Some years ago in the UK, there was a drive by the government to recruit more school teachers. I remember driving past a billboard which had a picture of a teacher with a group of young people engaged in some activity, but what I remember were the words at the bottom:
"No-one forgets a good teacher."
How true, I thought. That kind of immortality is better than people who try to get their names engraved on buildings.
Miland, you are so right about not forgetting good teachers. I think I remember every single one of my special teachers, K-12 and 8 years of undergrad and grad schools. Every one of those teachers made a mark on my life. I got to thank several of them: one in a note on the night of high school graduation, one at a church meeting she just happened to be speaking at, one when I substitute taught for her, one on the day of my college graduation and one in a note after I graduated from Divinity School. I wish I could have thanked them all, but there were so many. I am blest as I suspect a whole lot of other people are to have had such terrific people to guide their lives. How can we convince young people to consider teaching as their life's work? How can we convince seasoned teachers to stay at it despite the pain of the disrespect and poor pay? How do we convince local, state, and federal officials that teachers deserve good pay, respect, and a say in what happens in their classrooms? Those are questions we all should be trying to find the answers for. If we don't, private entities will be coming in to take over our PUBLIC schools and teach the BS that conservatives (Republicans) want shoved down the throats of our precious young people, our future.
I was just thinking about how we say "they" don't pay teachers enough, but "they" pay celebrities and sports stars too much. As usual, follow the money. In this case, not where it goes, but from where it comes --from the pockets of parents? If "we" were to boycott celebrities and professional sports for awhile, and instead, show up at town meetings, local elections, and parent-teacher meetings, and if we wrote letters to companies letting them know we want them to advertise in school newspapers using ordinary people, not through high-paid ad agencies, on the Superbowl using celebrities -- if the collective public voice supported teachers instead of sports stars and other celebrities, there'd be money to pay teachers. If we customers were to demand that corporations donate to education rather than to CEOs.... But we don't. Clearly, intelligence is not of high value to us. To the majority, Superbowl rings outshine Mensa pins and sheepskins. Low teacher pay isn't caused by a "them" but by "us." How do we change that behavior of our neighbors? A question that puzzles me: When I went to school, teachers weren't so muzzled, yet if teachers are so great, why are my classmate neighbors so poor at prioritizing values that they support Superbowls over education? Is it the inevitable result of the average IQ being 100 or is there some other reason why "we" act against intelligence, teachers, librarians, and education? We can't fix a problem that we don't seem to really understand. Urging people to vote Democrat might (or, obviously, might not) work this time because of abortion or Trump being a crook, but in the long run, what will change the collective bias against brains?
Bottom line, many in the wealth-and-power class (mostly Conservatives) don't want an educated populace who can think for themselves. The'd prefer a docile, compliant workforce who will do what they're told and won't make trouble.
And why don’t stockholders (yes, if you have a 401k that includes you) insist on changes from the current way of corporations directing so much money to so few at the top? Our public schools need to be properly funded. Every tax giveaway to developers and corporations also takes from our schools.
We need to close the classroom, change the teachers' job descriptions (call them Pathfinders) and create the Village Learning Environment. The whole world will change if we do this. It will raise the status of teachers exponentially, since they'll no longer spend their time in front of 27 unwilling children. It will eliminate building expense, and this will allow more teachers to be hired. But we all have to get involved. That's the world-changing part.
You are so right. Betsy DeVos was an excellent example of the previous "president's" efforts to increase the "privatization" of our public schools. That worked out well, didn't it?
I also do not forget my good teachers. I also value the importance of good, public schools to advance E Pluribus Unum in the United States. Don't trust me, read the wise Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. in "The Disuniting of America". As a resident of Texas, I will therefore be voting for Beto for Governor, who has the support of public school teachers, & opposes the curriculum of White Nationalists. I will not vote for any Republican who talks of banning books such as "The 1619 Project", which I consider more truthful American History. As a History major at Yale, American History is within my circle of competence.
