Argumentative Essay: Should Teachers Be Paid?

For years, teacher salaries have been placed toward the bottom of the white-collar professional pay scale. It only makes sense that without a fair salary qualified people are not going to want to become teachers. Many people believe that teachers are not reimbursed sufficiently. Considering the education required to be a teacher, the amount of work required of someone in the teaching profession, and the importance of the profession, teaching tomorrow’s leaders, teachers should be paid more. According to Lisette Partelow of U.S. News, “Teacher pay is low and flat-lining. The average starting salary for U.S. teachers is $36,141, and the average overall salary is $56,383. Holding constant for inflation, the latter number has actually decreased since the 1999-2000 school year - in other words, teachers haven't gotten a raise in 15 years.” Sadly, as teacher pay continues to decline, the need for qualified professionals is increasing due to a growing population.
Teachers are at the bottom of the white-collar pay scale, yet, ironically, they perform a vital service for the community. Many teachers would say that "teachers aren't in it for the money” (Partelow); instead, they choose to be educators to better the world they live in. Confirming Partelow’s statement, many teachers choose to pursue a degree in education purely because they find joy and satisfaction in teaching the future generation. Unfortunately, many
Educators who put in the extra effort to help their students succeed deserve to be paid more than those teachers whose focus is not on the success of students. Peter Temin from Education Next claims that teachers are paid according to their skill; however, this salary does not compare to the salary of other white-collar professionals and the amount needed to support themselves and a