What is the most important career? Most people would say doctors, police officers, firefighters,or even the president; but they would be wrong.

The most important job out of them all would be the person from whom the doctors, the police officers, the firefighters and the president had to learn from before they could perform brain surgery, protect our society and lead the country…the teachers.

Think about it: the doctor who is performing surgery had to learn the human anatomy in a classroom. Doctors know everything they do because of studying under teachers and professors.

Behind every successful person, there is a teacher who has equipped that person with all of the necessary tools to succeed.

Unfortunately, it seems as if politicians don’t value these contributions as much as they should.

According to a recent article in the Northwest Herald, pension benefits, such as Social Security, for new Illinois hires as of Jan. 1 “are now capped based on a maximum salary of $106,800…and annual increases are calculated at half the rate of inflation or three percent, whichever is smaller. The minimum age for new hires to get full benefits is now 67 instead of 60.”

I plan to be a teacher one day, and it concerns me that every year there is something in the news about teachers losing a chunk of their pensions, salaries or even their voice, as is currently the case in Wisconsin.

I feel as if people have forgotten the importance of quality teachers.

“Teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions,” said Megan Boege, junior elementary education major. “Education is one of the fundamentals of life. By cutting teachers’ pay, it will have an everlasting impact on education, the future and the world.”

Teaching is not just a job; it is a lifetime career that you have to put your mind, heart and all into. Why is it that if I were to go into a career in the federal government, such as Congress, I would be eligible to receive my pension at age 50 and automatically make more than a teacher?

The politicians making these decisions would not be in the positions they are if it weren’t for their teachers. Instead of a “thank you,” teachers are getting a slap in the face.

The fact is that no one would be able to do their jobs efficiently if it weren’t for their teachers.

I really hate the little saying, “If you can’t do, teach.”

Like most teachers, I am qualified to pursue a lot of other careers, but my heart lies in teaching. The quote should be fixed to say, “If you are not taught, you cannot do.”