In 2014, the annual mean wage an American teacher made was a little over $57,000 a year.
Teacher pay in the Bay Area is higher than the national average, and salaries vary depending on where you're located: This year, a teacher in Oakland can make up to $83,000 a year, whereas the same teacher can go to Hillsborough and make up to $124,000.
Still, that's not enough to afford housing in most of the Bay Area. So, teachers are taking up second jobs -- and sometimes third jobs -- to pay the bills, according to Ninive Calegari. She heads the San Francisco-based Teacher Salary Project, an organization that raises awareness around teacher pay. Calegari says her job is to elevate the teaching profession, and make it viable and exciting again. She sat down with KALW's Hana Baba.
NINIVE CALEGARI: I remember walking down the hallway thinking, "One problem with my profession is not everybody wants my job. My job should be SO desirable because it is incredibly fulfilling!"
Click the audio player above to listen to the complete interview.
