There has been much unnecessary controversy over teachers’ salaries, but in reality there is no reason why they don’t deserve a raise. I, personally, find it disgusting and disappointing that, for all their hard work, society has refused to acknowledge the imbalance of their pay. They are faced with the high-pressure job of educating, motivating, and shaping future generations, yet the average starting salary in the United States is a little over $36,000 dollars, says Niche. According to USA Today, as of 2017, the average household income is $73,298 for a family of four. The teacher income doesn’t even contribute to half of that average. The household income for a family of four in the poverty level is $24,600, says The Balance.

There is a big difference between the state with the highest salary and the lowest, and the highest states tend to the most populated. There is an anomaly though: Alaska. According to CNBC, Alaska has the highest salary for teachers which is about $82,000 dollars, and is one of the least populated and remote states. The lowest is Oklahoma, which has the salary at about $42,500 dollars. These states have a big gap, Alaska almost doubling Oklahoma’s average salary.

Teacher also need to pay off their college expenses along with having to pay for daily necessities for themselves or their family. According to Costhelper Education, for a teacher to become fully certified, they need to have a 4-year bachelor’s degree, which can cost between $25,000-$100,000, but normally on the upper half of those numbers.

Along with being paid notoriously low salaries, according to Education Week Teacher, teachers need to spend around $600 a year on school supplies due to school funding cuts. Not only do they take blows with their wage, teachers need to put up with annoying kids every day that don’t listen or try, or are disrespectful, insincere, and hard to work with.

As you can clearly see, for all that they do, teachers definitely deserve at least a small raise.