It takes more than money
A South Florica program is being honored for its innovative way of attracting young adults into the teaching profession. And boy do we ever need more teachers -- tens of thousands in the coming years, according to most estimates. But what so many people miss is that it's not enough to lure them into the profession. Once in the classroom, you have to keep them there, which is a huge undertaking. The problem of education is teacher RETENTION.
I can suggest plenty of ways to keep teachers around, and more money, more respect and better conditions are on top of the list. In Miami-Dade we should also be more careful in how we hand out bonuses. When the School Board agreed to give superintendent Rudy Crew another $45,000 in addition to his sizable salary and perks, every teacher I know (and there are dozens)snickered and complained about the board's targeted generosity. Many of those teachers don't have maps for their social studies classrooms and others work a second job to support a family. Some don't have enough books to give all their students. Most use their own money to buy classroom supplies. To the woman (and man), they were sure that Crew wasn't using his own funds to furnish his office. Talk about double standards.
I can suggest plenty of ways to keep teachers around, and more money, more respect and better conditions are on top of the list. In Miami-Dade we should also be more careful in how we hand out bonuses. When the School Board agreed to give superintendent Rudy Crew another $45,000 in addition to his sizable salary and perks, every teacher I know (and there are dozens)snickered and complained about the board's targeted generosity. Many of those teachers don't have maps for their social studies classrooms and others work a second job to support a family. Some don't have enough books to give all their students. Most use their own money to buy classroom supplies. To the woman (and man), they were sure that Crew wasn't using his own funds to furnish his office. Talk about double standards.
posted by Ana Veciana-Suarez at 8:26 AM
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2 Comments:
I agree with you 100%. It seems that in our society, we want the best teachers, that will mold our kids, discipline and teach them to be disciplined adults.
However, we do not pay them in accordance with the years of education and certificates required - and we take away any and all authority that they had in the classroom.
Heaven knows, we don't want to have a teacher damage little Johnny's "self-esteem" - by requiring that he does his work and behave in the classroom.
It's a no-win proposition for educators - you can't win and then you get blamed when the kids have no self-discipline as adults. They never learned a healty respect for authority - and it's all our fault.
I say, give the teachers the salaries that they deserve and the tools to maintain a disciplined classroom. If our kids get in trouble, back the adults up and do not protect our kids from the consequences of THEIR OWN behavior.
We need to work as a team. It's the best thing that we can do for our children. Support the teachers - they are the ones that will shape the leaders of the future.
Thanks for your thoughts on this and your support. The teacher in the classroom needs all the praise they can get. Yes we aggree more money would help both in salaries and supplies.
A change in the way we view Education would help, not as an expense but as a long term investment. A well educated public pays more in taxes etc than is spent on schools.
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