Salary: Does It Really Make the Difference

It is true. An athlete’s salary is twenty times better compared to a teacher’s. But, do they really get the best out of life? Do they really make the bigger impact? Are they really that important to society? Yes, and athlete’s life is much more glamorous and hey, the perks are great, but which occupation is much more meaningful? Teachers are very underpaid for the time they put in doing their job. They are the backbone of our society but sometimes the media, celebrities, and even ordinary citizens feel otherwise.

On one side of the spectrum, you have the professional athlete. A typical day for an athlete consists of getting up early in the morning, eating a wholesome breakfast, hopping in their ninety thousand dollar Range Rover and trotting off to practice. Sure, they practice hard executing drills, scrimmages and preparing themselves for games, but what do they do after that? They go home in their Range Rovers and get star treatment. What about the day in the life of a teacher? They wake up a t 6 o’clock and get ready for a long day ahead. They get to school and have to prepare themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. One some mornings, they hold study sessions for students who are behind or need the extra push. During the school day, sometimes teachers teach students the things necessary for higher learning. But, some are not so fortunate. Sometimes they are faced with students who act like their only purpose in life is to make the teacher’s life miserable. But do these teachers complain? No. They try to improve their students’ understanding and create a better connection so that the student will leave the classroom with something productive. The rest of the day is spent teaching classes, patrolling the hallways, and grading papers. When a teacher goes home she does not get to relax. She spends her nights grading more papers and getting her lesson plans together for the next day. The cycle continues.

The professional athlete gets all the glory for little effort. These athletes are basically idolized and widely successful only because of their talent alone. Some to not even complete their education like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Garnet, and more. They do work hard but does it really have an impact on others? Many times the only interest the athlete has at heart is his own. When all his work is done, he has no time for anyone but himself. Even though a teacher’s work is never done, that doesn’t stop her from being there for her students. Teachers have a strong influence on their students. It is the teacher who is the sole reason why the student is so successful. Without the teacher, the student is lost; they have no sense of direction and do not know their full potential. The highly qualified ones like the honors, AP and even Professors have the best interest of the student at heart. It is not hard for them to prove it either. Teachers will take time out of their busy schedule to physically be there for a student, volunteer are school events and be a chaperone on trips. Despite all of this, teachers are rarely recognized for all their hard work.

In most cases, professional athletes hire agents to do all the hard work for them. Some are drafted right out of high school and do not achieve the proper education they need to truly be in control of their careers. When they do not have a strong education they have to rely on their agent to help explain and translate their complicated contracts into laymen terms. And as far teachers go, they too must walk in the shoes of a student before they become a teacher. Teachers go to college, sometimes get degree after degree, and conduct extensive study. They put in many hours studying and taking tests so that someday they too will become the one passing out the tests in the classroom. When they do begin to teach, they are constantly being evaluated by administration, attending boring meetings, and putting in all the time they possible can to make their lesson plans easier for the students to learn and retain.

The professional athlete gets paid bonuses that are not even necessary. Often times a professional is paid millions right after signing to a team, depending on the sport they play. David Beckham is the highest paid athlete. He gets paid almost $32.5 million over five years and an extra $200 million in endorsements. Again, for a teacher, it seems like they are underpaid. It is disturbing how much a teacher puts in compared to how much they actually get out. Nebraska teachers’ salaries happen to be among the lowest in the nation according to the AFT. At $37,896 a year, many have a quick solution to fix that problem, a part-time job. For many teachers part-time job are a way of life, especially if it is coaching or staffing school activities. Without that extra cash, some of them would barely be getting by.
It is obvious that a teacher has the hardest job here and gets paid the least. An athlete is paid so much for just shooting, throwing, kicking or catching a ball. The question is how much do they impact students today, and how do they make a difference for the better? Being a teacher is hard work, but the reward for them is knowing that they make it possible for a student to have options in life so that one day that student can become a teacher and give back like the ones before him, become a doctor and save a life, or become whatever else his heart desires.