OK, I know. Here we go again. Another teacher complaining about low teacher salaries. Well, it is true. I have been a public school teacher for 8 years. I love my job, but I do not feel that I am fairly compensated for the work that I do. This has nothing to do with my school district, but the education system as a whole. I have yet to find a teacher who feels that they are paid according to what they contribute to society.
I know what you are thinking at this point, and if you are still reading this, then congratulations on making it this far. Anyway, what you are thinking is that I cannot be serious about this. You know the old argument. Teachers get 3 months off in the summer. They get two weeks at Christmas, another week for Spring Break. So how can they gripe over pay? If you think that a teacher only works 9 months of the year, then you are sadly mistaken. What about the hours? Most teachers I know start their day at 7:00 AM and it does not finish until around 5:00 PM. Then there is the time spent at home grading papers, preparing for future lessons, attending events, etc. All of which are not compensated. Throw in that besides being educators, we are social workers, psychologists, arbitrators, and family counselors. You see, a teacher does not work the traditional 8 hours a day. We are on call 24/7 for any emergency that may arise.
Of course, you also realize that if it were not for teachers, all other professions would suffer. All the doctors, nurses, lawyers, business professionals, and every other career would not be possible. So, I have a plan. You did not think I would write all this without having a plan, would you? All teacher salaries need to be increased by 10% across the board, and incremented by 10% each and every year.
Now, before you call in the men in the white coats, hear me out, because there is more. I am not looking for a handout just because I am a teacher. Teachers need to prove that they are worth the increases each year. Pay raises need to be based on merit and not just on longevity. There needs to be some sort of measurement to be administered to the teachers to show that they are being productive. We do this to our students to make sure that they can move on to the next grade, so why not for teachers?
On top of that, I also believe that there needs to be an incentive for teachers that stay in teaching year after year, and an incentive to those teachers that show commitment to their district by staying put. All this screaming and crying over No Child Left Behind and all the other governmental mandates would go away if we could keep good teachers in a district for more than a year or two. Stability to students is as much a factor to increased test scores as is teaching core subjects.
Well, what do you think? Am I just a nut trying to make more money from a noble profession, or does some of this make sense? You tell me.
Thanks for reading.
2 responses so far ↓
Mary Dixon // June 28, 2008 at 7:28 pm |
Very well put! I agree wholeheartedly with everything you say. You make a balanced and well thought out argument. My district is just beginning negotiations for a new teacher’s contract. Their first offer is very disheartening, and really…insulting.
williamupp // June 29, 2008 at 9:44 am |
Mary,
Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate them.
Good luck on your negotiations. Our teachers union just finished a new three year contract. I think it was a 3.8% increase, which really doesn’t work with consumer prices going up 5% each year!
Thanks for reading.