Teachers are hard working individuals who dedicate their time to helping the youth, and they deserve to be paid more. 

The number of teachers in America is declining fast. According to RAND, one in four teachers said they were likely to leave their jobs after the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers are crucial parts of our society. Without teachers the youth would have no way of being educated. Increasing teachers salaries would become an incentive for people choosing career paths. 

According to Pew Research Center about one in six teachers work second jobs. A lot of teachers work during the summer, but many are forced to work two jobs all year long. Teaching can sometimes require work at home, like grading papers, and having to work two jobs can take time away from their teaching job. So, increasing salaries would help teachers immensely. 

Some people say that teachers are paid so little because they do not work in the summer. However, many teachers do work over the summer. Some teachers also have to teach summer school or do training over the summer to prepare for the school year. Summer is crucial planning time for many teachers.  According to Zippia, there are over 1.7 million summer school teachers currently employed in the U.S. 

At the beginning and throughout the whole school year, teachers constantly provide for their students by giving them school supplies and other products they might not have but need.  According to News Direct after taking a survey in 2021, they found that teachers spend an average of $750 of their own money on their students during the 2021 school year.  With their own money, teachers purchase snacks, drinks and supplies for their students and classroom.

A bachelor’s degree is almost always mandatory for a teacher, but college is incredibly expensive, leaving teachers with massive debts to pay off. According to the National Education Association, 48% of faculty with current college debt still owe more than $65,000. Increasing teacher salaries would help them pay off their debts.

According to CNBC, Luxembourg’s teachers make approximately $39,258 more than American teachers. The U.S. is not even one of the top five countries that pays teachers the most. America is a successful country that should be able to provide adequate pay for our educators. 

A McAuliffe Heights English teacher, Lars Steward, would like for teachers to be paid more.  

“I don’t believe that you get into education to get rich; however, you certainly look for a good living wage so that you can raise a family.  I personally know that teachers work hard and do the very best that they can for their students and, as a result, deserve appreciation for that, but I also realize that the summer time and holidays off are a pretty big perk of the job as well. For me, personally, I look for pay that will allow me to provide for my family, yet I don’t want so much that it will subtract from the learning of my students and community.  It’s finding a good balance which isn’t always easy,” Steward said.

Teachers have a very demanding, time consuming and tiring job. Students tend to disrespect teachers often, and the teachers don’t get the credit they deserve. Without teachers, students wouldn’t have the ability to learn much, if at all. Teachers are vital parts to society that will teach future children. Paying them more would ensure better learning possibilities for the youth and future generations to come.