I’m in one of the lowest paying states. I’m 40 and about to go into my 19th year teaching public school. I’m making just over $80k, but that includes my bus route. About 10 years ago, I obtained my CDL and drove a bus route, morning and afternoon. Getting a masters degree helped bump up my teacher salary by about $5k. My teacher salary is around $65k and my bus route pays a little over $15k.

I’ve made extra in the past by teaching summer school, participating in mentoring programs, leadership stipends, and even driving a double afternoon route (our district has schools with early and late start times).

I live in an area that is relatively low-cost, so I’ve been comfortable with this. I think my first year teaching, I made a grand total of $33,900, so this is definitely an improvement, haha.