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Running head: LITTLE APPRECIATION

The Little Appreciation of Teachers

Huda Nureddin Abdulkadir
James Madison University

Abstract
This paper is going to be about how the salaries are teachers are very low. Teachers are known to
be respectable figures who are they reason many students get far in life. There are many
admiring teachers in this world who are the building blocks for the success of future students.
However, the hard work and determination of teachers is not being acknowledged in the correct
manner. Compared to other professions, teachers are highly underpaid, and that needs to change.
I chose this topic because I have always seen the amount of work teachers put into there jobs.
Also, there are particular teachers who have gotten me where I am today. If this is the case for
me, then I am certain this is the case for many others. I have always wondered why other
professions are getting paid double the amount of teachers; yet, teachers are the reason for those
successful professions. This is why I believe that teachers should be getting paid more.

Running head: LITTLE APPRECIATION

The Little Appreciation of Teachers
One can easily admit that teachers are a crucial element to the success of many students,

so the real question is, why are they getting paid so little? A recent study done by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers stated that the average teachers starting salary is
$30,377 (p.2). However, many college students who graduate with other degrees and enter
professions with similar training skills receive higher starting salaries. For example, the average
starting salary for registered nurses is $45,570. Many believe that other benefits that are factored
in being a teacher make up for such a low salary, however, this is deemed to be incorrect and is a
serious concern by teachers worldwide. Although teachers are seen as respectable figures, the
amount of work dedicated by a teacher is highly underappreciated. If teachers are the key to the
success of students, why give them a low salary?
The first source examined dealing with the argument of teacher salaries is the article,
History Teacher Career: Job, Education, and Salary Information, written by Eric Gill. This
article gave a glance about the teaching profession, specifically teaching the subject history. It
also described the skills needed to become a teacher and salaries of them. The author discusses
that teaching history mainly requires having a bachelors degree and mentions many traits that
exceptional teachers possess. Some of these traits include being motivated, intellectually curious,
and spirited. The article also examines the different teaching levels, listing the requirements for
teaching at middle, high school, and college levels. The salaries of the different levels are also
compared. Although most teachers receive a slightly higher pay when teaching at a higher level,
the highest a teacher can make is around $59,000.

The second source titled, FCT Teachers Begin Strike Over Non-Payment of
Allowances, described a recent incident that teachers took part in because of their salaries. In
the year of 2015, teachers of the government Federal Capital Territory participated in a strike
because of the government not being able to pay them stipulated allowances (p.1). This action
was taken because rent allowance and a delay in staff promotion. After having a meeting by the
Nigerian Union of Teachers, many teachers decided to go on the strike. However, the Federal
Capital Territory Administration stated that the teachers strike was unnecessary.
The last source, Merit Pay for Teachers, was an article about different viewpoints on
the issue of giving teachers a higher pay as an incentive to motivate them into working harder.
Opponents of this issue state that there is no reason to give any additional motivation in order for
them to teach better. However, supporters of this issue state that merit pay would establish better
teaching capabilities. According to the supporters of this issue, a persons salary is determined by
their performance in private sector jobs. This is not the case for public sector jobs, such as
teaching professions. These jobs operate on payment scales and are determined by government
officials. This is why individuals support the idea of offering merit pay to teachers. On the other
hand; opponents of this issue do not discuss the difference of payments. They believe that merit
pay offered to teachers would worsen schools.
The articles summarized above share many similarities among them. They are similar
because they all examine the amount work put into the teacher profession, however, that work is
not seen evidently in many eyes. Eric Gills article discusses the various traits that teachers
posses. When the article states, historyteachersshouldbecapableofuncoveringfactsand
storingsignificantamountsofinformationforquickrecall,itexaminestheskillsthatteachers

