'Me? $53,000 a year with $70K in student debt': Mom torn between pride and lament when her teacher's salary proves to be <50% of what her teenage son makes as a tradesman

Have you ever accidentally called your teacher 'Mom' from across the room? 

Inadvertently, teachers are like a mother to hundreds of kids over the course of their careers. While there are a handful of truly awful teachers (I'm sure one or two come to mind), there's also a myriad of amazing teachers who inspire and enthrall their students, filling their lives with hope, education, and a blueprint for how to tackle the future. So why are they so underpaid? 

Recently, a teacher went viral for her take on wage levels and her value as a teacher when her teenage son got his first job out of high school. Although she was proud of his success–earning $65+ an hour–she lamented over the comparison to her own salary. After 12 years of experience, as well as an expensive Master's degree that resulted in $50k in student debt, the original poster of this story could hardly boast about her teaching salary at $25/hour. Scroll for the whole tale of a woman who was torn between pride and sorrow at a broken education system.