Everyone has had teachers who have made an impact in their lives. From making sure students master the material so they can pass standardized exams to caring on a personal level, it's no surprise that for some students, that teacher is the closest to a parental figure they'll ever have. For all teachers do, why aren't they paid more? Come on, teachers play many roles: Mentor, Tutor, Friend, Counselor, father or mother figure, and so on. Teachers have so much pressure on them, they take their work home with them. That's the mark of a caring teacher: Someone who's concerned about their students after that last bell rings. I believe teachers should be paid more because they have a lot to deal with on a professional level: Their pay is tied to student performance on standardized exams. If a certain percentage of students fail, the school doesn't get money. If the school doesn't get money, it can't pay good teachers. Because of the emphasis on standardized testing, teachers have to spend most of their time teaching to the test. If a student is struggling with key concepts and (s)he asks for help, that teacher takes time to work with that student after hours. That extra time spent can mean the difference between success & failure for the student. There are some teachers that say they don't go into teaching for the money, and that's fine; to each their own. However, there are good teachers who deserve better financial compensation because many of them go the extra mile for their students. If I had the power, teachers would get a lot more money in each state.
