No matter how you look at it, teaching is the single most important job in this country.
Correction, in the world.
Teaching is more than preparing kids for a test or for giving kids homework. Teaching is setting a foundation for life.
You see, parenting is important. Life changing, in fact. It's the difference between "Yes ma'am" and "What?", among many other things. What people seem to gloss over is the fact that the vast majority of kids spend the majority of their days in school, creating a massive responsibility for teachers throughout the entire schooling process. These men and women are responsible for helping to steer the future of this nation for whatever life has in store for them. Regardless of what that path in life may be, the psychological impact that teachers have is as important as that of a parent or a guardian.
Interestingly enough, for a job of this magnitude, the same topic constantly remains at the center of the round table for teachers -- not being paid enough.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) , the average salary for a teacher in the US was $56,383 circa 2012-2013. Since 1999-2000, the national average for the salary of teachers at the elementary and secondary school levels has largely remained the same -- with a negative one percentage drop in that time span. So, one can infer that not much has changed since this data was last collected.
To put this in perspective, the average base salary of a toll booth attendant is $52,235, according to the Economic Research Institute.
Yes, a toll booth attendant.
Some may point to the benefits teachers receive or the fact that they get summers off or any other factor, but all that goes out the window in this discussion. The fact of the matter is that teachers don't get the credit they deserve.
Teachers are mothers/fathers/therapists and whatever they need to be all at once. They are tasked with maintaining balance with kids of all different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. They are tasked with working within the confines of a poor schooling system to bring out the best in students. They are tasked with buying their own supplies. They are ultimately judged by how well their students perform and not how much they have grown. The list goes on and on. To keep it simple, they are tasked with the impossible.
I can't speak for everyone else, but teachers have played a huge role in my life. Growing up with a single mother, the different perspectives that were shown to me by a variety of great men and women helped make me the young man that I am today. While the school system needs improvement (due to a clear lack of interest in education by the higher-ups), I was blessed beyond measure to receive teachers who went the extra mile to give me the best they could offer and I can honestly say they left quite the imprint on me.
Teachers are so very important. The role they play in the development of the vast majority of society is unmatched and they need to be compensated and recognized as such.
Guy Kawasaki said, "If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society's heroes."
No one can quantify the impact that a teacher can have. For better or for worst, teachers are always remembered and that speaks volumes. This conversation should not still be relevant in 2017.
Let us remember that the children are our future and unless we want more teachers leaving the profession and the already corrupt school system to fall even farther because of this then it's time to get serious about appreciating our teachers. This needs to change and the time to make that change is now.
