Teachers should be paid more

BY RYAN MERARD, JOURNALISM 1

Going to school is a necessity in America, which requires teachers to provide the education given. Teachers do a lot of work in and out of the classroom, such as educating a future generation to be successful and have a good impact on the world. They are great people who take care of children outside of their home for purposes that will benefit the kids in the long run. Despite this, teachers are underpaid.

Teachers should be paid a lot more than this because of the hard work put in to become a teacher and the responsibilities placed on the teacher, such as being a role model. In today’s world, employers need their employees to have some type of educational degree to be able to work for them, and it is the teachers who help people get the job they want.

Many teachers are leaving their jobs to use what they know for a higher pay.

According to salary.com, the average public school teacher’s median salary across the nation is $54,801, which means that 50 percent of public school teachers make less than $54,801. This is low relative to the amount of work that is put into being a teacher. They do more than just give out tests and homework to children; they must be able to handle the children as well.

Teacher enrollment has dropped 35 percent from 2009 to 2014 in the United States, according to CNN. States across the nation are suffering from teacher shortages. Many factors could play a part into these shortages, but a main factor is believed to be because of the salaries of these teachers. Many teachers are leaving their jobs to use what they know for a higher pay.

Additionally, fewer and fewer college students want to become teachers after graduation, which can put the job of teachers in high demand soon across the nation. According to “Neatoday,” in a 2016 national survey of college freshman, only 4.2 percent of them want to major in education.

Many people think teachers shouldn’t be paid more because they usually get a summer vacation when school is over, but really, they have a lot to deal with in their classroom, such as rude kids and parents who are mad about their child’s grade. Even during the summer, they are always working to find ways to improve their curriculum. Dealing with this can be very stressful, which is why teachers deserve the break.

Fewer and fewer college students want to become teachers after graduation.

All the successful humans in this world today, are who they are mainly because of their parents and teachers. Sometimes it is just the teacher who makes an impact on a child’s life. Doctors who make six figures are who they are because of their teachers and professors. Even athletes had to go to school to make the millions of dollars they are making today. In the end, when the students are wealthy in the future, the teachers still receive the same income for their hard work.

A change needs to be made soon. If nobody wants to be a teacher, then there would not be enough people to educate future kids, and this can lead to a large amount of kids being packed into one room. If the national salaries of teachers were to be raised, the problems of teacher shortages may improve, and the job won’t be in such high demand in the future.

Featured photo by Casey Chapter