As in every field, teachers range from bad to great. I had one especially odorous high school history teacher, but mostly good teachers, and several who were exceptional. I am very grateful. To have had an Alice Camp at a critical time is a lifetime treasure.
I have always been troubled by the contrast between what we pay athletes and movie stars versus teachers, firefighters, police, nurses, and social workers. Nothing is too much for those who entertain us but anything is too much for those who train, protect, or care for us.
Even here in California, where we so often lead the nation in progressivism, we grossly underfund education. As a country, hostility toward education and intelligence play a huge role in bringing us to Trumpism. Even in the absence of that blight, it has been an impediment to achieving the most good for the most people.
The fact that people are collectively shortsighted, stupid, unkind, and self-harming is the best evidence that people are collectively shortsighted, stupid, unkind, and self-harming!
If we became a society that so esteemed teachers that only the best could win that job, that would indicate that we were well on our way to solving all of our societal problems.
I just read an article written by an economist (of course) that tells us that schooling is so ineffective that we shouldn’t even bother with it. That author does not pause to consider that *under-funded and under-valued schooling in a society marked by gross inequality* performs poorly. He does not examine how measures of success differ between better-funded and respected programs in wealthy neighborhoods and those operating in more common and less favorable conditions. He does not consider any measures at all other than rote memorization. He takes no account of any sociological factors such as the prevalence of attitudes such as his in our money is everything culture.
Oh Bennett, well said! The economist you cite must be white and male because, for the most part it is those in that category who dismiss all the pieces that make up the quilt of any issue presented. Schools have struggled significantly. Underfunding is just one problem. Schools now are to be educators, babysitters, helth screeners, food providers, coaches, behavior managers, police, and more. Schools were blamed for closing in-person settings during COVID AND for keeping schools open during the pandemic (only in wealthy areas where there were few if any multi-generational houses or essential workers). There were folks right ready to grade students on what they had lost during the pandemic, but I have seen and heard no accounting for what students gained during COVID: how to effectively use the internet (Oh wait, the rich kids already knew that, so I guess it wasn't a gain for them). Students had to learn to take turns in a different way when on Zoom and to listen differently. Some teachers had Students try different ways of learning because books and other materials were not available. To compound the negative aspects, in some schools, kids are still not allowed to take out any books because many people still think COVID is passed through touching things. It seems to me we should be looking at the positives and help students to process what happened during COVID and think about what people around the world could do to keep this from happening again. Go with students' strengths rather than magnifying the deficits. Deficit shaming is just another conservative/Republican tactic to undermine public schools. It needs to stop!
Bennett B. ; That economist supports low pay for teachers, no doubt, and the 'second class' status of teachers, who, in elementary schools, were most likely to be women, reflects the attitude that they don't need or rate good salaries. The fact that they must pay out of their own pockets for school supplies, even after years is stunning! (95% of them pay for supplies for their students!) I guess they want to pass the evaluations and make 'the grade' that people expect them to achieve, in spite of not having adequate materials for their students. It's like adding insult to injury that they must do that! What will the future hold for teachers and their students?
However, in San Antonio School District v. Rodriguez rebuffed an intensive effort with widespread support in lower court decisions to invalidate the system prevalent in 49 of the 50 states of financing schools primarily out of property taxes, with the consequent effect that the funds available to local school boards within each state were widely divergent. Plaintiffs had sought to bring their case within the strict scrutiny—compelling state interest doctrine of equal protection review by claiming that under the tax system there resulted a de facto wealth classification that was “suspect” or that education was a “fundamental” right and the disparity in educational financing could not therefore be justified. The Court held, however, that there was neither a suspect classification nor a fundamental interest involved, that the system must be judged by the traditional restrained standard, and that the system was rationally related to the state’s interest in protecting and promoting local control of education.
Congress should fix this. A right to education should be protected....
