Hence why subs are hard to find all over. So hats off to Alex, that's a thankless job.

[DaveW]

It's not really mis-information. It's a pretty cool story regardless, it's pretty obvious he wasn't doing this for the money.

[PseudoSABR]

He'd make an intimidating classroom presence, given his height....

[diehardtwinsfan]

I haven't heard that. In my district in Wisconsin, sub pay is $85 or $90, and if subs got health insurance they literally would have to pay in, not get paid.

 

$63 seems terribly low either way. Less than $8/hour?

 

I guess it depends on what is expected of them after school or before school. School around here starts at 9 and they are out by 3:30ish. That's a 6.5 hour day assuming they get no lunch break.

 

Still a neat story.

[cmathewson]

A lot of misinformation. But a great story however you slice it. He's obviously not doing this for the money. I wouldn't be surprised if he put it in a kettle on his way home from school. But I can't think of a better way to spend your time in the offseason.

[Marta Shearing]

I've always viewed teachers as a dime a dozen.

[stringer bell]

He'd make an intimidating classroom presence, given his height....

I saw Meyer last year in Spring Training. While his height would be intimidating, the fact that he looks about 19 would take a lot of the intimidation factor away.

[Riverbrian]

I've always viewed teachers as a dime a dozen.

 

I'm not sure how to moderate this comment. It's either a joke or an opinion and both are fine.

 

If a joke... may I recommend a smiley face to indicate so.

 

If an opinion... To all TD posters... Do not get personal as you tear Marta Shearing apart. Getting personal is a violation of TD policy.

 

With that said... I will view from the cheap seats.

[Guest USAFChief]

I've always viewed moderators as a dime a dozen.

[TheLeviathan]

I've always viewed teachers as a dime a dozen.

 

It's hard to be insulted by something so patently false. It's more sad this mentality persists - great teachers need more support not minimization.

[raindog]

Teachers should be held in high-esteem by everyone. What a thankless job.

 

People who consistently spout hot garbage like that should be banned. Seriously.

[TheLeviathan]

Teachers should be held in high-esteem by everyone. What a thankless job.

 

People who consistently spout hot garbage like that should be banned. Seriously.

 

Pfft, it's just babysitting....

 

[PseudoSABR]

I've always viewed teachers as a dime a dozen.

Well, you get what you pay for. That teachers are a dime a dozen speaks to our cultural cheapness, not the ease of which the job requires.

[Brad Swanson]

It's hard to be insulted by something so patently false. It's more sad this mentality persists - great teachers need more support not minimization.

 

I hear the anti-teacher rhetoric all too often and I never understand it. Sure, there are some bad teachers just like there are bad engineers and pilots and doctors and whatnot, but most of the teachers I know and work with are very hard working and dedicated to their students.

 

Actually, my dad is one of those anti-teacher people and his opinion is that teachers are "lazy" because they get so many days off. It's strange because I would go and work for him during every Summer, Winter, Spring break and random Holiday day-off, so that I could earn a little extra money. I guess he didn't make a connection there. Most of the teachers I know are working a second job and I rarely hear any of them complain about their teaching job.

 

Anyway, to keep this on the original topic, yes, Alex Meyer is tall.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Teachers should be held in high-esteem by everyone. What a thankless job.

 

People who consistently spout hot garbage like that should be banned. Seriously.

 

I'm going to take off my moderator hat for a second and simply say that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want to believe... no matter how stupid, insane, silly, or offensive it sounds to the rest of us.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I've always viewed teachers as a dime a dozen.

 

Now I'm going to put my moderation hat back on. At this site, whatever opinion anyone might have needs to be said in a respectful manner. I am really trying to figure out how this post is doing that. I've seen the difference between good teachers and bad teachers personally, and while I think most of us will agree that there are issues with the education system, you can say it in a way that doesn't insult a large portion of the population.

 

To everyone, please be real careful, this thread is about to go downhill quick. Let's be respectful.

 

Thanks.

[PseudoSABR]

his opinion is that teachers are "lazy" because they get so many days off.

Additionally, most people don't have to take their work home with them, and when they do, they actually get paid for it. Of course some teachers are lazy, but to do the job right (or even just competently), probably means working more hours than you're paid to work.

[TheLeviathan]

Additionally, most people don't have to take their work home with them, and when they do, they actually get paid for it. Of course some teachers are lazy, but to do the job right (or even just competently), probably means working more hours than you're paid to work.

 

My average day is 6:30-4:00 and I don't get a dime of overtime for that 1.5 every day I put in. Plus a couple hours every weekend. I did an estimate for someone that I do a minimum of 400 hours of unpaid overtime every year.

 

That more than covers my summers. The problem with the lazy teacher belief is that all it takes is one bad teacher to poison the well for the rest of us. It's a hard thing to keep out of a school's culture.

[Longdistancetwins]

I remember once having a substitute teacher in elementary school who was playing basketball for the old New Jersey Americans (now the Brooklyn Nets). We didn't realize it until most of the day was gone, but we thought it was cool.

[Danchat]

I think the correct statement is "bad teachers are worth a dime a dozen". I go to one of the smartest schools in the state and there are few good teachers. But I really appreciate a good teacher. And I would love to have Alex Meyer as a sub.