Teachers deserve higher wages. They have put passion and effort into creating lessons for us as students to be successful.

According to recent data, federal, state, and local governments budget $584.9 billion or $14,418 per pupil to fund K-12 public education, and this shows how important the United States invests into education. The investment is big, but in reality, only a small amount of it is used to pay for teachers. Teachers have contributed to our success and what they get is not equivalent to a high paying career that requires a bachelor’s degree or even more.

Most teachers work at home grading student work, creating the lesson plan, which helps contribute to students’ knowledge. Ironically, teachers also do not have the professional skills to help students’ mental health, but many students have shared their issues with teachers. Many people have said that they “recognize teacher work” by having teachers appreciation week. But we all know that teachers are important and what the school district needs to do is honor them by giving them increased wages.

Some teachers are also very passionate about their teaching. For example, I have Mr. Fite, who is my U.S history teacher. He created many activities and used them to help us engage in his lesson. He also teaches us not only academics but real world skills that will help us in the future like public speaking, annotating, etc. He is an example of why teachers should get higher wages because while they teach their subject area, there are also many things students have learned through a teacher that helps them succeed in the future.

Currently, there will be a teacher shortage because more people choose another career to pursue their need for a higher salary. But by increasing teachers’ salaries we also attract many young people to think about choosing teaching. As education evolves because of technology, teachers are very important and so are their wages too. I am frustrated that what they get doesn’t match what they deserve for their hard work, passion, and effort, in teaching us to be a better person each day. I am thankful for what they have done to improve me as a better person and help me on the right path to my success and why teachers around the world deserve more than what they get.