Why should a teachers get paid more? Or why should they get a raise?

I am doing an argumentative essay supporting a raise for teachers but i need more reasons on why they should get this raise. I'd like to know your opinion on this topic. Thanks

Why should a teachers get paid more? Or why should they get a raise?
The better paying job the more people will be interested in the job. As a result preparation programs will be more rigorous. Competition for jobs will be greater. Standards for hiring will go up as well as the quality of the overall applicant.


Unfortunately people have the perception that education majors are middle to low achievers who can't do anything else, although this is not necessarily true no one looks as highly on a education degree as say a science degree.


There is a huge shortage of teachers and as a result sometimes districts hire less than qualified applicants (especially in special education). The American education system is failing.


One plan to increasing education is not to put more requirements on underpaid teachers, but if we want to increase the expectations and responsibilities for teachers then there needs to be a matching compensation for their hard work, ongoing education, and improvement.


Teachers are truly the first line of offense in bettering the future generations. That is a very important job and teachers are not given the respect or pay they deserve.
Reply:It's simple. They teach us everything we know. Besides basic life skills and morals that we learn from our parents, teachers teach us everything educational, from mathematics to history to art and music...teachers deserve a raise. They even act as parents to kids whose parents are not there. School is like a second home from kindergarten through 12th grade. We would know nothing without teachers.
Reply:I'll give a few reasons with supportive facts.





First, we work more hours than a normal job (even including the summer off):





Teachers are in school 35 hours per week. In addition to this, we spend AT LEAST 15 hours per week preparing lessons, checking papers, writing and scoring tests, etc.


That is 50 hours per week with no extra pay and no over overtime. That is AT LEAST 10 extra hours a week of extra work over a normal 40 hour week during the school year.





Work 10 hours extra a week X 42 weeks = 420 hours a year worked extra.





We get summers off, so we get 40 hours a week for 10 weeks.





Get 40 hours off a week X 10 weeks off = 400 hours off for summer break.





420 hours worked extra per year minus 400 hours off =


20 hours MORE worked per year by teachers than by a normal 40 hour a week job.





This does not even count meetings, conferences, etc. that we have to attend. Nor does it take into account the fact that we usually spend even more time per week than that.





Second, not only do teachers put in MORE hours, we also get it worse off in terms of vacation:





Most jobs give you a few weeks of vacation that you can take whenever you want. Teachers get a few weeks off for holidays; however, we have to take them when the school schedule dictates--we do not get to chose.





Third, we get paid less than what we could in the private sector in a non teaching job with equivalent education:





Instead of teaching math and physics, I could be an engineer and making more money with a bachelors degree than I would teaching with a masters (and not have spent the $30,000 + for the masters degree).





Finally, it is a very difficult and strenuous job:





I have architecture and engineering degrees and was involved in those fields (as well as a manager in the buisness world) before going into teaching: I can attest that working in engineering, architecture, and buisness is CAKE WALK compared to the work involved in teaching





p.s. I just want to state that I am not complaining about being a teacher. I made the choice and do not regret it because I love teaching. It is underpaid for the large amount of work and education involved, however.
Reply:What is a life worth ? I took a .357 Magnum away from a student in school, in my classroom with approximately 27 other students in the room...without incident or any of those students even knowing what happened, though it was at one point pointed at me point blank until I snatched it away. The whole incident was shoved under the rug so to speak by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NC school system....the handgun had been carried throughout the school during the day...so, what would a student in Jr. High then be worth today...say, as a successful lawyer...or doctor...carpenter...nurse...or mother.....and then, you tell me....about a raise? ...not to mention...the behavior of most students these days...and the paperwork....and the responsibilities that are NOT really instructional??? interesting....
Reply:Hi. I am a teacher. I was skeptical of this argument until I was a teaching assistant and a substitute teacher before I became a teacher. With the salary that I made as a teaching assistant, I paid the mortgage, maybe the electrical bill, whole or half (depends on the season), telephone bill, and other things. I am married, so my hubby did help. We share expenses to make sure that the bills and other activities are paid for. When I was a sub. teacher, I could pay for some things, but not as much because I worked when I wanted and needed to and when jobs were available. Anyway, teachers should be paid more because we deal with more than people think that we deal with. I am not complaining about my job. I feel like the teaching profession chose me. I had heard all the stories about teachers can not afford this and that. It is really what you do with your money, not what kind of money you make. Well, I am living comfortably, but I plan on getting more degrees so that I will not have to stay in the classroom and burned out before I am ready to leave. Based on salaries of other jobs, no we do not get paid enough. Our salaries are based on what is left from federal and local funds (my educated guess). The only way for us to get a real raise is to get more degrees and more individual certificates. Thank you for this opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings. Hopes this helps.
Reply:Is a teacher just a glorified babysitter?


