In my early teens, I befriended a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher from the Dodgers who eschewed the celebrity culture of autograph signing. He would often advise young fans to seek autographs from their teachers instead, arguing that educators play a more pivotal role in their lives than sports figures. He wasn’t very popular because of that stance, but his perspective was profoundly insightful.
The question arises: who holds greater significance in our society, a teacher who instructs first-graders in reading or a social media influencer? Educators, especially those teaching fundamental skills like reading, contribute extensively to society beyond the immediate impact on each student. They provide numerous positive externalities that enhance our communal life. The value of a well-educated population is a public good, an essential element for the foundation of a functional society.
The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, calls this difference the “teacher pay penalty.” EPI calculated that, in 2022, teachers earned only 74 cents on the dollar compared with comparably educated professionals. The right-leaning Hoover Institution reached a similar conclusion in its 2020 report on educator compensation, showing that, even adjusting for factors such as talent and experience, “teachers are paid 22 percent less than they would be if they were in jobs in the U.S. economy outside of teaching.” – Washington Post
Global Macro Monitor 
do the studies take into account working only 180 days a year or incredible job security for tenured teachers ?
Teachers likely work 10-12 hour days. Up before dawn, grading papers, class preparation, then classes, later parent/teacher conferences, admin meetings, school after hour events, …cont ed., not a 9-5 job for most.
Yes, teachers are underpaid and under appreciated. Indeed some are mistreated and abused by students and parents alike today. And teachers who through it all inspire students to dream big and achieve are invaluable. I know one such teacher who attended college for over a decade at night to achieve her advanced degrees. A single mom at the time, she remained committed to her students and her own kid, whom she put through college as well. She continued teaching, never gave up, and is now a public school Principal. She makes more now, but not nearly enough in my book for the kind of guff and worse she gets from some parents. She is my youngest daughter. And she is amazing!
How ironic that this teacher made that one wrong choice in life that destroyed her entire life and caused a life time of hardship and misery. Her choosing the wrong life partner that separated from her or her separating from him put her into a situation that she could hardly handle herself. Single mother or single father households with kids are the single most influential reason for the downfall of society and current societal issues in the West. No other society takes the family bond so lightly than us in the west.
So, no, thanks, I certainly don’t want my kids to be shaped and formed by such individual who does not understand this basic concept herself.