Throughout history, teachers played an admired and distinguished role in society. They devoted themselves to passing human wisdom from one generation to another. But according to my observation, the value of teachers is declining nowadays.

In the past, the ratio of teachers in the whole society was rather small due to limited educational resources. One must have great knowledge and insight to become a competent teacher. Thus, teachers who brought enlightenment to society were more likely to receive admiration. For example, Confucius, the great educator, exerted enduring influence even till now. However, nowadays a normal university graduate who passes a test can get the qualification. Besides, teachers only need to teach a rather small part, instead of overall knowledge. Since the threshold becomes lower, teachers are not as influential as before.

Moreover, the development of technology is another indispensable factor for teachers’ decreasing value. Teachers may no longer be a necessity in many fields. With the help of the Internet, an increasing number of people learn through online courses or even educational applications. Take me as an example. I learned to play the piano under the instruction of an APP called Simply Piano, which is able to recognize the sound and give feedback. With varieties of learning methods, resorting to teachers may not be the only way to mastering a new skill. Further, it is possible that someday artificial intelligence could take the place of teachers.

Finally, social media is also a strong impetus that weakens the value of teachers. Teachers’ improper behaviors, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, or even violence, raise more awareness nowadays. Once a single scandal spread to the public, parents may all be afraid that similar cases would fall on their children. Since such a negative impact is always harsher than its positive counterpart, the whole society may have lower expectations for teachers.

In conclusion, although teachers are still respectable, the present social status of teachers is no longer the same as before.

Revision:

Throughout history, teachers have always been an admired and distinguished role in society. However, my observation and experience of life have led me to believe that the value of teachers is gradually declining nowadays.

In the past, the number of teachers is scarce due to the low rate of literacy and limited education resources. One must be of great knowledge and insight to become a competent teacher. So, as a teacher, his or her contributions to society are more easily to be appreciated, such as Socrates, Plato, and Confucius. While nowadays, anyone who graduates from a normal university and passes a test gets the qualification. Since the threshold becomes lower, teachers are not so influential as before.

In addition, the development of technology is another indispensable factor. Teachers may no longer be a necessity in many areas. With the help of the Internet, an increasing number of people learn through online courses or even using certain applications. Take me as an example. I myself learned to play the piano by an APP called Simply Piano, which is able to recognize the sound you play and give feedback. With such a variety of learning methods, resorting to teachers may not be the only way. Further, it is possible that artificial intelligence could eventually take the place of teachers.

Finally, social media nowadays also leads to a growing awareness of teachers’ improper behaviors, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, or even violence. Once a single scandal is widely spread, parents will be afraid that similar cases would fall on their children. Therefore, the whole society’s expectations for teachers lower, so they are less admired than before.

In conclusion, the low threshold, advanced technology and powerful social media all contribute to the present social status of teachers, which is no longer the same as before.