I happen to have a friend group that has a few teachers in it.

Most teachers have 14-16 weeks a year off. That alone is a tough counter argument to surmount. In a few of our local districts, on average teachers are making $130k/yr if you scaled their pay to a normal 48 week career schedule. This is on top of gangbusters benefits.

Beyond that, once you get a few years into it and have your scaffolding built, you can kinda just cruise control for the rest of your career with only minor changes.

Yes, the job is challenging and stressful, but lowkey most $130k/yr jobs are.

The real devotion of teaching is being willing to have so much unproductive time which would be filled in a different higher paying career.