Why teachers deserve appreciation now more than ever

Teachers are considered America’s heroes, but they are among some of the least appreciated in the workforce. Being consistently overworked and underpaid, the call for better acknowledgement and resources among educators has been clear for years. Now, as schools enter a transitional phase from online learning back to in-person education, it has become more evident than ever that they deserve more support. 

Over the last year, teachers have been forced to adopt new teaching methods on such short notice. This has been met with struggles with technology as well as with engaging their students. Though in-person learning has been reintroduced to most states, a new obstacle with engaging students has arisen, with teachers having to figure out how to divide their attention between students in the physical classroom and those who remain virtual. 

Other schools that have opted to go fully back in person have been met with equally difficult challenges. Despite increased vaccination rates, the virus still poses a great risk to children too young to be immunized. Within the first few weeks of schools opening, the numbers of faculty on deck have dropped due to COVID-19 cases, leaving those remaining having to pick up the slack in working overtime on extra tasks. Some teachers have resigned as a result.

These major changes in education have also heavily impacted the students, particularly younger ones. After being online for over a year, many kids missed the opportunity to learn basic rules of conduct that are normally drilled into them in their first few years of school. Kids are now coming to school, some for the first time, without an understanding of how to stand in a line, raise their hand or ask for permission at an age where they would have typically been accustomed to such behaviors – an additional obstacle for teachers trying to engage their students.

Teachers are working harder than they’ve ever had to before, further demonstrating their dedication to educating the future leaders of society. But the difficulties they face are very real and are largely going unrecognized. Being a teacher is an immense challenge as it is without the stress piled on from COVID-19. They spend so much time between planning, teaching and grading while their salaries do not reflect the effort that they are putting in. They deserve to be better rewarded for their diligence. 

This year is an indicator of how now, more than ever, they deserve first and foremost to receive higher wages. Being a teacher is a major time commitment which has only extended in the last year. At the very least, teachers should be earning enough to meet the average living wage. The past year also proves that they could benefit from extra resources, such as higher functioning technology or extra support systems for planning and aiding students who are behind. It is long overdue for something to be done to support those laying the foundation of the future.