I live in a state where the teachers have recently been on strike over their wages and this is probably an unpopular opinion buttt:

(HOPEFULLY) You chose that profession to teach kids and make a positive impact on their lives.
You knew damn well how much money teachers made when you chose.

Cost of living goes up as time goes on due to inflation and other circumstances.

You get more time off work than everyone else and it's the fucking summer.

That is only accounting for the work teachers do on the clock. Teachers do the majority of their curriculum/lesson planning on their off time.

Your wages are higher than the median income of your state.

Idk what state you are referring to.

Your job is 100% safe unless you manage to completely fuck it up.

Lol yea if you work at a upper middle class school. I know of a superintendent that got the shit beat out of him by MS13 gang members not too long ago.

Your student loans can easily be forgiven.

How do I do this? Lol this was never offered to me. (I'm a former teacher)

Hard to sympathize with them when they've got it so bad. Let's go on strike so working families have to make arrangements for their kids or else they lose a paycheck themselves. Most the teachers I had, and teachers I know wouldn't make it a week in a non-union job.

What would you do to negotiate better pay then? Teachers don't have the ability to individually bargain so they have to bargain through the union. Teaching isn't as easy as you think. Teaching requires an incredible amount of responsibility that most professions don't have. Their behavior is held to such a high standard that any mistake could mean your job. Did you ever text nudes to a vindictive ex husband? Better hope they don't get out and get found by anyone, because that's a firing. Like drinking at bars? Better hope you don't see any parents there.

Teaching is a blue collar job and an essential job. They should be paid and treated as such.