I’m a ham and live on northern border , talk to Canadians everyday who bitch there teachers are making $80k , I’m like do you want an educated child who grows into a well reasoned adult or do you want the average American ? You can pay your teachers well now or you can pay with idiots later , it’s that simple , I am very proud to be well educated by some amazing teachers , I easily became a life time learner because I had teachers who inspired the best in us , unfortunately within a few years of my graduation many of these teachers were replaced with inferior models who work cheap and the the whole abortion of No child left behind happened and ended all electives in school ( I had wood shop, metal shop, automotive , small engine repair, pottery, photography , year book , home economics , Spanish, French , drivers education , swimming , sculpting , archery among the many that I took ) that sadly don’t exist anymore . I had such a great experience in elementary school that’s also no longer done ,the entire school participated in hunting turkeys ,growing vegetables , picking apples , peeling and chopping apples potatoes and then cooking the meal in fire pits in huge cast iron Dutch ovens , some of my best memories even after more than 50 years . Back in those days your teacher was determined by your last name so I had the same teachers as my older sister and brother , so there was a strong family bond already when I got to school . A good or bad teacher can make or break a child’s future. TYFYS to all the educators on this thread , you don’t feel the love in your paycheck , but there are many who love you and respect your service and sacrifice .