“Just give me the facts ma’am, just the facts,” as Sergeant Friday used to say.

The teachers of North Carolina want to take a day off of to go to Raleigh to protest to “raise teacher pay and improve working conditions for teachers.” On the first point, the average salary for workers in North Carolina is $32,150. The average salary for N.C. public school teachers $51,214.

But wait, we are not comparing apples to apples here. The number of days worked for an average North Carolinian is somewhere around 250 days when you allow for weekends and holidays. Teachers, around 200. Twenty percent less than everyone else.

Some may argue N.C. teachers make less than teachers in other states. Again, not comparing apples to apples. The cost of living, community standard and other factors make this comparison a fallacy.

To the second point of “improving working conditions for teachers.” Please tell me what conditions are so bad as compared with any other occupation. Many occupations have bad working conditions, but you don’t hear them complaining. They go to work every day and do their job without a peep.

The way I see it, public school teachers have a pretty good gig. They have every weekend off. Has a teacher ever had to work on Christmas or pull a night shift? Have they ever had to worry about being laid off or that the company they work so hard for was not going to be able to pay them this week? The working conditions for teachers are no worse than anyone else.

I am not bashing public school teachers just for the sake of bashing but to offer some advice. Get out of these teacher unions; they are leading you around by the nose and making you look ungrateful.

— Wayne Drye

Salisbury

Editor’s note: The average salary for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in the state is $52,254 for a B.A. and $62,817 for a B.S., according to PayScale, a compensation research website.