Teacher has a mic-drop response to anyone telling them, 'My taxes pay your salary'

Teachers are our guiding light in a world blanketed by the darkness of ignorance. Not only do they help us learn new things, but they also form our perceptions of right and wrong, guiding our future choices. So, when our educators are not being treated well, we must pinpoint the system's blunder, standing up for those who've stood by us. A teacher, who goes by u/W0nk0_the_Sane00 on Reddit, shared a mean comment they get to hear “at least twice a year,” and their response is worth saluting.

While scrolling through their Reddit feed, u/W0nk0_the_Sane00 came across u/babeejenn135's post, and shared that they often hear parents saying mean things like, “My taxes pay your salary. That makes me your boss.” As shocking as it may sound, it is, unfortunately, not a solitary experience — according to a study by Learning Policy Institute, each year over 200,000 teachers quit their jobs, 2 among 3 of whom do it way before reaching their retirement age. This occurs due to various challenges, including inadequate onboarding, a lack of support for new teachers, dissatisfaction with compensation, and challenging working conditions.

As soul-crushing as it may be, this teacher has always faced such comments with boldness and the most accurate reply. Upon being called a civil servant who works for the public, they ask, “If you’re my boss, where are the supplies and resources I’ve been promised? When are you going to supply my updated curriculum? What about the extra pay for working outside contract hours?” Once the parents are dumbstruck by the questions, they follow up with, “Wait a minute. I pay taxes, too. I guess that makes me self-employed. Thank you for your time. This meeting is finished.”

This comment flared up and spread like a wildfire across the internet, as many people could relate to the disrespect. u/creatively_annoying shared a friend’s experience, “My friend who is a policeman (garda) in Ireland says whenever someone says that they pay his salary, he says ‘Great boss, I've been meaning to talk to you about that raise,’” while u/Arietam suggested, “My career has been as a public servant (called civil service in the USA). Occasionally, I’d have a client try the ‘I pay taxes, so that makes me your boss!’ line. I’d reply, ‘I pay taxes too. That doesn’t make me self-employed.’ Shut them up nicely.”

u/dommiichan appreciated the comment and joked, “Awesome! In true teacher style, I am going to borrow this,” while u/1armTash expressed, “Also, thank you! I adore my kids’ teachers — people don’t understand how much of your own time and money (student supplies/food, for example, when they forget or family has limited resources) you provide to your students. I see it and appreciate the hell out of it.”

Teachers are the backend workers when it comes to the development of the world — they educate engineers, politicians, artists, musicians, lawyers, and more. Unfortunately, many of them have to go through such extremely hostile situations at their workplace. A study conducted in Şanlıurfa, Turkey by Kıvanç Bozkuş suggests that most teachers face challenges with personal rights, workload, administration's general attitude towards teachers, and the school environment, which only increases with age.

Pew Research Center shares that about 68 percent of teachers have experienced verbal abuse from a student, with 21 percent saying “this happens at least a few times a month.” To top it all off, only 15 percent of teachers are satisfied with their jobs, whereas 51 percent are “not too or not at all satisfied.” This surely is a result of being underpaid and working extra hours, which can be due to 70 percent of them claiming their schools are understaffed. We need to unburden those who unburden the world, i.e., teachers. As a unit trying to build good people, good citizens, and good workers, we need to show them the respect that they deserve.