Everyone needs a teacher, just like they need a doctor. Let’s value and respect our educators for the sake of the future of this country.    

By: Yara Barbosa 
K-12 educator, Grand Rapids, MI

Experienced teachers bring so many strengths that we need to KEEP in our classrooms so our students can have the best learning experience, but many are leaving the profession. Even young teachers who are passionate and excited can’t make ends meet and are burning out from having multiple jobs just to survive.   

The expectations and responsibilities for teachers have increased, and the pay is not keeping up with society’s financial demands. A teacher’s salary is not enough for a single person to survive on their own, let alone to have a family. I’ve seen teachers who want to have a family leave teaching because the cost of daycare is the same as their pay. Personally, as a young single person, I have had a second job throughout my entire teaching career AND I have a master’s degree, and I am still in survival mode. This should not have to be the reality for anyone, but it is for so many of us.   

What hurts me as an educator is how little society values the future of this country — our children. They don’t value children. They’re lowering the requirements for being an educator simply because they need more bodies in the field when what we should be doing is raising the pay to keep our excellent educators and encourage competitiveness in the quality of future educators.   

Everyone needs a teacher, just like they need a doctor. Let’s value and respect our educators for the sake of the future of this country.