Teachers are very important in a student’s life; not only do they teach different subjects like Math, Science, etc., but they also teach students life lessons. It is also their responsibility to train future doctors, lawyers, leaders, and more. This means they have an influence on both the nation, and even the world. Without teachers, there would not be any professionals in any field. Teachers have a unique skill set, and give us an extremely valuable service that not everyone is capable of providing. Because of this, teachers should be well paid for what they do. However, in North Carolina, over the course of the last 16+ years, teacher pay has not kept pace with average teacher pay elsewhere in the US, and now North Carolina teachers are
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One idea is that since North Carolina is growing so fast, more inexperienced teachers are hired and, they do not make that much, so this tends to skew the average pay for the state negatively (Hood). Another idea is that if the cost of living and other adjustments were made to the average, North Carolina would rank higher on the list. Specifically, North Carolina would be ranked 33rd instead of 41st (Hood). This rank is not great, but definitely not awful, either. Another reason people are against raising teacher pay is because they have misconceptions about teachers. The first one is that teachers only work 6 or 7 hours a day, and therefore don’t work ‘full time’ (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). This is wrong because frequently teachers stay after school, and even work at home in the evenings and weekends to grade their students’ work, and make lesson plans. The second misconception is that teachers have summers off (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). The truth is that most teachers work second jobs over the summer, teach summer school, or take classes to further their careers (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). The last misconception is that people think that teaching is easy, and that anyone can do it (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). This is definitely wrong because to be a teacher, one needs the correct personality, intelligence, enthusiasm, and the ability to work with students, and keep them interested in what they are learning. Not everyone possesses these qualities, and those that do possess these qualities should be well compensated for
One idea is that since North Carolina is growing so fast, more inexperienced teachers are hired and, they do not make that much, so this tends to skew the average pay for the state negatively (Hood). Another idea is that if the cost of living and other adjustments were made to the average, North Carolina would rank higher on the list. Specifically, North Carolina would be ranked 33rd instead of 41st (Hood). This rank is not great, but definitely not awful, either. Another reason people are against raising teacher pay is because they have misconceptions about teachers. The first one is that teachers only work 6 or 7 hours a day, and therefore don’t work ‘full time’ (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). This is wrong because frequently teachers stay after school, and even work at home in the evenings and weekends to grade their students’ work, and make lesson plans. The second misconception is that teachers have summers off (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). The truth is that most teachers work second jobs over the summer, teach summer school, or take classes to further their careers (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). The last misconception is that people think that teaching is easy, and that anyone can do it (“Myths and Facts about Educator Pay”). This is definitely wrong because to be a teacher, one needs the correct personality, intelligence, enthusiasm, and the ability to work with students, and keep them interested in what they are learning. Not everyone possesses these qualities, and those that do possess these qualities should be well compensated for