By: Sarah Brechtel 28'

I am sure you know that NFL, NBA, and MLB players are paid millions, sometimes even billions of dollars a year for playing their sport, but have you ever wondered why teachers and first responders get paid barely anything when the work they do makes much more of an impact in the world?  Football players get paid over a million dollars per year for throwing a ball and tackling people. In contrast, teachers and first responders get paid little to none for shaping the next generation's minds, saving people’s lives, and making the world a safer place to live in. 

Teachers spend, on average, around 53 hours a week teaching during the school year, which does not include the countless hours they put in after school and before school to create lesson plans, make tests, and grade tests. Even though NFL, NBA, and MLB players spend countless hours a week practicing, their jobs do not make as big of an impact on the world. 

The jobs of first responders and teachers impact everyone's lives, but the amount of money they get for these jobs is hardly any. Teachers are paid about $51,566 per year, nurses earn $60,720- $76,650 per year, police officers earn about $60,680 per year, and firefighters earn about $53,679 per year. Teachers spend all day trying to keep the attention of kids who most likely do not want to be there, but the work they do impacts the lives of the people they teach and helps form the minds of the next generation. Without teachers, the world as we know it would most likely be in much worse condition. Nurses spend countless hours, whether it be day or night, tending to the sick and injured while also trying to take care of themselves. They put other people's needs before their own and they work all kinds of odd hours to do it. Police officers put their lives on the line every day to uphold the law while also dealing with all sorts of odd calls and difficult people who will not answer the questions they are asking. They also put up with criminals and patrol the streets to ensure they are safe. Firefighters also put their lives on the line every day; whether it be saving a cat that is stuck in a tree or running into a burning building to save the people stuck inside, they are always there to help. If you think about all the things that the people in these fields have to deal with and what they do, you will realize that their pay should be significantly higher than what they are receiving. 

Many professional sports players get paid millions, sometimes even billions of dollars, but have you ever wondered why they get paid so much for impacting the world so little? Yes, they have trained their whole lives to get to where they are, and they train multiple hours every day, but being paid millions of dollars for providing us with entertainment just does not seem fair. I am not saying not to pay them, but some of that money could be put to better use. There are many teachers and first responders who struggle to support themselves and their families due to not being paid enough. In today's society, the money that teachers and first responders receive is barely enough to support themselves, let alone a family if they have one. Professional sports players have enough money to take care of themselves and their families, and they still have lots left over to spend on vacation homes and fancy cars. At the same time, teachers and first responders can barely afford their first home or a car. 

“Teachers and service providers in the public school system are historically underpaid. Working with school-aged children is so much more than just the hands-on stuff, there is planning, gathering materials and supplies,  talking with other teachers and administrators, and talking with parents. For specifically what I do, there is evaluation paperwork, testing, IEP paperwork, progress reports, and meetings that go along with a lot of that stuff, which takes more than just the school day to accomplish and we do not get paid overtime,” said Asheley Brechtel, a Speech Therapist at Marie B. Riviere Elementary School. Erin Brechtel, a Nurse at St. Ann Catholic Elementary School, said, “I do not think the pay is good. For the amount of responsibilities we have and the number of students seen in a week, month, and year, we deserve more. I know many single mothers who have passed on a school nurse job because the pay is not adequate to support a family on a single income.” 

Due to the increasing prices of everything in the world there will start to be less and less people taking the jobs of teachers and first responders. If this begins to happen the world as we know it will be doomed without teachers to mold the young minds of the next generation, and first responders to help keep the world safe. Even though you might think that being a teacher or a first responder is an easy job, there is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that many people do not know about. Why teachers and first responders are severely underpaid, maybe we will never know. All I know is that they deserve much more respect and money than they are receiving.