1

Huda Abdulkadir
Professor Fielding
WRTC 103
16 February 2016
Are Teachers Underpaid?
The question of whether or not teachers are being underpaid is one that pops up in
todays society quite often. If one were to ask a random person, do you think public
school teachers are getting paid enough for what they do? Many would respond with a
no because the claim of teachers being the foundation of having a good education is
underappreciated. However, when making this claim, many individuals lack the
economic knowledge that plays a massive role in the decision making of teachers
salaries. The Opposing Viewpoints article, published by Education Next, have different
economists display each of the rhetorical appeals to explain how teachers are actually
being overpaid, while student Huda Abdulkadirs PSA primarily focuses on the pathetic
appeal to show how the general salaries of teachers should not matter as much.
The main claim of the argument is to provide statistical evidence and economic
knowledge to convince an audience that teachers are actually being overpaid, rather than
underpaid. The intended audiences are people who believe that teachers are
underappreciated, or could even be teachers themselves. Why has the writer targeted this
audience? This is because the majority of the audience lacks the economic factors that are
considered when calculating the salaries of teachers. The argument first provides a
proven fact that, when treated as full-year employees, public school teachers receive a
19 percent salary penalty. However, the argument quickly counterattacks the fact with

2
stating that unobserved ability differences, systematic errors in the observed variables
and varying work conditions could all be influencing the observed salary gap (8). This
particular argument is characterized in a scholarly way because many of the economists
in the article provide graphical analysis and support to support their thesis. Also, the
argument is organized topically and includes the subheadings, salaries, fringe
benefits, job security, and wage comparison. They are presented in that specific
order because it matches the order of the main thesis of the argument.
The verbal argument of teachers being over paid is mainly expressed through the
logos appeal. In the article, the author gives the audience an objective measure of the
skills of teachers. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth presents the fact that
teachers receive salaries around where we would expect based on the results of
standardized tests (3). In other words, based on the standardized testing results of
teachers, they are being paid an appropriate amount. People with higher scores tend to
have higher incomes in the future. This would be considered the logos appeal because the
article is persuading the audience by reason. Another fact included in this article includes
the fringe benefits of working individuals. Fringe benefits are extra benefits
supplementing an employees salary (Google). The article turns to the Employer Costs
for Employee Compensation (ECEC) data and states that the ECEC data set indicates
that public school teachers receive total fringe benefits equal to around 41.2 percent of
their salaries. Our nonteaching control group--workers in establishments of 100 or more
people, which tend to pay generous benefits--receive benefits equal to 41.3 percent of
their salaries (4). The fringe benefits of teachers and non-teachers are roughly the same,
resulting in the pay of teachers to be reasonable. However, this factor is not the only thing

3
to consider when deciding if the salaries of teachers are reasonable or not. Other factors
can be explained through the pathetic appeal that is presented later in the argument.
Pathos is also another appeal that is adequately used throughout the argument. In
the article, research by Richard Arum, Josipa Roksa, and Esther Cho, based on the
Collegiate Learning Assessment, which administers tests of critical-thinking and writing
skills upon entrance to college and in follow-up years, concludes that education majors
acquire considerably fewer general skills during college than students majoring in the
social sciences, humanities, math, or science (3). This example can emotionally affect
individuals who are education majors because they may have the assumption that they
work just as hard as the other majors and the amount of skills needed has no significance.
However, since the example is based on research, it is merely a proven fact. Education
majors do not need some skills that other majors need. The article responds quickly after
that fact by stating, If education programs enroll less-talented students and impart less
knowledge along the way, one would expect education majors to earn less after
graduation than majors in other fields, whether they worked as teachers or in other jobs
(4).
The last appeal used in this verbal argument is ethos. The credibility of this article
is fairly high because the authors in the argument are well-known economists. Andrew
Biggs and Jason Richwine are much respected economists that share the idea of teachers
being overpaid. Andrew Biggs comes from the American Enterprise Institute, while Jason
Richwine is a part of the Heritage Foundation. The article also displays various charts
that show data from the Census Bureaus Survey of Income and Program Participation.
The chart shows teachers who leave the profession experience a drop in compensation

4
(3). The article provides numerous accounts of credibility throughout the argument.

It should never be about the money

http://www.guidestar.org/profile/35-0702986

Great teachers stand at the summit of one of the hardest, most

challenging, and most consequential professions for our children and
the countrys future economic prosperity (6).

This PSA is of a smiling teacher who loves her

job. She is a teacher because she wants to
make a difference rather than doing it for the
money.

The PSA was intended to show that teaching is not done for just the money. The
intended audiences are people who think the current salaries of teachers are unfair. It also
shows that even though some may think teachers deserve more than they are earning,

5
they are still appreciated and gifted in other ways. The PSA first starts out with the title
It should never be about the money, in big bold letters to quickly grab the attention of
the intended audience. Next, the image chosen was one with a very happy teacher to
show that many teachers teach because they like it, not for the money. After, the PSA
displays a quote on the chalkboard that states, Im a teacher. Instead of making money,
Ive decided to make a difference in all capital letters. The PSA ends with an inspiring
quote on the bottom. There is also a website that is linked to a non-profit government
organization.
The author of the PSA mainly uses pathos to grab the attention of the intended
audience to convince them that money is not the only reason people become teachers.
The use of the bright colors is used to quickly attract the audience. A picture of a happy,
smiling teacher is displayed to also attract the attention of the audience and brighten up
the mood. This pathetic appeal activates the emotions of the audience before even reading
the information listed on the PSA.
The credibility of the PSA is shown through the attached link to a non-profit
government organization that is displayed on the top of the PSA. Teachers Credit Union
is an organization found on an official governmental website that lists many credible nonprofit organizations. The pictures included in the PSA was pulled from Google Images, a
well-known and trusted website. Also, the PSA was created by Huda Abdulkadir, a
current student from James Madison University. The student has much knowledge on the
particular verbal argument on teachers being overpaid.
Logos is shown by the quote at the bottom because it was taken from an article
that stated proven facts. Teachers are essential for getting a strong education and they

6
have been getting appreciated for that. This is why the salaries of teachers should not
matter. The claim being made is very specific because the argument of salaries not
mattering as much is clearly shown through the PSA.
The PSA is similar to the verbal argument because they both state a strong
message about money. They are different from each other because the PSA is stating how
money shouldnt matter and the verbal argument is directly focusing on the salaries of
teachers being too high. The PSA adds more emotions to the argument rather than the
verbal argument, however; the verbal argument is stronger. This is because there is more
credible evidence to back up the argument. On the other hand, both pieces complement
each other and, together add a stronger voice to the original argument.

Works Cited

"Fringe Benefits." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

7
"TEACHERS CREDIT UNION." Organization Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Richwine, Jason, et al. "The compensation question: are public school teachers
underpaid?" Education Next12.4 (2012): 68+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 17 Feb. 2016.