The vast majority of Americans believe teachers don’t receive the respect—or pay—they deserve, but that won’t stop the U.S. from forcing educators to work in potential COVID-19 hotspots with barebones safety protocols. Labor exploitation is anything but a new concept, and on this episode of the “Bigger Picture,” I discuss how our treatment of teachers exemplifies systemic flaws in the economy.
Show notes:
- Israel Ministry of Health COVID-19 Data Dashboard
- Israeli Data Show School Openings Were a Disaster That Wiped Out Lockdown Gains
- Amid New Surge In Virus Cases, Israel’s Top Public Health Official Resigns
- Trump urges states to reopen schools this fall amid pandemic
- Donald Trump Speech Transcript: Safely Reopening Schools Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- How Many Teachers Are at Risk of Serious Illness If Infected with Coronavirus?
- The Changing Age Structure of U.S. Teachers
- The Teacher Burnout Epidemic
- The Largest Labor Unions in the US
- The rise of teacher unions: A look at union impact over the years
- Answering the Call: The History of NEA
- CPI Inflation Calculator
- A Brief History of Teacher Strikes in the United States
- Teacher Strikes: 4 Common Questions
- LAUSD teachers’ strike ends. Teachers to return to classrooms Wednesday
- Strikes get “silent treatment” at NEA convention, as candidates take center stage
- Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31
- Will Unions Let Schools Reopen?
- Texas Teachers Union May Strike Over COVID-19 Precautions
- Florida Teachers Sue To Block School Coronavirus Reopening Mandate
- The Rise of Neoliberalism: The Cause of Extreme Inequality?
- A Report Card on Our Nation’s Commitment to Public Schools
- Inside the Pricey, Totally Legal World of College Consultants
- Oklahoma Governor Compares Striking Teachers To ‘A Teenage Kid That Wants A Better Car’
- About one-in-six U.S. teachers work second jobs – and not just in the summer
- Billionaires are getting even richer from the pandemic. Enough is enough
- Bernie Sanders on target saying 3 richest have as much wealth as bottom half of all Americans
- Average Teacher Salary Down 4.5 percent, NEA Report Finds
- Low Teacher Salaries 101
- Exactly How Teachers Came to Be So Underpaid in America
- Sexism is at the heart of why teachers are striking
- Teachers With Student Debt: The Struggle, The Causes And What Comes Next
- The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high
- US life expectancy has been declining. Here’s why
- Coronavirus Is the Perfect Disaster for ‘Disaster Capitalism’
- Turns Out That Trillion-Dollar Bailout Was, in Fact, Real
- We’re Dying From Coronavirus. Corporations Are Getting Rich Off It.
- Billionaires’ Pandemic Wealth Gains Burst Through $700B
- Phoenix-area teachers, districts grapple with buying PPE for the classroom
- As the World Economy Grinds to a Halt, the U.S. War Machine Churns On
- Missouri Budget Slashed By $448 Million Due To Coronavirus, Education Hardest Hit
- Governor Parson Fails to Protect Communities, Taxpayers with Mandatory Minimum Bill Signing
- Wealth, Inheritance and Social Mobility
- Various articles about Zoom meetings to discuss reopening schools
- Beloved Arizona teacher dies of coronavirus, two others sharing classroom also infected
![Blending harmonies with dynamic control, senior Spencer Rahm takes the stage as part of the jazz choir's spring performance. Jazz Coffee House took place on April 22, marking the culmination of months of preparation by West High’s musicians. “To me, [choir] is an opportunity every day to get to sing with my friends and work on our songs that we have concerts for. [Seeing] the results after working together with people is really rewarding. Jazz Coffee House concert was a reflection and a result of all the hard work we've put in the last three months,” Rahm said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DSC_0214-3-1200x800.jpg)
![During a game of cornhole, junior Aliza Schroeder celebrates with her buddy after making her bean bag through the board. Cornhole was one of many games offered in Victory Village. “We liked the activities in the Victory Village. We had a lot of fun playing the games, and she was really excited when she did well. We had fun celebrating. It’s important to be inclusive, involved [and] be excited to celebrate,” Schroeder said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC_9749-1200x800.jpg)
