Why are teachers underappreciated?
This seems to be a big concern those days. I am not a teacher but I think teachers are underappreciated. I have kids in all different kinds of school age groups. I have 1 in elementary, 1 in middle school and 3 in high school. I’m a student! I have loved ones that are teachers! So I feel like my opinion on this topic is a valid one. I can see how hard teachers work for their students. I can also see how they are treated. The underappreciation doesn’t come from one source, in fact it comes from a few different ones. I want to talk about 2 of the main reasons why I don’t think teachers are treated fair. Let’s start with the obvious one. The school districts. I feel like there is work needing to be done within the school districts to improve the way teachers are treated. You want to fix a problem you need to start with the core of it. I will need to do some more research on this source as I don’t work with-in the school district. The 2ndreason is in fact the very reason why I am writing this paper. I see how underappreciated from my experience as a student, from a mother’s point of view of having a range of different school-age children and also from having family members that are teachers that are a part of my life.
What is important to teachers?
I think it takes a really caring person to be able to do what they do. As I think about different reason on what I think is important to teacher, only one reason really stands out and let me tell you it isn’t about the money. They go into this wonderful career knowing about the pay. So what drives them to do it? From what I have seen teacher do it for the rewarding feeling of helping people of all ages better them self.
I would agree with you that teachers are very much underappreciated. They put in many long hours outside of the classroom preparing lessons, grading papers, worrying about the success of his or her students, and the list goes on. I found it interesting that you have chosen not to focus on teachers and their salaries. I think this is a hot topic right now and many people have an opinion on this and it can be a very touchy subject. Something that came to mind when I was reading your blog was the education level of teachers. Most teachers must have master’s degree to even be considered for a job in certain school districts. With a master’s degree there comes extraordinary education related expense. Is the general public aware of the education level of some of our teachers? A question that came to mind that I thought would be interesting to explore is, does the grade level that a teacher teaches influence the number of hours spent working outside of the classroom? The obvious answer is most likely yes, but what is the differential? Should this differential be taken in to consideration when discussing salary increases?
ReplyDeleteMelanie Currey
I agree that “underappreciation” should be fought at the source of the issue, but I am unsure how much change can be achieved at the level of the school district. How much funding is coming from the federal and state governments? I am curious if the issue of low pay is due to low funding to the districts or if it is an issue of poor allocation of resources. In my experience, school funding has seemed stagnant which has often led to fundraising events that the teachers or students are forced to undertake. I think you’re completely right about the reasons that teachers go into this profession, and the public good they produce isn’t valued accurately or at all. Similar to health professionals, educators offer society an invaluable service that extends to every other aspect of our lives. How do we measure fair compensation for public good produced? I look forward to reading the rest of your Blog!
ReplyDeleteJaxson Ross
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic and I am glad you are doing it. I think that you have brought up some very good points. I just graduated high school and in the school there were some teachers that the students absolutely appreciated and would listen to there were others that nobody appreciated and that we made teaching very rough for them. Why do we as students that are supposed to look up and appreciate our teachers not do that? Is it just our mindset or do we just not know how to? I definitely agree with you that teachers are underappreciated because even parents do not appreciate them as much as they should and they are taking care of their kids all day.
Your topic stands out to me a lot because I was someone who had a lot of good relationships with my teachers when I was in high school. I appreciate everything they do for their students and I always think that they deserve better. I like how you mention that you’re able to see the different viewpoints of this by being a mother. I think that goes to show that no matter what way you look at it, teachers are underappreciated. The money was a good point too, they know they’re not getting that much of a salary but still choose this career path. They definitely care! I agree with your point, it doesn’t go unnoticed how hard teachers work to better the lives of their students. I think what would be interesting to see in your blog is maybe an interview with teachers from different grades? Maybe an elementary teacher feels differently than a highschool teacher or a professor. It would be interesting to see how they feel on this subject, if they feel as underappreciated as we see them? I’m excited to read your blog!
ReplyDeleteWow I totally agree. I finished high school over a year ago and I totally felt like my teachers weren't given the respect, and even pay they deserve. A lot of my teachers had a huge effect on my schooling, and my development, but are often ignored.
ReplyDeleteOne good question to ask: WHY? Why are teachers disrespected, underpaid, and often times overworked? Why do so many people in the education system have this bias, or this idea that teachers shouldn't get as much as they deserve. That could be a tricky one to find an answer too, so maybe start small and just start with why they aren't begin treated fairly in plain black and white. Their pay and hours. Maybe looking into the numbers could ease you into the reason people feel this way! I hope this helps and I can't wait to read more!