People go into teaching because it’s something they love, and something that they are super passionate about. 

When teachers first transfer to a new school they spend lots of money on setting up their classroom. Although the district provides basic supplies, most decorations, paper, or extra things that teachers want for the students have to be bought with their own money. Ms. Buckley is a new U.S. history teacher at Don Lugo that transferred from a private school. “It’s definitely been an adjustment because I’m not used to this, just trying to get everything where it needs to be. Basic resources like tissues would be great, I could just go ask for tissues instead of having to pay out of pocket to get stuff for my students, so I can do my job. I’ve spent $500 so far and I still have stuff to do. I’m used to paying for things and getting reimbursed later so it’s definitely an adjustment, but it’s an investment because it ensures my students have a safe and fun learning environment that helps later on.”

Any other job allows you to work 40 hours a week, Ileana Najarro a writer at EducationWeek says “A typical teacher works an average of 54 hours a week.” Teachers in the US are overworked and underappreciated. They put in so much effort for such little reward. They work and get paid for 10 months out of the year, but actually, only get a few weeks off during the summer. Most of the summer, weekends, and days off are spent planning lessons for the next upcoming school year. Teachers give their time to their job when Instead they could be spending time with their family or just having their own lives. 

“I don’t consider this position a job, I consider it as something I’m passionate about. It’s something I look forward to every day because I love helping young adults reach their goals and prepare for their bright futures.” Mr. Belloso, an AP geography teacher at Don Lugo High School, tells of his experience as a public teacher and why he does it. “The sacrifices are completely worth it because at the center of all this are the students I’m teaching so it’s definitely worth it.”

The salary range in the Chino Valley Unified School District is 51,000-106,000 a year. Due to inflation, prices everywhere are rising dramatically. So teachers have started to show solidarity with each other. They want fair wages that allow them to keep up with the changes in our economy. “What we want is our pay to meet inflation so we’re not making less money.” Mr. Crisafi gives his statement on what he thinks is fair.

For most teachers, this is not just a job, it is deeper than that. Being a teacher is not something simplistic, you are teaching more than 100 kids a day, you build relationships with them, you get to know them. It is a lot more complex than just helping them understand things, you are helping them grow to become adults. There’s a much larger impact on the students than people are aware of.