OP-ED: Teachers need bigger salaries

I am currently an elementary education major at Southern Utah University. During my first semester, I took a class called "Education in Society." A point was made to us that we should not go into the education field if we were in it for the money.

We were informed that the beginning wages for a teacher who has a four-year degree will start at approximately $30,000 per year in Utah.

If you continue to go back to school and obtain your master's or doctorate degree, your salary will go up. Increased education equals increased pay. However, many men and women who have a passion for teaching and would love to go into the education field don't because of low wages.

It is difficult to support a family on teachers' wages. The National Center for Education Statistics found that 48 percent of teachers quit in 2001 because of poor salary or benefits.

Teachers deserve to be paid more. If they were, I believe more men and women would choose the education field because not only do they have the ability to be great teachers but they'll also be able to support themselves along with their family.

According to an Economic Policy Institute study, teachers' inflation-adjusted wages have risen by less than one percent since 1996. Meanwhile, workers at similar skill and educational levels saw their salaries grow by 12 percent during the same period.

The group identified 16 occupations that are comparable to teachers in education and skill requirements. In 2002, EPI found teachers earned $116 less per week than those who had comparable occupations.

Also, education is expensive. The amount of time it takes to get a degree in education is equivalent to any other four-year degree, master's and some doctorate degrees. If education majors receive loans to support themselves throughout college, the chance of them being able to pay off their loans in a reasonable amount of time with a teacher's salary is slim. The amount of time and effort put into teaching is not equivalent to the net amount of money they receive. It is as though they may never get out of debt.

Everywhere you go, you will find there is a high need for teachers. We were told this in my "Education in Society" class. We were told that we'd be able to find a job anywhere.

I believe that if wages were to be increased, then more qualified men and women who want to go into the field would. Schools would have a larger selection and therefore could choose the best, most qualified teachers.

Nicole Jeffery is a freshman elementary education major from Delta. She can be contacted at nicolejeffery@suumail.net.