Why do teachers get paid so little for doing so much? How can we help them?

Question

I want to know the reasons why teachers get the short end of the stick when they provide our kids so much?

I am not saying this so teachers can get rich but what I am asking is why are they treated as being less valuable?

Answer 1

Because we don't like to pay more in taxes, and we don't like to actively pursue the school board to persuade them to rebuild the school system and remove all the bureaucracy.

Answer 2

It is a simple law of proportions. Actors are paid by what they bring into the box office. Good actors in good movies make good money. Athletes get paid to preform at a high level of excellence and to help fill stadium seats. Add that to advertising endorsements for products and a great athlete has a tremendous earning potential. Teachers do not have to be good at all to get paid, they simply have to show up. While I agree 100% about their role, the sad fact is that teaching, law enforcement and firefighting does not attract the best and the brightest. This is not an insult just a fact, students with sharp minds and determination tend to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, CPA's, CEO's, pilots and scientist. That is not to say educators police or firefighters are less Intelligent or motivated. These three lines of work make up the bulk of State, and City budgets and payrolls. Smaller schools, police departments and firehouses can pay more depending on their tax base. Belair Texas can pay much more than the city of Houston, because it is an affluent community with relatively small boundaries.

Answer 3

Money or financial gain is not the reason anyone should decide to be a teacher. Teachers are paid according to the educational budget of that state or school district. Although it seems like a easy answer to pay teachers more, and there after the quality of education would increase. I really don't believe this to be true. For example, take a look at our politicians, corporate officials, etc. these fields pay very well, and yet corruption and poor leadership is prevalent. In a way keeping teachers salaries modest assures us that those who chose this profession are doing so for the right reasons. Now I do believe in positive and financial rewards for those teachers and districts that perform well. This would keep everyone on their toes and everyone from administration, teachers, and students driven. I bet you any amount of money that there are many other things that teachers would be int rested in, other than more money. Better school supplies, better books, more control and disciplinary actions in the classroom, and more ways to give positive reinforcement. Finally, every education major knows around how much he or she will make before actually going into the field. They know this and still chose this very honorable profession, because they have been given a gift to be educators.

Answer 4

Why is it so easy for people to say "teachers aren't doing it for the money, anyway," yet not feel that way about other highly - trained service professions like doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, etc.?

Until a few decades ago, education was optional. Most people had a 3rd, 6th, or 8th grade education at best. Only those going on to become business owners or professionals and therefore were college bound went on through high school. Most people in the United States are unaware of this now, and consider childhood education to be a right rather than a privilege (even though in most areas of the world apprenticeship and manual laborer tracks are still very much the norm).

That "optional" aspect of education, until the middle of the 20th century, meant that anyone who was not a natural academic learner left school and either took on an apprenticeship for skilled crafts, or became a manual laborer. Teachers did not need to have much training in order to teach the "natural" learners, at least until the college prep stage. Even there, the students by that point had good study skills and were motivated, so the demands of a teacher were relatively simple. A century ago, a person could be a teacher for children with a high school diploma, and only needed a college degree for high school and college instuctor positions. Those college degrees only involved subject knowledge training, not any sort of deep involvement in actual teaching strategies or methology. This was because STUDENTS WHO HAD DIFFICULTY LEARNING WERE NOT TAUGHT ACADEMICS.

As academic education became mandatory for ALL children, and then achievement of all students, including the students with extreme difficulties, became important, teacher training needs started to climb. Teachers today have to be highly skilled and flexible diagnosticians, curriculum designers, instructors, psychologists, social activity coordinators, and social workers, all at once. No child, regardless of learning ability, can fail to make progress or the teacher is blamed regardless of any other factors affecting that child (motivation, personal interests, any disabilities, home environment, etc.).

However, our society's perceptions of what a teacher does and what value teaching has did not keep up with the real and actual demands of the profession. Over the past 50 years, teachers have been expected to teach more and more students, with increasing levels of interfering factors to their learning, with less and less comparative resources.

