ELI Argumentative Essay 5/3/20 Should teachers be paid more in the US? Teachers should be paid more in the U.S. Teaching is the most important profession since all other professions begin with it. The future of all people depends on teachers. The economy of each country depends on the knowledge that we receive from teachers. If we pay teachers more, each of us will have a better life. Many people think that a teacher's work is easy and that they have a big salary, but that’s not true. Teachers across the country deserve higher salaries. The first reason teachers should be paid more in the U.S. is that it is by raising teachers' salaries, teachers will be able to focus on their main job and not look for additional income from a second job. Teachers, especially with small experience, tend to work an additional job to make additional money for living. According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the 2015-2016 academic year, it was found that about a third of teachers with one year or less experience had non-school jobs over the summer. (“Almost One-Third of New Teachers Take on Second Jobs.”) Also, about 20 percent of teachers with two to four years of experience had summer jobs, compared with 17 percent of teachers with five to nine years. (“Almost One-Third of New Teachers Take on Second Jobs.”) Teachers’ salaries are not high enough to cover all their expenses therefore, they need to seek additional income. Teachers are providing higher educational quality for students without having a second job. If teachers had only one job, then they would spend more time on it. They will look for additional sources on information, spend more time preparing for lessons, or attend various training. Besides, the quality of education will improve and, accordingly, this will positively affect the US economy. The second reason teachers should be paid more in the U.S. is that teachers are underpaid compared to other professions with a college degree. The profession of a teacher becomes less attractive for people with a college degree as it’s better to get higher education in another specialty and earn more. The average starting salary for an engineer is about 20% higher than the teachers. According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), comparable professionals with similar education earn higher salaries. (“Teacher Compensation: Fact vs. Fiction.”) Nationally, teachers earn 19% less than similarly skilled and educated professionals. (“Teacher Compensation: Fact vs. Fiction.”) This "teaching penalty" has increased significantly in the past 20 years – from approximately 2% in 1994 to 19% in 2017. (“Teacher Compensation: Fact vs. Fiction.”) Also, other jobs with similar levels of education make more money, as should teachers. As a result, in the future, the US may begin to feel the need for the teachers. The third reason teachers should be paid more in the U.S. is a teacher’s work is very laborious and hard work. Teachers undergo a long training process, and they are certified specialists. They need to understand how people learn, and how people learn differently — not everyone learns exactly in the same way. (Darling-Hammond) They need to know how people develop in social and emotional and academic and moral and physical ways, and all those areas of child development interact with each other. They need to understand the relationship, for example, between emotion and learning. (Darling-Hammond) You only really learn when you are excited or interested. (Darling-Hammond) There's a set of positive emotions; it might just be that you like your teachers. (Darling-Hammond)If you're fearful, if you think somebody is going to criticize you or stereotype you, you're going to learn less. (Darling-Hammond) All of that has to be understood by teachers. (Darling-Hammond) Also, a teacher’s work is hard psychological work that cannot be completed at a fixed time like some other jobs. It’s a round-the-clock job. A teacher’s work is very stressful and time-consuming, as it is not only classwork, but teachers spend many hours after students have left the school to work on lesson plans, and they often bring work home with them, for example to grade students’ works. The number of hours to prepare for classes exceeds the number of hours worked. Despite the evidence provided above, some people argue that teachers get paid more than average private-sector workers. However, this does not take into account fewer working hours. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports show teachers from Kindergarten to 12th grade having a 38-hour work-week and a 37-week work year. ("Getting paid.") This gives a total of about 1400 working hours a year, compared to an average 2000-hour work year of an office worker. Another BLS survey describes the hours worked by teachers more accurately. The average teacher was under contract to work six and a half hours per day, but indeed teachers spent an average of eight and a quarter hours at school each day. ("Getting paid.") Taking into account work outside the school and applying the standard time diary methodology shows that a teacher's working day is almost ten hours long. ("Getting paid.") Besides, teachers often work during school breaks like mandated professional development and this is a large number of working hours. With this information as a basis and doing simple math, it’s clear that even though teachers have higher hourly rates, the total income of a teacher is below an average private-sector worker. This evidence shows that raising teachers' salaries is not only a good idea, but it is also needed if we want to ensure our children are getting a high-quality education. If teachers earn more, they will not look for additional earnings and give more to your main job. By paying teachers more, we can close the gap between their salaries and those of other professionals, making teaching a more desirable profession. Paying teachers more means teachers will feel more valued for their hard work. While teachers may be paid more than some private-sector jobs, teachers spend, on average, many more hours working than their private-sector peers. If teachers are paid more in the USA, the population will be able to get a better education that will positively affect the entire economy of the country to improve our life. Works Cited “Almost One-Third of New Teachers Take on Second Jobs.” NEA Today, 26 July 2019, http://neatoday.org/2019/07/25/teachers-second-jobs/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020 “Teacher Compensation: Fact vs. Fiction.” NEA, Sept. 2018, www.nea.org/home/12661.htm. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020. “'Teaching Is the Profession on Which All Other Professions Depend': Linda Darling-Hammond on Transforming Education.” Stanford Graduate School of Education, 7 Dec. 2018, http://ed.stanford.edu/news/teaching-profession-which-all-other-professions-depend-linda -darling-hammond-transforming. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020 "Getting paid." Education Next, vol. 3, no. 4, 2003, p. 5+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.lrcezproxy.clcillinois.edu:2443/apps/doc/A109568557/OVIC?u=gra y86550&sid=OVIC&xid=bac3c48d. Accessed 7 Apr. 2020.