Yes Daniel Solomon. it's in our hands to change the status quo. We have to GOTV. We have to join forces with Election Protection. We have to get involved in whatever we are passionate about to save our democracy. For starters we need to teach our students the unabridged truth of American history and the make Civic classes a part of our school Curriculum.
I love that you support the work of Mervis Reissig.
I think it may be Finland that has one and only one university that trains teachers - and only top students are accepted, and teachers are paid like our athletes. That society is a much healthier and happier one.
Me, too. It's always been a problem for me finding the right word ("onerous" isn't bad, but "odious" is even better). It may be a little worse now, but it's hard to tell.
Or maybe that economist has bought into the current maga move to fascism, where keeping people ignorant makes them easier to control..... something we are watching play out in real time & in broad daylight...
The good teachers showed us there was a world of magic doors to unlock, then held out the keys and placed them in our hands. To diminish or demean their importance is shameful. The thanks we fail to give them and the low pay we offer is an insult. Ellis Johnson M.D.
You are right: we need to pay our teachers a salary that puts them comfortably in the middle class, and allocate funds for school supplies. Teaching grade school should attract qualified, motivated, caring professionals.
Robert: Thanks for this. What I am reminded of is an economics prof, who I'm certain you knew, who was the sole Marxist in our very conservative economics department. He taught micro-economics (the theory of the firm) as was expected, but kept reminding us that it was all about efficiency and was silent on fairness. His examples of how the optimal market solution often resulted in injustices was a great lesson I will never forget. '70
Teachers are often the first connection we make outside of our family groups so their influence is enormous. My husband was a kindergarten teacher for many years - he loved this age group and the children certainly loved him as well. He never raised his voice in the classroom; if things were getting a bit too lively, he would talk more quietly and the children had to quiet down to hear his voice! He celebrated their aliveness - something we could all remember to do, always.
Thank you for this post. I too, enjoyed my years of teaching. I feel very fortunate to have been able to teach science, which I love. I hope I was able to instill the same love and appreciation for science that Ms Camp gave you.
Hello Fay, fellow teacher. I do wish we had a way to help young people see what a joy and sometimes even magnificence there is in teaching, despite the occasionally poor administrators, paying for materials, often crummy salary. Just the chance to help children see something they never noticed before or help them figure out a challenging problem or give them a key to begin to understand what we know about the universe or introduce them to an author or poet they didn't know, or teach them a song that lights up their face. Those moments, days, months, even years are priceless.
You certainly do get the point Ruth. While teaching is a pleasure, the profession needs to be rewarded with a middle class living wage. And that wage must match the community where the school is located, for instance it is away more expensive to live in San Francisco than in Sacramento, therefore teachers in the Bay Area of necessity need more income than those of us who teach (or in my case taught) in Sacramento. For States to base teachers incomes Statewide and excessively low because 'they' don't want to pay more taxes is ignorance at the highest level
I also remember those teachers who impacted me. This morning I will be going into Discovery High School as a long-term substitute for the English Department. I try to give every student my best.
I spent forty years in the classroom, mostly middle school, and taught in a progressive school in England and taught English to Soviets during Gorbachev’s time. I loved those years beyond words but had my time. Now I write, onto my Sixth book, all to share the love and necessity to teach, to teach so children learn, not listen to me but learn. I write now to give hope for better days in the classroom. Without hope where will we be?
My mother was a teacher like Alice Camp. My mother was my very best education professor because she was right there in the classroom, and I spent countless hours helping in her class. She loved her students, all of them. She, too, spent countless hours at home making preparations for her classroom. She also spent thousands of dollars buying materials, so she would have what she needed to teach her lessons. My mother’s very best advice to me as a beginning teacher was that I should love my students because I might be the only one who ever did.
FYI- the median teacher salary in NC is $55,100. That $275,500 BONUS would pay for 5 teachers. Is there something wrong with that picture? Are hedge fund managers essential to the operation of society? Just asking.
