More Respect and Increased Pay Must Be on the Horizon

Exiting the classroom is heartbreaking. Yet, according to long-reported federal data, about 8% of teachers leave the profession each year. While the students are enough to keep many educators around, the barely livable salaries and the disrespect many teachers face are the primary factors behind the increased shortage.
And the pandemic certainly hasn't helped. The unparalleled financial, emotional, and physical stressors placed on the country's educators through unprecedented times have only encouraged more to leave (or at least consider leaving) the industry.
There's a clear imbalance between how people talk about teachers and how they're treated. Everybody knows their job is difficult, but they fail to experience the respect and the salary they deserve.
Thus, something needs to change.
By increasing wages and providing teachers, who are well-educated professional individuals, the respect they deserve, the country can hope to fill vacancies and resolve the educator shortage problem.
Teachers essentially create all other professions, right? Life simply wouldn't be the same without them.
So, it's time to do something about it.

Educators deserve better working conditions
According to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), "more than half of public school districts needed to update or entirely replace components of their physical infrastructure, and one-third needed to update their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems."
This is unacceptable both from a health and emotional standpoint.
The quality of school buildings affects how well students learn, how happy teachers are, and how many teachers stay in their jobs. We need to make sure that schools are safe and healthy.
Nothing says lack of educational support than a school district, overall community, or even state government's unwillingness to invest in a school's physical infrastructure. It's demoralizing and unethical.

Educators Are White-Collared Professionals; Their Pay Should Reflect That
Even in the modern world, teachers are blamed and suffer doubt for a myriad of issues beyond their control. But they're skilled professionals with intimate understandings of learning strategies, the curriculum, and interpersonal skills.
Put simply, they're experts in their field.
But currently, their starting salary is 25% lower than that of other white-collar professionals. Plus, there is little room for promotion unless they're willing to leave the classroom — the main reason they became educators in the first place!
According to a survey conducted by EdWeek Research Center, most teachers stated that increased salaries would be a significant factor in determining whether they stay in the profession over the next two years. And school leaders agreed, with roughly seven in ten saying wage raises would make a huge difference.
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