Teachers Have It Easy
While spending a few days in Maine with Helen, I had the opportunity to finish reading Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers, by Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive Clements Calegari, and, most notably, Dave Eggers.
The book is a treatise on the state of teachers' salaries in America, and the effect these salaries have on the education system. The authors argue that poor teacher pay discourages talented college graduates from entering the profession, and forces quality teachers to give up teaching for professions that allow them to live a comfortable life.
The book gives accounts from teachers across the country of their experiences struggling on their salaries, and how they are treated by society as a result of these salaries.
On their salaries, teachers are often unable to buy a house or even raise a family. Those that teach in wealthy districts cannot afford to live in the neighborhoods of the children they are teaching. The authors argue that because of their salaries, teachers are treated as second-class citizens, not afforded the respect they deserve considering the jobs they do.
The pay inequities of teachers relative to other professionals are even more stark when you consider the daily schedules of teachers. People often think of teachers as having easy schedules, with summers off and multiple week-long vacations throughout the year. But when school is in session, teachers have to be on top of their game nonstop. They cannot take breaks, have an "off-moment," or space out for a few minutes. They cannot even use the bathroom at their leisure.
Teachers are responsible - legally liable - for the students in their classroom, and are charged with keeping them occupied, interested, and safe all day long, while teaching these students a certain curriculum, and preparing them to pass standardized tests.
The traditional salary scale, which is more or less followed across the country, consists of a starting salary which increases as teachers remain in the district, and as they earn continuing education credits. Despite low pay to begin with, this system usually flattens out after 15 years, giving little incentive for teachers to remain. Furthermore, teachers are often given raises for irrelevent graduate coursework.
The solution, the authors argue, is increased pay for teachers, which will allow teachers to remain in the profession, and attract more and better qualified college graduates into the profession.
The book gives some success stories - instances in which school districts overhaul the traditional salary scale in favor of a series of incentives for teacher improvement. In these new systems, teachers often have lower starting salaries than traditional systems but are able to earn bonuses based on performance and relevant continuing education credits.
These new pay systems have caused an increase in applications for open positions in the school districts, allowing the districts to pick from a more qualified pool of applicants. This has meant better teachers in the school system.
There is not a federal mandate that could fix the system. Districts have different needs, and should employ salary scales that fit these needs, with nuances that are appropriate for their faculty and structure. Still, increased federal and state funding could go a long way to reforming the system.
But there have been successes short of an increase in taxes. Creative and innovative solutions have seen positive results.
Teachers unions, school administrators, and legislators need to get serious about their goals for the education system, and they need to acknowledge that the success of the system depends on increased teacher salaries.
As I enter the teaching profession, I hope to be respected not for my willingness to sacrifice a certain lifestyle, but rather for my dedication to help shape a better society. As a society, we shouldn't be proud of teachers because they give up the opportunity to make more money. Instead, we should recognize them as a vital part of our nation's future, and we should compensate them accordingly.
The book is a treatise on the state of teachers' salaries in America, and the effect these salaries have on the education system. The authors argue that poor teacher pay discourages talented college graduates from entering the profession, and forces quality teachers to give up teaching for professions that allow them to live a comfortable life.
The book gives accounts from teachers across the country of their experiences struggling on their salaries, and how they are treated by society as a result of these salaries.
On their salaries, teachers are often unable to buy a house or even raise a family. Those that teach in wealthy districts cannot afford to live in the neighborhoods of the children they are teaching. The authors argue that because of their salaries, teachers are treated as second-class citizens, not afforded the respect they deserve considering the jobs they do.
The pay inequities of teachers relative to other professionals are even more stark when you consider the daily schedules of teachers. People often think of teachers as having easy schedules, with summers off and multiple week-long vacations throughout the year. But when school is in session, teachers have to be on top of their game nonstop. They cannot take breaks, have an "off-moment," or space out for a few minutes. They cannot even use the bathroom at their leisure.
Teachers are responsible - legally liable - for the students in their classroom, and are charged with keeping them occupied, interested, and safe all day long, while teaching these students a certain curriculum, and preparing them to pass standardized tests.
The traditional salary scale, which is more or less followed across the country, consists of a starting salary which increases as teachers remain in the district, and as they earn continuing education credits. Despite low pay to begin with, this system usually flattens out after 15 years, giving little incentive for teachers to remain. Furthermore, teachers are often given raises for irrelevent graduate coursework.
The solution, the authors argue, is increased pay for teachers, which will allow teachers to remain in the profession, and attract more and better qualified college graduates into the profession.
The book gives some success stories - instances in which school districts overhaul the traditional salary scale in favor of a series of incentives for teacher improvement. In these new systems, teachers often have lower starting salaries than traditional systems but are able to earn bonuses based on performance and relevant continuing education credits.
These new pay systems have caused an increase in applications for open positions in the school districts, allowing the districts to pick from a more qualified pool of applicants. This has meant better teachers in the school system.
There is not a federal mandate that could fix the system. Districts have different needs, and should employ salary scales that fit these needs, with nuances that are appropriate for their faculty and structure. Still, increased federal and state funding could go a long way to reforming the system.
But there have been successes short of an increase in taxes. Creative and innovative solutions have seen positive results.
Teachers unions, school administrators, and legislators need to get serious about their goals for the education system, and they need to acknowledge that the success of the system depends on increased teacher salaries.
As I enter the teaching profession, I hope to be respected not for my willingness to sacrifice a certain lifestyle, but rather for my dedication to help shape a better society. As a society, we shouldn't be proud of teachers because they give up the opportunity to make more money. Instead, we should recognize them as a vital part of our nation's future, and we should compensate them accordingly.
posted by rtkelly at 4:34 PM
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