The worst are probably underpaid, or at least shouldn't be employed in the profession. The difficulty I have with blanket statements saying that teacher pay should be increased across the board is the complication inherent to public employment. In private business enterprise, the best are rewarded and the worst are cut loose, and for the most part people get paid what they are worth. There is a significant safety net when it comes to public sector employment where that same weeding process isn't nearly as efficient.

So yes, some teachers are underpaid. Good teachers provide a critical service to individuals, families, and the community. But there are some factors beyond the general public's simple disregard for the profession that contribute to low teacher pay. First, the bar to entry is relatively low. Second, the time commitment, despite defensive arguments to the contrary, is below average. And, I'm sure the reward for good teachers helping children to succeed draws workers in and keeps them there.

I've worked time-clock jobs where I didn't have to give a single thought to my job once I walked out the door each day. I've worked salaried jobs where I was paid a set amount and expected to complete my work regardless of the hours it took to do it. And honestly, the job of a public school teacher is somewhere in between. Sure, you've got to do some lesson prep and professional development outside of your regular work hours, but what I see is some people pushing for teachers to be considered professionals on level with accountants, programmers, and engineers when talking about compensation, but then wanting to be classified more like a time-clock puncher when talking about responsibilities. They want to have their cake and eat it too.

I imagine the idea of a teacher being uncompensated for grading some assignments at home in the evening while watching TV sounds kind of cute to the accountant during tax season or the computer programmer up against a new product launch.

In general, teaching is not a highly-paid job, even if it is a very important one. But on the other hand, it isn't particularly demanding in terms of hours and those who choose to teach consider all of that when they make the decision to go into and stay in that field.