Photo by Bryan Ngugen

Regarding influential movements, such as March For Our Lives and Change the Ref, politicians often acknowledge the power and tenacity that younger generations hold. Although, what lawmakers fail to realize is that much of this power comes from the teachers, who educate and inspire their students.

Educators play an integral role in shaping new generations and preparing students for successful futures, but rarely receive the credit or pay they deserve.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the average Florida teacher earns approximately $48,486, and the vast majority of teachers have families to support. Somehow, it is expected of them to successfully run a classroom with little to no funds and support a family on a barely livable wage. This leads to teachers working a second or third job, and according to the National Teacher and Principal Survey, 18% of teachers work a second job.

Not to mention, teachers pay for an abundant amount of supplies out of their own pockets and they are almost never reimbursed. In a 2018 Department of Education study, teachers reported spending an average of $479 of their personal income each school year for classroom supplies.

Florida politicians cannot have such high expectations for its teachers, especially when they refuse to make any effort to alter public school funding in their favor. If this continues, Florida teachers will eventually burn out and quit.

Teachers are humans too and they deserve a higher wage for the amount of time and effort they put into their jobs. It is a natural expectation that a person is rewarded for their hard work, but politicians seem to forget that and take advantage of the countless hours teachers put into their careers. The majority of teachers stay after school, past their contracted hours, or take home work every day, and do not get paid overtime.

According to the National Education Association, teachers spend an average of 12 hours each week on non-compensated school activities such as grading papers and advising clubs.

The majority of teachers go above and beyond to provide a positive learning experience for their students. In extreme cases, teachers even take over as parental figures for students. This is outside of their job description, yet they still manage to be the supportive figures their students need.

This is the case in many inner city schools, as students live in unstable environments that affect their ability to do well in school. Despite the amount of work these teachers put in, they are still treated as second class citizens.

Politicians were once students too, but it seems they have forgotten where it all started for them. If it were not for at least one teacher in their life, they would not be the people they are now.

The public often underestimates the power of a teachers. Teachers can make students fall in love with a subject and entirely change their students’ lives for the better; yet when it comes to funding public education, there’s no money to be put forth because that’s always the last issue on a lawmakers mind.

If Florida politicians truly wanted the best for the future generations, they would start by raising teachers’ salaries so that they could continue to be the amazing influencers they are. A higher salary would allow them to have a better quality of life and create a better learning environment for their students.

The younger generations rely on their teachers to guide and educate them and the only way a student can reach their full potential is if lawmakers raise the salary for teachers.

As much as Florida politicians may say they respect educators, they never seem to want to put their money where their mouths are.