In December of 2023, Pitcher/DH superstar Shohei Ohtani scored a whopping 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In August, it was estimated that the base pay for computer engineers living in the U.S. was at a record high of $131,259. Rapper Snoop Dogg also reported in August of 2022 he pays his professional blunt roller $40,000-50,000. And yet the national average for a public school teacher living in the United States stayed at a stagnant $69,544, 5% less than the average pay for teachers 10 years ago. Something must change.
Public school teachers bringing in less than those in other occupations is nothing new. It's a call to action that has not been answered for years on end, despite many around the U.S. expressing sympathy for the profession that has to put up with bratty kids and teens. Although “Teacher Appreciation Day/Week” does exist, frankly, getting a box of chocolates does not make up for the 26.4% pay gap that exists between public school teachers and other jobs in the U.S.
If Shohei Ohtani gets paid almost $700 million to throw and hit a ball really hard, then the underpaid, overworked and stressed out teacher should be offered more compensation for turning children into respectable and hardworking adults.
And that is no diss to other occupations such as professional baseball, information technology or even professional blunt rolling. Coincidentally, it’s the opposite; those occupations show how valued and respected they are to society, and their pay reflects that in the modern age. Their salaries have been adjusted adequately over the years to match the cost of living.
The problem lies in a flawed system operated by the U.S. government. Public teaching is an occupation that has been neglected in terms of financial adjustment in the last decade. Thus, teachers are now failing to adjust to the increasingly high inflation occurring as an aftereffect of the pandemic. However, the U.S. has taken a firm stance over the years on not fittingly raising teacher’s salaries.
$69,544 may have been a respectable pay in the early 2000s, but unfortunately, it is 2024 when gas costs $3 a gallon, a chocolate bar about $4, and buying a car might as well put someone 6 feet deep in a financial coffin. Public teachers should be comfortable and cozy; we need well-fed and happy educators, not humans getting their souls sucked out by financial burdens.
Teachers pay for their own supplies such as crayons, pencils, notebooks, sharpies, dry-erase markers, whiteboards, tissues and beyond. It is important to note that police officers don’t pay for their guns or equipment, bus drivers don’t buy the bus and Shohei Ohtani certainly does not shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods for a new bat every summer.
Although they may not work the flashiest or the coolest job, teachers do raise and educate the next generation, and that alone deserves higher pay. So raise the flags and set the sails, protest for the beautiful individuals who create lasting memories, who have to deal with kids pooping their pants, who have to wake up every day expecting chaos and make the government pay the teachers.
Drew Haughn is a sophomore studying communications at Ohio University. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Drew about his article? Tweet him @haughn_drew24.
