A second teacher at a high school in Missouri was put on leave after administrators discovered her OnlyFans side hustle.

Megan Gaither, 31, said during an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was placed on leave from her English teaching and varsity cheerleading coach position on Oct. 27 after district officials found out about her account on the OnlyFans platform.

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[–] 136 points 2 years ago (20 children)

It is sad to me that the focus isn't on trying to pay her a living wage so she doesn't have to have a side hustle. And by the way, all the "free market, lift yourself up by your bootstraps and just get another job" judgmental assholes can just fuck off because that's exactly what she is doing.

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  • [–] 31 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Exactly this. My wife was a teacher, but hasn't been in a classroom in over 15 years. When she was pregnant with our second son, we did some budgeting. Take her salary and subtract after school care for our oldest son and daycare for our youngest son and we had $3,000 left over. Not $3,000 a month - $3,000 a year.

    And that was before clothing appropriate for school, supplies for school, gas to get to school, and the mydrid of other expenses that come with being a teacher. If she remained a teacher, we wouldn't be earning money. We would be paying for her to remain tracking

    So she stopped teaching and became a stay at home mother.

    (By the way, we used her salary because hers was the smaller one. Had mine been the smaller salary, I would have quit and become a stay at home dad.)

    We once calculated how much she earned per hour. Given that she was getting in before school to set up, working late after school to help kids out or grade papers, and working holidays to get lesson plans in place, she was making less than minimum wage. She would literally have made more per hour at McDonald's.

    Teachers are very important and deserve more than "maybe, if you're lucky, you'll end up with minimum wage."

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    Same situation, same calculus.

    All up we were $100/month "better" off with my wife working.

    We agreed that "paying" $25/week was worth it to have mum at home raising our litter.

    It was very nice to come home to a relaxed home rather than a stressed gang of animals.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago

    I think we need to change the focus, in order to get the misogynists on board. Explain to them that by not paying the teachers in the local District a living wage, they will force all the hot teachers onto OnlyFans to make their living. And their sons will only have frumpy teachers when they get to high school. That ought to scare them.

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  • [+] -103 points 2 years ago (15 children)

    She's definitely getting paid a living wage.

    Do you think she would die without her side hustle? Or is she trying to live as luxurious a life as possible?

    I know what I'd put my money on.

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  • [–] 42 points 2 years ago (10 children)

    Subsistence wage is what you are thinking of, to meet basic biological necessities. A living wage allows for moderate comfort, because there is more to living than just surviving.

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  • [+] -48 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    You're thinking of a 'respectable wage.'

    Living wage means just that. A wage that enables you to live.

    there is more to living than just surviving.

    I guess if you don't understand the meaning of the word 'living', then sure. It can mean whatever you want, lol.

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  • [–] 24 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    You're thinking of a 'respectable wage.'

    You're saying teachers don't deserve a 'respectable wage'?

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  • [+] -15 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I'm saying she had a livable wage already.

    Everyone deserves a respectable wage, but we should not conflate wants with needs.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Everyone deserves a respectable wage,

    So we are all agreeing she should be getting paid more as a teacher, but you're arguing semantics instead of the issue at hand.

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  • [+] -7 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    $50k/year is very respectable from a global perspective.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    "Compared to impoverished nations she's doing great!"

    If you have to move to goal posts that far that's a sign that your argument is bad.

    The fact is she took a second job that made her more money. If OF pays her more why should she remain a teacher?

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  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [+] -10 points 2 years ago*

    Yes, she was getting paid a living wage.

    Needs are defined to include food, housing, and other essential needs such as clothing.

    If you can't afford all of these on a $50k/year salary, it's your fault for being bad with money.

    Something tells me she drives a nicer car than me and lives in a nicer apartment while eating nicer food and rarely cooking her own meals.

    No, this is greed, not need. And it's next to impossible to call it out for what it is because of how many people participate in it.

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  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    My wife was a teacher. I've seen what teachers get paid and what they need to pay for (supplies for their room that are essential but that the districts refuse to pay for). It's actually very likely that this teacher was barely scraping by on her teacher salary.

    Edit: From the article:

    According to the report, Gaither's pay, which includes a stipend for coaching the school's cheerleading squad, was around $47,500.

    The article also mentions that she had $125,000 in student loans. She wasn't living a life of luxury on that salary. Opening an OnlyFans was a means of making ends meet.

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  • [+] -22 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago

    It depends on where you live. This teacher wasn't in NYC, but a salary of $47,500 might not get you much there. Your rent alone could take all of your post-tax salary.

    And don't forget that teachers also often have to pay for classroom supplies (including things like tissues which should just be given to them by the district). So their expenses can be higher than other people's. They are also expected to continue learning - often on their dime.

    But setting all that aside, $47,500 would be about $36,000 after taxes which is $3,000 a month. A $125,000 student loan at 6% interest to be paid off in 7 years would cost $1,826 a month. That leaves her $1,174 to live off of.

    This page gives cost of living numbers for Missouri. Even the low figures are over $2,000. So she'd have a $800+ shortfall.

    There are a lot of people who go into the teaching profession and quickly leave it once they realize that they can't survive on a teacher's income. Teachers deserve more.

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