Teachers paying for their own school supplies is not new: my mother was an elementary school teacher decades ago (she recently passed) and SHE had to buy supplies with her own money from a list she was REQUIRED to shop from, the most egregious example of which was that she was REQUIRED to buy M&Ms for a particular lesson on sorting and counting instead of using her best judgement to buy something non edible and non sugary for obvious reasons. She eventually retired early just to stop having to deal with the bullshit.
I had Wonderful teachers all throughout my education, I never made it to college do to a litany of medical issues. But I hope to one day be well enough to get something accomplished along those lines.
Our nations teachers have never been paid enough and it’s only getting worse because now they have to deal with (excuse my language) dumbass politicians forcing hamstrung curriculums on them and hanging posters that belie the separation of church and state. It’s beyond ridiculous.
Hey Derek you are right about all the obstacles in the path of our teachers, but perhaps those teachers can use these encroachments in our rights as teachable moments, asking students how they feel about the various posters and if they believe everyone lives up to what they are expecting students to do. Make "hypocrisy" one of the vocabulary words for the first week of school.
That’s a great idea, my only concern would be gung ho administrators firing teachers for going against their pre set “good Christian values” curriculum.
SO TRUE!!! and it would make headlines in certain states where the governor might even take extreme pleasure in terminating such (TRUE) teachers - with full media in attendance.
I taught high school math, my wife was a Special Ed teacher and my son taught high school starting through Teach for a America.. today I am glad I am not teaching for exactly the reasons you noted. Living in a red state with a blue governor things are not bad but I fear his replacement.
Yes! This sums the whole thing up! “ I don’t think there’s a “teacher shortage.” I think there’s a shortage of teaching jobs that treat educators with the dignity — and give them the pay — they deserve.”
Some years ago in the UK, there was a drive by the government to recruit more school teachers. I remember driving past a billboard which had a picture of a teacher with a group of young people engaged in some activity, but what I remember were the words at the bottom:
"No-one forgets a good teacher."
How true, I thought. That kind of immortality is better than people who try to get their names engraved on buildings.
Miland, you are so right about not forgetting good teachers. I think I remember every single one of my special teachers, K-12 and 8 years of undergrad and grad schools. Every one of those teachers made a mark on my life. I got to thank several of them: one in a note on the night of high school graduation, one at a church meeting she just happened to be speaking at, one when I substitute taught for her, one on the day of my college graduation and one in a note after I graduated from Divinity School. I wish I could have thanked them all, but there were so many. I am blest as I suspect a whole lot of other people are to have had such terrific people to guide their lives. How can we convince young people to consider teaching as their life's work? How can we convince seasoned teachers to stay at it despite the pain of the disrespect and poor pay? How do we convince local, state, and federal officials that teachers deserve good pay, respect, and a say in what happens in their classrooms? Those are questions we all should be trying to find the answers for. If we don't, private entities will be coming in to take over our PUBLIC schools and teach the BS that conservatives (Republicans) want shoved down the throats of our precious young people, our future.
How do we convince local, state, and federal officials that teachers deserve good pay, respect, and a say in what happens in their classrooms?
For starters win the mid terms.
I was just thinking about how we say "they" don't pay teachers enough, but "they" pay celebrities and sports stars too much. As usual, follow the money. In this case, not where it goes, but from where it comes --from the pockets of parents? If "we" were to boycott celebrities and professional sports for awhile, and instead, show up at town meetings, local elections, and parent-teacher meetings, and if we wrote letters to companies letting them know we want them to advertise in school newspapers using ordinary people, not through high-paid ad agencies, on the Superbowl using celebrities -- if the collective public voice supported teachers instead of sports stars and other celebrities, there'd be money to pay teachers. If we customers were to demand that corporations donate to education rather than to CEOs.... But we don't. Clearly, intelligence is not of high value to us. To the majority, Superbowl rings outshine Mensa pins and sheepskins. Low teacher pay isn't caused by a "them" but by "us." How do we change that behavior of our neighbors? A question that puzzles me: When I went to school, teachers weren't so muzzled, yet if teachers are so great, why are my classmate neighbors so poor at prioritizing values that they support Superbowls over education? Is it the inevitable result of the average IQ being 100 or is there some other reason why "we" act against intelligence, teachers, librarians, and education? We can't fix a problem that we don't seem to really understand. Urging people to vote Democrat might (or, obviously, might not) work this time because of abortion or Trump being a crook, but in the long run, what will change the collective bias against brains?
