Let's also bear in mind that if we want to think of teaching as a high-skill profession equivalent to doctor, lawyer, software engineer, etc, then we should be

Let's also bear in mind that if we want to think of teaching as a high-skill profession equivalent to doctor, lawyer, software engineer, etc, then we should be looking at the upper end of professional salaries when evaluating teacher salaries, not the median. Considering the outcome a good teacher can have on the life a child (even though it may be hard to measure that) I think it makes sense to imagine teaching as such.