As a future teacher, the teacher’s job is something many take for granted. This is because teachers are doing work on and off the scenes that many parents and others may not realize. Teachers are showing up to work and teaching students for 8 hours a day. Some may be coaches of a sport at school, and some may have their own families as well, and when they go home, they also have to plan for the next day and do grading. It is a job that requires a lot of dedication and passion, and just for that, they should be paid more.
The average salary of a teacher in Monmouth County as of 2025 is $46,986, and in Ocean County $47,137 annually. This is something I believe is not nearly enough for a teacher annually.
For instance, teachers sometimes spend more time with the students than the parents do. Schools start anywhere between 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and end anywhere from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. During this time, they are teaching many kids with minimal breaks besides lunch and prep.
Along with this, some teachers also have after-school hours when it comes to the middle school and high school levels. These hours average from 1 to 2 hours, where they are putting in extra time to help students in need. Then, if they are a coach of a sport, they have sports practice for 2 hours, or travel time and games as well.
They live a life of what I believe to be almost superhuman. To be able to balance a life of teaching, lesson planning, grading, family, and friends, it can be hard, and to live off of almost 22 dollars an hour is impossible for a teacher that has a family and bills to pay.
The life of a teacher is something that is not appreciated by some, but also highly appreciated by others. Teachers in general deserve a higher pay just for the job they do and how much they do inside and outside of school.
