Thank your Teachers

I just got my last paycheck.

For three days I was paid $198.75.    Not too bad huh?   The government took $150 in federal taxes along with $2.86 for Medicare (that I will probably never be able to use) and $12.32 for Social Security (ditto).

Grand total for my last week of work where I worked all day PLUS one whole evening due to the graduation:

$33.55

That's about 85% straight to the government.

WTF?

And they tell me we get a tax break because we work for a church.

The hell.

And I got four end-of-school gifts out of fourteen students.  

I don't teach to get gifts, I actually really, really love it and I am really, really good at it.   My boss even told me I was the best one there, so there's your proof.   But.   How hard would it be to write a sentence telling me thank you on an index card as you're walking out the door?   Teachers do need that because their paycheck isn't giving them the warm fuzzies.

PLEASE remember your teachers on the last day of school.    I know we just had Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation and Father's Day is coming up and you want to go on vacation this summer, but PLEASE if you had a good teacher let them know you thought so somehow so they stay there.

I am doing one of two things next year:

Quitting

Or

Posting this paycheck stub at the entrance of my classroom just so they see what teachers sacrifice to educate their children.