Education is an Investment

I've always dreamed of becoming a teacher, and I graduated last spring with that dream in mind.  Since graduation, I've been presented with a number of conflicting opportunities, all of which are more profitable than teaching, but none of which particularly appeal to me beyond their salaries.  The practical side of me says the smart thing is to jump straight into the workforce, make as much money as I can, then hopefully become a teacher in the next 5 years or so.  The other, more personal side of me knows I wouldn't be happy as a business analyst, or in an office job.  I need to be working with people, helping others, striving to make the world a better place.  Those are the reasons that, although it is much more expensive and less profitable, I'm going to graduate school to become a teacher.

The sad thing about this country is that it is so difficult to become a teacher compared to other professions, when education is the foundation for one's future.  I've received tons of offers to sell insurance, study economics or financial mathematics, or pursue some other graduate degree, each offer coming with significant financial incentive.  When it comes to paying for an education degree, however, the offers are much less juicy.  There are scholarships and grants available, but they are fiercely competitive and do not cover the price of tuition.  Even in my best estimates, all of my financial aid can only defray the cost of tuition, not pay for it all.

Why is it that in a time of record profits for Wall Street, in a time when we have more millionaires and billionaires than ever before, in a time of drawbacks in two wars, that we cannot find the money to properly fund education?  How is it that education is included in that umbrella category of "discretionary spending?"  I cannot think of a single service that the federal government provides that is more integral to how society functions than public education.  An educated populace is a more productive, happier, healthier, and better society.  Education is not discretionary, it is necessary.

The most maddening thing about budget debates is that we know that cutting education spending does not do anything to alleviate the deficit or the long-term debt.  Cutting education spending exacerbates the debt, by reducing the productivity of future generations.  It also kills jobs in the present, slowing down economic activity and forcing thousands of public workers to work part-time or lose their jobs altogether.  Since the recession hit, the private sector has consistently added jobs, while the public sector has shed jobs year after year.  There is no economic difference between public and private sector jobs - both are real jobs, held by real people, and both allow individuals to participate in the economy.

There is no more effective stimulus than education spending.  Every dollar spent on education pays for itself, several times over, in future productivity, teacher spending, and community engagement.  Good schools make good communities, lessen crime, increase parent involvement.  There is not a negative to public education spending, whether we consider head start programs or higher education funding.  Here's a pretty quick read on what head start provides.  Head start provides child care services to lower-income parents, allowing them to return to the workforce or seek employment.  It is not just an opportunity for the children, it is a service for the parents, too.

Finally, it should not be such a difficult decision for college students to choose a career in education.  Education should be the shining city on the hill - the destination that every bright graduate wishes to reach.  There are programs that are working to make education careers more appealing: Teach For America, Blue Engine, and many other private/public partnerships.  These programs are great, but they are extremely competitive and difficult to join, and can only serve parts of the country.  It should be a national initiative to provide energetic, qualified, and passionate instructors to every single child across the country.  The only way to do this is to change the national discourse around education.  Educational dollars are not to be bandied about in budgetary discussions, and simply privatizing education is not a realistic solution to a nationwide problem.  If the national debt is a danger to future generations, an educational deficit is much more frightening, and much more damaging.  Stimulate education: it's good for the economy, good for the debt, and good for children.  The last point is all that should matter.