Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. This federal holiday recognizes the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
Educators are among those who have, and continue to, make some of the most important contributions to our country and its future success. Yet, despite being a symbol of everything Labor Day celebrates, they remain underpaid and undervalued in many cases.
Educators are symbols of strength. They push forward despite being underpaid, working in critically underfunded and underserved areas to ensure the children in their communities receive a quality education.
Educators are symbols of prosperity. When given the resources they deserve and need, they create strong systems that support their students. In turn, they nuture future adults who contribute to the growth of their communities, the state, and the world.
Educators are symbols of well-being. Despite being overworked and underpaid, they continue to show smiles and maintain positive attitudes for the students they teach. They serve our children in multiple capacities: as educators, role models, and, perhaps most importantly, as a listening ear.
Working for our public schools is not a niche profession. In 55 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, the largest employer is the public school system. In counties where the public school system is not the largest employer, it is among the top five.
If we are celebrating Labor Day and recognizing the contributions workers have made to America, then we must celebrate our educators and public-school workers. We must not only celebrate them by appreciating the work they have done, but also by investing in them, allowing our communities to be successful in turn.
This means providing a helping hand to your local educators and reinforcing what they teach your kids at school. The parent-teacher partnership is one of the most important factors in a child’s success. If you can, purchase something from their wish list to help make their classrooms educational and fun. Many teachers already spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets to make this happen, despite North Carolina’s teacher salaries being well below the national average.
One of the simplest things you can do to recognize all they do is to tell them you appreciate the work they’re doing to ensure our children have a great school year and a bright future. This Labor Day, acknowledge the many contributions they’re making to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
