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Why teachers are low paid and what can be done about it.
Our most precious resource is our children. Their development is what ensures the health of our nation. Next to parents, K-12 teachers are the most instrumental in cultivating that resource. They are the primary means of transferring knowledge from old to young.
This most important of jobs can’t attract and retain people to fill them. A report published by the National Education Association details an alarming number of teachers deciding not to return to classrooms this fall. And we may be about to face a long-term teaching shortage. According to the Center for American Progress, enrollment in teacher training programs dropped by a third from 2010 to 2018.
Why?
Two factors work together to suppress the wages of teachers. There is the historical association of teaching as “women’s work.” And then there is the disdain by white conservatives for public goods that threaten to level a racial hierarchy.
When I began working on this piece, I was sure that I would focus on the low pay of teachers. I saw that a starting teacher in the school district where I graduated from makes $36,000 per year. This kind of…
