I work for a school district as well, I'm an IT tech but still part of the district. I started in education three years ago and I love it. Sure the pay sucks but the people are usually nicer than anything I'd see in a corporate type environment.
I too have bitched about the low pay and it really does suck how crappy my pay is, especially seeing as how I probably won't get a raise for another year, didn't get one last year either. But there are days that I go home feeling like I've made a difference. I keep the computers and technology running so the students can use them and so that the teachers can teach their classes.
It's an honorable job in my opinion!
I like my job and the people I work with, they love the work I do for them and that makes me feel good.
I will say that our educational system is one of the worst in the world. I heard a teacher say it the best! He said, "We have the only educational system in the world that crams material into the kids heads, tests them on it and then lets the purge that material and move to the next subject." He's absolutely right though, compared to the rest of the world, we're way behind.
Like mespock said though, it's hard to teach kids that have no interest in being there, that have parents that don't give a $hit! You don't ever hear anything out of the parents until their kid gets written up or gets an F. Then they're in there bitching everyone else out because it can't be their kids fault. These kids today are so f@cking spoiled it's not even funny. These parents need to pop the teet out of their mouths and let the kids get a taste of reality for once. All the parents are accomplishing is to raise their kids to be dip:q:q:q:qs and p@ssies that eventually will be in charge of running our country.
That my friends is what frightens me the most! There are students who want to learn but don't get the opportunity to because the troublemakers are too busy disrupting class with their childish antics. I say bring back corporal punishment in schools. Straighten these kids out, and parents need to learn how to lay the smack down at home! They want to call child services, dial the phone for them while you're beating their @ss!
RANT OVER!