“Three years ago, our local football team here in Seattle won the NFL championship. Leading up to the Super Bowl game and afterward was an orgy of celebration, a non-stop display of team jingoism. Every other car, home, and shop had a “12th Man” banner. Half the population had a T-shirt or a cap with the team logo.
OK, I get it. Pride in the home team and all that. But could we display maybe 1% as much pride when a local author wins a National Book Award or a local scientist wins a Nobel prize?
When was the last time we had a parade for them, or for so many who contribute so much to make this world a better place: teachers, librarians, researchers, scientists, authors, poets, and others.
If I had my way, I’d make a teacher’s salary on par with a football coach’s salary, at least in public institutions. You want to pay the football coach more, sure, go ahead, as long as those who teach also get a pay raise. Why not? Whether you’re a football fan or not, you’d surely agree that teachers make a bigger contribution in this world.”
Anu Garg.
Find out more about Anu Garg here: https://wordsmith.org/anu/
