Here we go again with the teacher bashing. What other profession puts in countless hours of unpaid overtime, spends thousands of dollars on supplies, etc., all on a salary far less than almost every other profession? And those summers off that you are so hung up on, that is not paid vacation time. Teachers don't make a dime over the summer, which is why you'll see most working a second or third job, as opposed to vacationing at that time, as one spouter suggested.