Teachers are routinely devalued. We have the power to change that.

The new school year is under way in Texas. It’s an exciting time of new beginnings for students and teachers alike. Texas teachers are also beginning their first academic year since Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law sweeping changes in education funding that elevate the pay for them and other education professionals across the state.

No doubt, our teachers deserve a pay raise. Our lawmakers have rightfully responded by giving some of our most valuable professionals more of a livable wage.

But Texas teachers deserve even more from us. They deserve our respect. It’s no secret that the low prestige of educators has been a long-standing issue in this country, but I’ve observed a peculiar devaluing of the profession that seems unique to Texas. This is puzzling to me, especially because Texas is rapidly growing and diversifying. The second-most populous state in the nation, Texas is home to one in 10 children in the United States, and 67% are children of color.

We need well qualified and passionate teachers more than ever before, yet the state currently faces a severe teacher shortage and requires hiring more than 30,000 new teachers each year. Equally troubling, Texas also just hit a five-year high for teachers leaving the profession mid-year.

Devaluing the profession has given our best and brightest considerable pause about entering — or planning long-term careers in — the field. As the new dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas, I have learned that some of our university’s top students have been warned by parents, peers and even other educators that they are ”too talented to teach,” “too smart” to enter a profession that provides low pay, high stress, and little prestige. College students with a passion for educating others are asked, “Why teach when you could do something else instead?”

This prestige gap is devastating for Texas’ future. The children of Texas deserve the best education, which means they need the brightest among us to serve as their classroom leaders. Effective teachers do more than impart information and manage classrooms. They understand that students are not blank slates. Effective teachers must develop curricula that respond to children’s cultural backgrounds, that engage diverse learners, and that develop critical thinking, while simultaneously responding to students’ social-emotional needs and unique life circumstances. They must be attuned to each student’s strengths and challenges. They must prepare our youth for educational and personal transitions.

Because of these profound and demanding responsibilities, teachers are essential not only for the development of the lifelong learners our society needs, but also for the development of a healthy community and a thriving democracy.

That’s why the value you and I place on the teaching profession matters. As a first-generation college graduate, and as someone who experienced many disruptions in my early education years, I know the power of an effective teacher to alter life’s trajectory. There is truly no more important profession with the power to transform lives.

It’s time for us to show teachers that we value them as the professionals they are. That means making sure those who influence public policy understand teachers’ impact and work. It means advocating for research-based teacher preparation programs that recognize teaching as a highly skilled profession. It means creating school and classroom environments that promote the most effective teaching and learning. It means making sure teachers are provided with the supplies they need in their classrooms so that they can do their jobs without personal financial hardship.

Teachers prepare the future leaders of Texas and the nation. Let’s show them we truly value them by giving them the respect they deserve.

Martinez is dean and professor at the College of Education at the University of Texas.