Teacher Appreciation
It can be said that teachers are the most influential people in your life. A good teacher does more than just teach; they provide a safe place for students to talk and share their opinions. Some children do not have this option at home, but a good teacher can make them feel loved and appreciated.
Teachers may inspire their students to help others, or even become teachers themselves. Good teachers allow their students to talk to them about their problems, making students feel that their emotions and opinions matter.
The majority of students can think of a teacher that has positively affected their lives in a major way. While these students do not have the same connection with every teacher, there is usually one person that stands out during their education. Without these teachers, they may have had a very different education. These special teachers are usually ones that have a good teaching style while also having a high level of compassion. They care both about students as a whole and also about students individually. These teachers also encourage students to do their best, no matter what career they hope to go into. If a student has a good teacher, they are more likely to become better members of society.
Despite the importance of teachers, many teachers are underappreciated within society. While there are occurrences such as Teacher Appreciation Week, there are several reasons why this is not really showing appreciation: First, students and/or parents are simply sending in gifts because it is teacher appreciation week; they give gifts to all of their teachers, not ones that they sincerely appreciate. Second, many students still need to participate in giving gifts to teachers. Students giving a gift to their teacher is always a good thing, but it would feel more sincere if it was done at random or at the end of the school year. An assigned time for gift-giving is always nice, but it may feel less genuine.
Additionally, many teachers are underpaid. They are in charge of educating the future of the world, yet they make less than the majority of other careers. According to Education Week, teachers are paid 18.7% less than other careers that require college degrees. Similarly, their pay has decreased since 1996, instead of rising. Many teachers struggle to pay off their college debts because of these low wages.
Finally, they work both in school and at home, but they do not get paid additionally for their time. Therefore, the system has added new stress to their lives, without offering something in return. While teachers get planning periods during school hours, this is not always enough time to get everything ready. This can be due to a lack of subs (thus teachers fill in for others), meetings (with admin and students), or insufficient time to grade/plan for multiple classes (varying by subject and grade taught). Teachers then feel stressed, causing them to be in bad moods.
Because of low salaries, a lack of appreciation/respect, and an unrealistic workload, there are teacher shortages across the United States. This is due to many new generations avoiding the field, as they don’t believe the wages are equal to the effort they put in. This causes a lot of problems, such as overworked teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of options for classes and organizations for students. Without teachers, it is difficult for children to become successful and better the world. People that do go into the education field are often disappointed.
Overall, teachers should be appreciated more. Students should realize that teachers are there for their benefit, not for the money or anything else. Society downs teachers without realizing the amount of work that goes into running a class. If society put a better perspective on teachers, they may receive more appreciation. The government needs to pay teachers more because of their importance to humanity. Teachers prepare children for the world: for their careers and for society as a whole. Without teachers, most people would not have adequate education or compassion.