I only have respect for teachers; after all they teach,influence and help the young minds to do many wonderful things in life.
Also IMO, they are not only underappreciated, but underpaid - not only in the US but across the globe.
p.s. My cousin who was on his way back to US, once ran into his high school teacher in an airport in India. (This was after almost 2 decades since he had graduated from High School). The teacher was on his way to visit his daughter in Europe. The first thing my cousin did was to prostate at his teacher's feet right there (that is one of the ways of paying respect to elders in India and seeking blessings, other than folding palms to greet - the Namaste. It has more to do with culture and tradition of the country, than anything else).
To give you an idea - Here is a video of Infosys founder and Billionaire Narayana Murthy touching Ratan Tata's feet (another elder and famous, big Industrialist).