“… when I was in school, a few of my rabbeim would jokingly complain on a regular basis about their low $40k-50k salary.”
Did they actually complain about their $40k-50k salary, or did they complain about their salary and YOU decided they were making $40k-50k?
Do you really think you are justified in such a harsh condemning expression toward an entire profession because of the bad experiences you had in one place in one point in time? Would that possibly fit the definition of whining?
Lastly, you are correct that those teachers were wrong. Very wrong. There is no excuse for being ungrateful and it is even worse to hurt a young student (and not even know you are doing so). But I haven’t met teachers who make that much money. Not a decade ago, and not now. If they do by you, that doesn’t mean they all do.
To whomever said that ridiculous statement about social workers working all year and making less, my colleagues who are social workers start at 25% more than a long time rebbe. With summers off.