Teacher Salaries

In the United States, teachers do not get paid enough. Teacher salaries have continued to be lower than they should be. In a country where education is of great worth, teachers are expected to bear the weight of teaching and educating today’s children without being adequately compensated. A comment was made by a middle-school student that a convenience-store clerk makes more money than a teacher does. If the students can see the discrepancies, why can’t lawmakers and other adults?

It is very difficult to attract highly qualified teachers because the best individuals have selected better-paying fields. They have chosen fields where they will be rewarded for their hard work and effort. The effects of this are that children today are falling through the cracks when it comes to their education. They are left without the skills they need to survive in today’s world. They are reading and writing at low levels, and their math skills continue to decline, as well.

Some critics of raising teacher salaries state that teachers get the whole summer off and that they are paid for the time they spend on the job. This just isn’t the case. Most teachers spend their summers planning and preparing for the upcoming year. Many are also attending conferences and training seminars—at their own expense—to improve their teaching abilities.

Having the summer off also puts a strain on the teacher during the school year. Teachers are highly discouraged from using “sick days” because they had all those days off in the summer. This is especially difficult for teachers who have family health issues and other problems that need their attention. Some school districts go as far as pressuring the teachers not to use sick days so that they can save money in their budgets by not hiring substitutes. This is wrong. Now is the time for teachers to be duly compensated for all of their hard work and effort.