Uhhhh…. First off, no one made you go into teaching, and no one said you had to be broke doing it. There’s not some unwritten rule that says teachers have to be poor. We are professionals, most of us have multiple degrees, a skillset that rivals Fortune 500 managers, and we’re expected to work 60-70 hour work weeks including nights and weekends, leaving our families at home. Teachers are waking up and finally demanding to be paid what they’re worth. And they don’t have a choice due to inflation!

Before you wax poetic about how bad you had it, please remember that in 1972, the average annual cost of college was around $425 per year. It is now over $10,000. If you had student loans (doubtful), they were likely negligible.

I bet your mortgage in 1973 was pretty cushy. Average home price was $27,000. The average homes price in Austin is currently $640,000. Most teachers are completely priced out and have to live in the suburbs.

Also, your 50k salary in 1990 was over $106,000 when adjusted for inflation. Seems appalling if you ask me.

The current generation is literally being crushed by massive student debt, skyrocketing housing prices, and bloated childcare costs. Is it so unreasonable to ask for slightly more than enough money to exist? These are a few things to consider before you lecture everyone about how good young folks have it. OK Boomer?