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Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader  Becoming a primary school teacher is not a low-skill job. In the UK it requires completion of a two year training course, usually along-side, or after a degree.
I used reading as an example. Primary School teachers also teach music, a foreign language (French in my school), art, maths, spelling, writing, carpentry, basic mechanics, basic science.... the list goes on.
In addition, school teachers work extremely long hours - starting at 8.30am, and usually marking papers long into the night. Many take on second jobs during the school holidays as they can't afford not to.
Not that long ago, the labour of a slave was valued by society as being worth nothing. Was that 'okay'? Was that something they 'just had to deal with'?
Equally, not that long ago, women were paid less than men for the same job. Society valued them less than men, and therefore paid them less.
Just because society places a certain value on something, doesn't make it something we have to agree with. We CAN change society, since we are all individuals making a contribution to it. But we can only change society if we consciously question and criticize its values and norms. |
My point isn't that society is placing a low value on primary school teaching. My point is that a lot of people are qualified to do it, certified or not. The homeschooling stats show that. There are a lot more people who have the skills necessary to become a primary school teacher or who could easily obtain those skills, than there are people who can become NASA engineers or physicsts. This doesn't mean it isn't valuable. And I know how hard they work -- one of my closest friends is a high school teacher. She puts in a lot of time outside of the classroom.
But, the market pays according to supply and demand. Finding someone to teach elementary skills to children is simply easier than finding someone who can effectively design a spacecraft.