Running head: LITTLE APPRECIATION

mustgrasp(p.1).Manypeopledonotseethisnecessaryproficiencyclosely,whichmaybewhy
thesalariesofteachersareoverlooked.TheFCTarticleissimilartothisbecauseitmentions,
according to sources, delay in staff promotion, rent allowance and failure to meet up with
teacher's salary scheme and other benefits are the reasons for the industrial action(p.1). This
action is a clear sign of a lack of appreciation towards teachers, thus, setting such a lower salary
for them and leading to unnecessary protests. The Merit Pay for Teachers article ties with the
first two because it acknowledges, that the performance of a teacher is of less importance than
certain other factors, such as tenure, or the amount of time one spends at a given job(p. 4).
When this quote directly addresses the issue of a teachers performance being of less importance,
it surely ties with the other two sources, and connecting them all together.
Another reason on why the articles are similar is because they all discuss how, in general,
the salaries of teachers overall affect them. Eric Gills article states, the difference in salary
between a bachelors degree and a masters degree for a novice teacher is $3,000 annually, and,
after 10 years of experience, the bump increases to $4,500 (p.1). Although teachers are given
raises throughout time, the highest salaries that teachers reach do not compare to the starting
salaries of other professions. A teacher is not, roughly, given the same amount of income as other
professions; no matter how much harder they work. The overall affect that occurs when teachers
are given lower salaries is also shown through the FCT article. The article clearly identifies the
result of taking advantage of teachers by revealing a strike that occurred. In the article, NUT
President, Mr. Michael Olukoya Ologba, confirmed the strike, saying it was due to non-payment
of salaries amongst others(p.3). While FCT article distinctly shows the reaction towards an
unfair approach, both articles compare in showing how an unequal balance of payments
influence the lives of teachers.

A difference shown among the articles is that Merit Pay for Teachers describes two
very different outcomes to what might happen if teachers receive a higher pay, while the two
other sources specifically state that teachers should receive a higher pay solely for the hard work
they do. Supporters of the Merit Pay for Teachers article argue that if teachers receive merit
pay, then it would be a motive for working twice as hard. While opponents of the article believe
that the merit pay would diminish the traditional motives set for a teacher (p.3). This differs from
the first two articles summarized because the articles do not mention the desired result in
teachers receiving higher pay.
History Teaching Career has credible information because it comes from an
organizational website. The source also contains informative research on the history of teachers.
Although the information is highly informative, the content is somewhat hard to comprehend.
Another weakness of this source is that publisher is not well known. On the website, the
publisher is not clearly listed.
The FCT article has information that is highly relevant to my topic and provides a real
life incident that occurred to make the argument stronger. It also adds more meaning to the
argument by having an actual occurrence in the world, which provides readers with more
background knowledge on the subject. The weakness of this source is that it is fairly short and
the evidence provided is not described in depth.
The strengths of the article, Merit Pay for Teachers, are that the source is recent and is
within the past five years and that the information provided is clear to understand. Also, this
article identifies two very distinct positions on the same subject, which gives readers a different
prospective on the issue. The weaknesses are that the authors cannot easily be identified. The

Running head: LITTLE APPRECIATION

article mentions that there are clear opponents and supporters, however does not distinctly list
their names.
I have learned several concepts after the amount of research I have done. The first thing
was the necessary skills that individuals need to grasp in order to become a teacher. Second, I
learned how much of an affect this issue has on certain people. I also learned the amount of hard
work teachers put into their jobs. After researching my topic, my viewpoint has slightly changed.
The research I have done really helped me clarify which side of the issue I am on. My present
stance on this issue is that I believe teachers should receive higher salaries.

References
FCT Teachers Begin Strike Over Non-Payment of Allowances. (26, May 2015). Retrieved March
15, 2016, from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/
Gill, Eric. History Teacher Career: Job, Education and Salary Information. (2012, October 4).
Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-careers/historyteacher/
Infobase Learning - Login. (2006, December 17). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from
http://icof.infobaselearning.com/articles/education/merit-pay-for-teachers.aspx?sr=1