It is no secret that most important professions in American society are mainly underpaid. Firemen, policemen, and instructors (among others) are chronically underpaid and undervalued.
To make matters worst, society has trained us to not talk about money and to view such an act as gauche. Unfortunately, this could prevent transparency and hinder fair compensation.
That’s why Arizona teacher Elisabeth Milich is saying the heck with it.
43-years-old Milich was teaching second-grade students at Phoenix’s Whispering Wind Academy shared a picture of her pay stub and it’s causing quite the controversy.
Back in 2018, she received a raise, and the raise was so small, that she felt frustrated. She was so frustrated with the meager salary increase, that she posted a picture of her salary on Facebook along with a backstory explaining, “This is my new pay after taking a few professional development classes. I actually laughed when I saw the old salary vs the new one. I mean really? I need a college degree to make this?”
Her old salary was $35, 490, and her salary was $35, 621.25. Meaning there’s only an increase of $131.25 per year.
A salary of $35,000 a year is hardly a lot, but on top of that, many teachers, including Milich, are required to buy their own supplies for their classrooms. In Milich’s since-deleted Facebook post, she explained:
“I buy every roll of tape I use, every paper clip I use, every sharpie I grade with, every snack I feed kids who who don’t have them, every decorated bulletin board. The list could go on.” She added that although the loves being a teacher, she relies on her husband’s income in order to pay the bills. She wrote, “I’m sad for my single mom teacher friends who work 3 jobs to make ends meet.”
Watch the video report below:
Many across the country sympathized with Milich’s plight, but perhaps none were moved more than a New York City businessman named Ben Adam, who also happened to have the resources to help. Adam reached out to Milich on Facebook to let her know he wanted to help buy supplies for her classroom.
“I’m thinking, ‘This is crazy. This is a total stranger from New York,’” Milich told Good Morning America. “When school started, I started getting Amazon packages. I thought it was a one-time thing.”
But it wasn’t. Adam continued to deliver supplies like colored paper, books, paints, paintbrushes and snacks to Milich’s class throughout the year. Then he asked if he could help out more by “adopting” more classrooms at Whispering Wind. He went on to help five different classes at the school.
“I’m sensitive to the people that get the short end of the stick and without complaining,” Adam, a dad of three and owner of a real estate company, told Good Morning America. “Teachers work very hard and don’t get much in return.”
But Adam’s generosity didn’t stop there. He even launched Classroom Giving, an online organization that helps facilitate outside donations to underfunded schools. Instead of crowdsourcing funds, the site allows donors to choose items from teachers’ wishlists to send to needy schools.
Watch the video below to hear more about this incredible act of kindness and generosity.
Source: AWM
