I am a county teacher who’s not complaining about pay and benefits

As a former private industry professional and now Palm Beach County schools math teacher, I can’t understand why my fellow teachers are complaining.

I’ve come to realize that the Palm Beach County School District is simply not run like a business. My math mind uncovered some disturbing statistics during my first year. Despite only working 180 days a year and a seven-hour work day, I found that 25 percent of teachers abuse sick time and hardly any teacher had real life work experiences other than teaching.

I learned that almost all teachers were rated as “highly effective” or “effective,” and that few, if any, actually got fired unless they committed some atrocity on a child or fraudulent school act. Even the ones that failed miserably were often reassigned to become someone else’s problem. I guess these were the “needs improving” type.

Hardly a day goes by now when I don’t hear about teacher strikes and demands for higher pay in the news media. There’s even now talk in the Miami-Dade area of actually giving teachers free housing. All across the nation, cities are straining to keep from going bankrupt meeting government paid pensions and health care.

I wonder what would happen if we gave each of our 12,000-plus Palm Beach County teachers an extra $10,000 a year. Would they suddenly be able to afford a $300,000 home?

I would challenge any teacher that complains to get a professional position in the private sector where even complaining can get you fired. There they would have no substitute workers whenever they needed or unions to protect them. There they would learn a hard lesson instead of making a lesson plan.

Teaching has certainly been a wonderful experience, and I will continue to do the best job I can do because for the amount of days and hours I work, my pay, benefits and health care are pretty darn good.

So yes, I’m a teacher; I’m grateful and I’m not complaining.

JOHN MONTEZUMA, WEST PALM BEACH

Hardly a day goes by now when I don’t hear about teacher strikes and demands for higher pay in the news media.