Doctors work to improve and preserve life, whilst teachers teach us the skills to function in life and hopefully educate and improve future generations. Without teachers a doctor would not have learned the skills nessesary to become a doctor. So yes a doctor can help you when you are sick or injured, but their work is in the "here and now". Teachers are educating the minds of the future and to me it is more important that the human race moves forward.

Teachers are the cornerstone of every other career. Parents teach their children, ministers and other spiritual advisors teach, authors teach through their writing, classroom teachers build upon and supplement previous teachings. Without teachers in whatever form, how does anyone learn. It is a shame that society does not appreciate and pay teachers adequately for their service.

Assuming both are equally available to all, the teacher is more important in assuring that individuals attain all that they are capable of in life.

Going back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, though, an individual isn't going to attain self actualization if he/she isn't healthy. In this regard then, doctors are more important in assuring that basic needs are met.

Without teachers to motivate our young people to become excited about learning where would our doctors come from? My heart tells me that teachers are more important, but this is kind of like the chicken and the egg question.

I think it is equal.  A teacher may have a chance to motivate more people, but she may not actually affect the lives of as many people.  A doctor sees more different patients each year than a teacher sees different students.  The doctor can affect those people in ways that are much more personal and have much more of an immediate impact on their life.

Teachers can help enrich the world intellectually, but doctors help keep us in good health.  Both are equally important.

I will admit to some bias in my response to this question because I am a teacher.  It is my opinion that a teacher is more important because he or she influences greater numbers of people in a positive way than a doctor can.  A teacher can motivate many people to become doctors, as well as lawyers, scientists, engineers, and so on.  But a doctor, while he or she can save a life, can do so only one life at a time. A teacher who motivates many people has a greater impact for good in the world. 

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

Since teachers create all other professions and it is a teacher who inspires you to either love or hate school and education, I go with teacher.

However, the true answer is that either or is important as long as they do their jobs right, with passion, and always striving to succeed at it.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

Both are important.  Historically, teachers have been undervalued and doctors have been overvalued.  But, the disparity is lessening of late.

On an basic level, both are taken for granted.  Particularly with doctors, we only notice them when things go wrong.  So, society, in effect, sets them up to fail.  Lately, with malpractice suits and the increasing cost of health care, their hands are becoming more tied, so there will be a trend on their part to be more conservative with their practices.

Teachers' hands too are tied by the "flavor of the month" revolving door of education pedagogy and budget initiatives.  Their impact is more a sum total of quite unnoticeable dividends that rarely gets rewarded.  Until teachers are properly compensated (maybe with a merit pay), then they will continue to go unnoticed and taken for granted.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

This is sort of a what came first, the chicken or the egg, post in that doctors needed to exist (well, medical science at least) in order for the information to exist so that one generation could tech it to the next. Today, the knowledge exists, so the teacher can be seen as more important because without him or her how would the next generation gain the knowledge to become doctors? But, and here is the conundrum, if the teacher becomes ill, the doctor then is more important to save the life of the teacher. This is a bit of a trick question, and one for which there is no clear answer!

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

The Talmud asks, "Who is worthy of honor?"  The Talmud answers: "He who honors others is worthy of honor."

We can answer your question in a similar way.  If you treat other people with importance (that is, with respect, sensitivity, etc.) then you are important.  If you treat objects with importance (so as not to waste them) then you are important.  If you treat ideas with importance (you think about them carefully and respectfully) then you are important. 

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

I agree with post #1. It is difficult to understand what you are speaking of in terms of who is important. We would need a much more clearer description of what it is you mean. I have understood your question to be an open question.  Therefore, I believe all living things to be of varying degrees of importance.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

I agree with lrwilliams previous post. The doctor would have needed at least one good teacher to inspire him to achieve his career goals! I suppose the function of each profession varies. For instance, a teacher should motivate you to learn and achieve; on the other hand, a doctor should ensure that you maintain your health. Both are equally important, however. 

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

I would agree that it is impossible to rank one profession as more important than others, as someone else said for us to maintain a functional society we need all types of professions. However, being a teacher I would ask this, would the doctor have become a doctor without the passion and inspiration of at least one teacher at some point in his life!!

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

Everyone is part of a "circle of life" if you will. It doesn't matter if a person works at McDonalds or is nuclear engineer, they are all important in some fashion.

Back to the teacher and doctor discussion I would like that add that they are equally important. Teachers teach the doctors how to be doctors. Doctors treat teachers when they are sick which allows them to continue teaching.

Society is functional in a very intricate way. Everyone has a role to play whether it be the stay at home mom, the teacher, or the doctor.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

I see this question as a circle... You can't have a good teacher without a good doctor. You can't have a good doctor without a good teacher. Consider the pioneer days...every town wanted BOTH a doctor and a teacher. Both valuable. Both necessary. Impossible to rank.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

Perhaps we're asking the wrong question here. Lets ask, "Does society value teachers as much as it should?" My answer to this is no. If you ask teachers, most would say that they didn’t go into teaching for the money. Why, however, should we have to feel that way? Why can’t we have as much expectation of financial success as someone in another career--doctors for example?

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

I agree with linda-allen's previous post. All people and their professions are important, and ranking the importance of a job is demeaning to others. I do believe, however, that a great teacher is more important than a poor doctor and vice versa.

Who is more important, a teacher or a doctor? Explain why.

You are important. I am important. Every single human being on earth is important. It is not a good idea to start ranking the importance of people. It can lead to thinking that some might be expendable.