It's Time We Paid Teachers More - But There's A Catch

August 13, 2003

School has begun once again in Tennessee as it has across much of the nation.   Parents scurry around to make sure their kids have the needed supplies, school clothes and encouragement to face the challenges of a new year.   Just prior to the start of school, both parents and kids eagerly checked the postings to see which class they were in.   The kids were more interested in which friends were assigned to their class.   Parents focused more on the teacher.

 

It's the same every year.   The whispers of parents in the hallway - most out of earshot of their children – spread the gossip of who the good teachers are and who to avoid.   Most of the parents already know.

 

We're fortunate.   In our school, the bad teachers are few and far between.   Chances are, our kids will enjoy the company of a teaching professional who loves their job and is dedicated to giving my children the best education possible.   Some won't be so lucky.

 

It doesn't have to be that way.

 

Imagine if every parent who walked their kids into school that first day brought with them the tax dollars it takes to educate them for the year.   Armed with the knowledge of which teachers were the very best, they would demand those teachers for their children.   Why, then, do you think parents settle for a mediocre teacher?   Because they have no choice.  

 

Oh, sure, dissatisfied parents can pull their kids out of public school and either home school or move to a private academy.    But ,what about the poor parents in some of the rougher sections of the inner city?   What choice do they have?   They can't afford to move, nor can they afford the luxury of private school or staying home to educate their children.   So we simply tell them: “Tough.   You have to live with it.”

 

As long as the teachers unions have a stranglehold on public education, this dilemma will continue to repeat itself year-in and year-out.   You see, the teachers unions despise competition.   They deplore divulging to the parents who the good teachers are and who are the bad.   They detest all of this because they exist to protect the mediocre and the bad, not the good.   Good teachers need no protection from the union.  

 

Look, I want to pay good teachers more but we can't keep giving blanket raises to the good and the bad.   We must demand accountability.   With accountability will come higher pay for the good teachers and the door for the bad ones.

 

The unions cry that judging a teacher by how well their students do is not fair.   Some students come from wretched backgrounds and bring their baggage into the classroom.   Indeed, but most teachers don't hesitate to give an “F” if the work isn't getting done, no matter the student's circumstances.   Why should grading the teacher be any different?

 

 

Once unions entered the schoolhouse door, they put their boot to the fanny of competition.   It's the very real fact that you can lose your job that keeps you motivated to do your very best every single day.   As it stands now, tenured teachers can hardly be dislodged from their jobs with a stick of dynamite.