$3.00 per kid per hour


30 kids


35 hours a week


90x35


3150 a week! 12,600 a month!


But we get about 2500 to 2800 a month to start!


Can I make it any plainer?





Oh, not 3.00 an hour?


OKay...


1.00 per hour


$4,200 per month!


Now, What do doctors get a month?


about $3,000 or $4,000?


I rest my case!
Reply:Most teachers have completed the same education as other high paying careers. We often work more HOURS in those nine months we are there, the next 3 months are spent recovering and getting ready for the next school year. We have to deal with 30-150 different personalities, and learning styles. The reason that teachers are not paid well, is that teachers are not given the respect they deserve, and the government is in charge of their wages. I have been working in the same, small school district for three years. I absolutely love it there, the teachers I work with are so wonderful. I am halfway towards my master's (which the district can't afford to help me pay for), and I make $32,000/year before taxes. And there are so many more people, in the area that are making a lot less, and a lot more. Poorer school districts are the ones that get hurt the most, they can't afford to keep good teachers, good teachers that will help them meet all of the state mandates.


The government will have to figure out that our jobs matter, until then we suffer financially to work in a job that means more to us than money.


You don't go into education, wanting to be a teacher, for the money.
Reply:"Intellectual Property Right" is a well established law and it explains the importance of ideas!!!!!! Teachers readily give their ideas, share their experiences, teach moralistic behavior,...they serve as our parents away from home!!! The mere changing of the eye color is priced at ten thousand dollars[special computer effects in film industry] ?? How much should the teachers get??
Reply:without teachers where would the world be???? nobody would be able to read or write. there would be no music, no math. our teachers have somehow become a secondary parent and i think should be applauded and paid well!!!where would our lawers and judges be if they werent taught..BY TEACHERS
Reply:As a teacher who entered the field from another career, I believe that base salaries need to increase. When a teacher can not afford to live in the same area that they teach in or needs to get a second job to make ends meet, there is a problem. Too often, we are seen as paid babysitters who live on the taxpayers dole. I recently had a parent send me a breakdown of what I earned, based upon my "duty day" and the number of school and professional days I work and told me that I was overpaid (190 school or pro days, 7.75 hrs). I had to point out to her how many hours a week I put in after school because I have only a 40 min. planning period, or how many summer and vacation days were spent prepping new material because the curriculum has changed so much. The time and money spent in continuing education classes, grad classes and works shoppes to maintain my certification. Point out that if I assign detention to a student, offer extra help, attend an IEP or 504 meeting after school, it is on my time. If I didn't spend the time doing all of these things, I would be a very ineffective teacher and may not have a job. So yes - something needs to be done about pay. I am not asking for a huge amount, but enough to pay the bills and not worry about the needed things.
Reply:You could say that they are teaching the future. They help many people to learn.
Reply:Your salary should be a reflection of your training, experience, expertise, and value to society. Unfortunately, that doesn't occur when your salary is controlled by the state revenue.


A lot of the science/math teachers work in the summer at private co. to make the money to support their families. I know one teacher who made her annual salary in two months working at Dow Chemical co. How long can she keep up working at two jobs though before she gets burnt out? Which job will she drop?
Reply:they need to get paid more bc of all the s-h-i-t that we do!!!they give us everything we need to know 4 life i mean look at all the stars(although they probably don't have that much more than a high school diploma) do u think they got there just by being born in this world and saying"hey i wanna be a star, even though i have no education, i wanna be a star" h--- no!!!they need a raise bc of everything they do for us and everything to get us through life!!!!put that in ur essay ur teacher will respect u!