Answer 5

Thank you for understanding what we as teachers go through. I do not understand why teachers are paid what we are paid. If everyone thinks about it we as teachers affect every single career because if there were no teachers no one would learn how to do things. I understand that schools and education are under-funded but something should be done. A way to help teachers is when with supplies and your time. Most teachers really appreciate and need volunteers and have to pay out of pocket for classroom supplies.

Answer 6

In my opinion it is because our Govt. doesn't care about kids and neither does our society unforutnately. We pay sports figures millions and pay teachers NOTHING!! That reflects our priorities doesn't it!! Helping solve this problem is a grand task. Politicians are a large part of the problem but so are the people around you. Until America unites in outrage I thnk this problem will continue. One solution that I like (but has some flaws) is a voucher program. If parents could decide where their kids attended school a lot would change. Sorry schools would be empty and teachers would be in demand. If thet happened school would have to pay a little more in order to keep good teachers. Anything controlled by the govt. is a bad idea (except the military to a point). Vouchers would help but how they would affect inner city and rural schools might be a problem. Sorry but that's all I know. Hope it helps some.

Answer 7

The sad truth of the matter is that education isn't as important in our society as it once was. Teachers have been reduced to babysitters, and many people want to keep it that way. Teachers are not always allowed to enforce discipline in their classrooms. Teachers are not always allowed to assign grades that the students earned. The problem is that these babysitters are required to have advanced college degrees that reflect studies in psychology, specific methodology, and research as well as their core content studies. In Kentucky a teacher must have completed 15 hours towards a Master's degree in an appropriate field by his or her fifth year, and have completed a Master's within 10 years. Not to mention the Praxis exams, exit exams, and internship year.
The real reason that teachers are paid so little is that we don't value education and we don't appreciate all of the things that people have to go through to become teachers. I personally would love to see a few congressmen and senators do what I do for a year. I would dare them to say that our pay is adequate. As for what you can do to fix the problem... vote. Know where your candidate stands on education and government funding. The federal government plays a part too. Get involved, and let those in control know that they work for you, not the other way around.

Answer 8

The reason I believe is that in today society values and morals are off. If we can pay these sports player so much money we can play a lot more for education. Some people believe that education is not as important as sports. We need to attend more meetings and protest against this injustice of how the teachers are being treated. If people don't stand up nothing will ever happen. So Stand up and start doing something in our hometowns and confront the government system on the little pay the teachers get. It is them who along with us who are teaching our children.

Answer 9

Teachers have to be highly educated in their field of study. Some people believe it is better just to shut down schools ( which I think is wrong) just to save a couple of bucks. Teachers have been through 4 years of training to get where they are. Some teachers go through more training to become principles. But, teachers get paid from tax payers dollars and seniority and unions. Sometimes, depending on how big the school district is it goes by how many students there are.
Now how to make it easier on your teacher...... well, just follow directions. Don't cause them trouble. Remember, they have the hard job. They have a lot of papers to go through at the end of the day. They also have to help other teachers too. So, just try and make it easier on teachers.

Answer 10

They do provide our children with a lot. However they have the opportunity to climb the payscale during their summers off by furthering their education at a discounted price (in some states). Some teachers do get the short end of the stick, but some students do as well. Teacher evaluation and education is the best solution for such issues regarding salary.

Answer 11

Sometimes they do. I couldn't be an American citizen and deny it. As a personal promise to myself, I decided I would go the distance with my kids in conjunction with educators. I have gone to meetings, proofed work, taught them myself at night as I went thru college twice, and BACKED them up in their cause most of the time. That's the best we can do. Thankfully, some educators are in unions and some areas have a shorter tenure period. For example, my Aunt will complete her last year in her area as a Special Education teacher. She got tenure in ten years and this is actually her second career. She was once a registered nurse. In my community, tenure is two years. They are rather desperate here. And I do know that here they have a teacher's credit union, sign-on bonuses, shorter tenure, and excellent benefits. There is also a community price reduction when a teacher purchases a home. The county pays the owners X amount of dollars and the buying educator finances the rest. I do believe that at least some of America is waking up and making it better for teachers.