Teachers Shape Future Generations, Why Not Pay Them More?

 Teachers play a huge role in the lives of their students. Elementary teachers, in particular, set the stage for the rest of a child's education.  They help shape a child into the person they will become in both their lives and careers. So if they are so vital, why are they so underpaid? A teacher that has their masters' degree in the state of Tennessee has an average salary of $53,000. While this may seem decent, I decided to dig further to find the average cost of living in our state. For one individual, not including those with a family, it costs approximately $87,600 to maintain a home, healthcare, and other essentials. 

A woman in a teachers union protesting her salary.

But a majority of teachers have a family to attend to. Another study demonstrated the amount of teachers that are mothers as well and who have children to care for. Research found that about half of all teachers in the United States have at least one child at home. And babies especially are very expensive. Teachers are so vital to society, yet we allow them to face stress regarding caring for their children. We would not be where we are now if it was not for the teachers we may have had growing up. Teachers choose to teach because they are passionate about children and want to make a difference. They would not choose to live on such a minor salary if that was not the case. In my own situation, I have dreamed about teaching since I was a little girl. I would always play teacher with my friends and siblings. I genuinely could not imagine taking a different career path. It is so disheartening to see teachers leaving the field because they are burnt out, walked all over, and extremely underpaid. Teachers strive to make a positive impact and want to invest in their students' futures. Shouldn't we invest in our teachers?