I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, ever since I was little. Those plans never really changed and when it was time to select my college major, I knew I wanted to go into Early Childhood Education. Its something I’m passionate about and I want to be a teacher who cares for and inspires my students to learn and explore. Now I feel like I’ll never get to live up to those dreams.
I always knew teaching paid poorly. But throughout high school I learned to budget and do my best to make do with what I would be paid. But now prices keep rising and wages aren’t. My passion for teaching isn’t enough to keep me going. I cant bring myself to pursue a career where I would make 32k a year on the high end. Rent on a studio apartment in my area would be almost half of my monthly income. And not only is the pay awful for teachers, but between the out-dated curriculum, awful parents, and shitty restrictions, I don’t think I can even bring myself to be excited about teaching anymore. Something I knew I loved and had planned to do my entire life is now something I cant afford to accomplish.
This is why we have such a shortage on teachers, especially good ones. The people who are essential to our society are basically paid pennies a month. People take advantage and capitalize over the passion teachers have for their work. I mean, no one has ever gone into teaching for the money. But that passion isn’t enough anymore. Poverty is becoming the new norm and capitalism is an awful system that preys upon people. I feel so hopeless about America all the time. People have been so conditioned by major corporations that we still have people fighting against free health care even though it would be beneficial to them. I cant even begin to understand why so many people defend awful corporations and politicians who are literally working against them.
Idk if this is ok to post on this sub, please remove it if it’s not. I’m just so angry and sad that I have to give up on my dreams of
teaching because I literally cant live off of it. I have to do what’s best for me and my family. I just hate that I have to sacrifice a career I always dreamed about doing because of this shitty economy. I hope we can change things for the better. Ive seen a lot of millennials and a lot of my generation speaking out about how they’re tired of this and need things to positively change, which I guess kind of gives me hope. Maybe we can change our economic system for the better. Maybe one day I’ll be able to pursue my teaching dreams, but for now I just have to do something that can financially support me and my family through this economic crisis and capitalist hell.