There is currently a steadily decreasing number of teachers entering the workforce and college students majoring in education. Teaching is notoriously one of the hardest jobs to do. It can be exhausting, and has a loud environment with lots of pressure. Teachers are entrusted with shaping the developing minds of the next generation. 

This places teaching as one of the most important professions, especially with a rapid increase in educational needs from students that cannot be met by limited teaching staff.

One major reason why there are fewer and fewer educators is because many educators are aware that the majority of their students are not actually invested in what they are teaching. 

“I could be teaching another class, but I picked band because my students decided to be here and are not forced to be like in classes like English,” band director Megan Stallings said.

Because of county, state or nation-wide protocols, students are obligated to take certain classes that do not interest them. This leads to evident resentment from students directed toward the teachers of the classes they did not pick and do not enjoy.

“Sometimes I feel like half my teachers hate their jobs, based on how they treat us,” sophomore Kiara Lockhart said. 

In 2023, a behavioral assistant from Lightridge High School in LCPS was fired and jailed for a reported physical assault against a special needs student. Cases like this prompt students to fear their teachers and the power they have.

However, this mistreatment goes both ways. Teachers are more likely than other professionals to experience unhealthily high rates of depression and anxiety. This is in part because of students’ misbehavior and the harsh way that many students treat their teachers.

It is becoming increasingly common for students to verbally or physically assault their educators while in class. Students have been observed cursing at their teachers and starting fights with them, as well as getting into altercations with other students in the middle of class. Around 83% of teachers have admitted to having been victimized by their middle and high school students. 

Furthermore, it would not take much time on social media to come across a clip of a teacher complaining about the things students say to them or do in their classrooms. Many make the argument that teachers are not at liberty to make these kinds of content, because their students have access to their content and could discover their teacher essentially gossiping about them.

Although there are many downsides to teaching, many educators find their work rewarding, and enjoy it when all is said and done because of the impact they have on their students and community.

“I do love my job,” social studies teacher Matthew Poth said. “If I didn’t love it, why else would I do it?” 

Teachers are paid significantly less than the workers of most jobs of similar rigor. The average starting salary for a teacher with a masters degree is around $44,000 annually, while the average starting salary for any master’s degree holder is $95,000 annually.

Yet, teachers do some of the most important work in society. Even as the government is currently shut down, teachers employed at public schools run by the government are still coming in to teach, as they are seen as essential workers. 

Because nearly every child and adult in the United States has undergone some form of education, teachers are one of the most important members of society. Yet, as is reflected by the poor pay and working conditions, teachers often go unnoticed for their contributions to society.