Today we are told we can be anything we can dream up. Although this is true, Max Weber would argue that there are certain characteristics that define a profession. In his eyes the only ideal professions are medicine, law and priesthood. There are eight main points Weber makes each of which I feel can be applied to teaching (Bennet & Le Compte pg. 150).

The first thing on Weber's list is that a profession is self-employed and provides a service to the community (Bennet & Le Compte pg. 150). One way to disagree with this statement is that teachers run off salaries, so they are not self-employed. Joel Spring offers statistics on average white-collar occupations. Per year teachers average $43,250, compare this with an attorney and it may make some cringe as they are making an average of $82,712 a year (Spring pg. 175). Salaries in education follow the natural law of supply and demand...