![All eyes on him, senior Jack Mullen raises the sacred chalice of the Addams Family. Mullen’s father was his inspiration for his role as Gomez Addams, who was Wednesday Addam’s father in the show. “The most impactful part of this experience was getting closure, because this was my last show, [and] it was probably my favorite show I've done here. I wanted to do the best I could, and to reflect on my growth and experience in the program. The thing I learned is that not everything is going to be perfect. I went through a lot vocally, and so I had to protect my health, and I overcame it,” Mullen said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DSC4947-1200x798.jpg)
![In perfect shooting form and with eyes on the rim, junior Tyler Kuehl is about to shoot his next basket in the last game of the season against Marquette High School. Kuehl has been playing basketball since he was 5. “Even though I played basketball all my life, the game-winning shots can be pressure, it's confidence. If you're going into that shot and not thinking that you're gonna make it, it's obviously not going in. And if you believe, [it will]. That's the only way you can succeed,” Kuehl said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/unnamed-32-1-1200x1200.png)
![Junior Fiona Dye lifts weights in Strength and Conditioning. Now that the Trump administration has instituted policies such as AI deregulation, tariffs and university funding freezes, women may have to work twice as hard to get half as far. "[Trump] wants America to be more divided; he wants to inspire hatred in people,” feminist club member and junior Clara Lazarini said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Flag.png)
![As the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, it scapegoats many immigrants for the United States’ plights, precipitating a possible genocide. Sophomore Annabella Whiteley moved from the United Kingdom when she was eight. “It’s pretty scary because I’m on a visa. When my visa expires next year, I’m not sure what’s going to happen, especially with [immigration] policies up in the air, so it is a concern for my family,” Whiteley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DSC_0077-7copy.jpg)
![Shifting global trade, President Donald Trump’s tariffs are raising concerns about economic stability for the U.S. and other countries alike. “[The tariffs are] going to pose a distinct challenge to the U.S. economy and a challenge to the global economy on the whole because it's going to greatly upset who trades with who and where resources and products are going to come from,” social studies teacher Melvin Trotier said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MDB_3456-1200x800.jpg)
![Pitching the ball on Apr. 14, senior Henry Wild and his team play against Belleville East. Wild was named scholar athlete of the year by St. Louis Post-Dispatch after maintaining a high cumulative GPA and staying involved with athletics for all of high school. “It’s an amazing honor. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to represent my school [and] what [it] stands for,” Wild said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/unnamed-6-1200x714.jpg)
![Red, white and blue, the American flag holds the values of our democracy. The fight that we once endured has returned, as student journalists and senior correspondents across the country are losing their voices due to government control. “[Are] the White House and [the] government limiting free speech [and] freedom of the press? Yes [they are],” chief communications officer of the Parkway School District and former journalist Elisa Tomich said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-14.jpg)
![Freezing in their position, the Addams Family cast hits the “rigor mortis” pose after cast member and senior Jack Mullen, in character as Gomez Addams, calls out the stiff death move. For the past four months, the combined company of cast members, orchestra pit, crew and directors all worked to create the familial chemistry of the show. “I’m excited for [the audience] to see the numbers, the music, the scenes, but I also just love all the technical aspects of it. The whole spectacle, the costumes, makeup and the people that put in the work backstage in order to make the show successful on stage. I’m excited for people to see and appreciate that,” Mullen said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DSC0116-1200x800.jpg)
![A board in the Parkway West counseling department displays pennants of selective universities. With a wide range of students interested in attending, it’s important that these schools have clear priorities when deciding who to admit. “[Washington University] had the major that I wanted, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience. That's a holistic study of the brain, and [WashU is] the only college in the world that offers that. That's the main reason I wanted to go; I got into that program,” senior Dima Layth said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Flag-1.png)