Bottom line, many in the wealth-and-power class (mostly Conservatives) don't want an educated populace who can think for themselves. The'd prefer a docile, compliant workforce who will do what they're told and won't make trouble.
And why don’t stockholders (yes, if you have a 401k that includes you) insist on changes from the current way of corporations directing so much money to so few at the top? Our public schools need to be properly funded. Every tax giveaway to developers and corporations also takes from our schools.
We need to close the classroom, change the teachers' job descriptions (call them Pathfinders) and create the Village Learning Environment. The whole world will change if we do this. It will raise the status of teachers exponentially, since they'll no longer spend their time in front of 27 unwilling children. It will eliminate building expense, and this will allow more teachers to be hired. But we all have to get involved. That's the world-changing part.
Teachers must use the weapon of the strike. They won't get more pay and better conditions by begging.
You are so right. Betsy DeVos was an excellent example of the previous "president's" efforts to increase the "privatization" of our public schools. That worked out well, didn't it?
I also do not forget my good teachers. I also value the importance of good, public schools to advance E Pluribus Unum in the United States. Don't trust me, read the wise Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. in "The Disuniting of America". As a resident of Texas, I will therefore be voting for Beto for Governor, who has the support of public school teachers, & opposes the curriculum of White Nationalists. I will not vote for any Republican who talks of banning books such as "The 1619 Project", which I consider more truthful American History. As a History major at Yale, American History is within my circle of competence.
Thank you Mr. Joshua,
That set the truth in stone on every building in America! My husband and I both teachers. We know.
How true that Bill board comment is
As in every field, teachers range from bad to great. I had one especially odorous high school history teacher, but mostly good teachers, and several who were exceptional. I am very grateful. To have had an Alice Camp at a critical time is a lifetime treasure.
I have always been troubled by the contrast between what we pay athletes and movie stars versus teachers, firefighters, police, nurses, and social workers. Nothing is too much for those who entertain us but anything is too much for those who train, protect, or care for us.
Even here in California, where we so often lead the nation in progressivism, we grossly underfund education. As a country, hostility toward education and intelligence play a huge role in bringing us to Trumpism. Even in the absence of that blight, it has been an impediment to achieving the most good for the most people.
The fact that people are collectively shortsighted, stupid, unkind, and self-harming is the best evidence that people are collectively shortsighted, stupid, unkind, and self-harming!
If we became a society that so esteemed teachers that only the best could win that job, that would indicate that we were well on our way to solving all of our societal problems.
I just read an article written by an economist (of course) that tells us that schooling is so ineffective that we shouldn’t even bother with it. That author does not pause to consider that *under-funded and under-valued schooling in a society marked by gross inequality* performs poorly. He does not examine how measures of success differ between better-funded and respected programs in wealthy neighborhoods and those operating in more common and less favorable conditions. He does not consider any measures at all other than rote memorization. He takes no account of any sociological factors such as the prevalence of attitudes such as his in our money is everything culture.
Oh Bennett, well said! The economist you cite must be white and male because, for the most part it is those in that category who dismiss all the pieces that make up the quilt of any issue presented. Schools have struggled significantly. Underfunding is just one problem. Schools now are to be educators, babysitters, helth screeners, food providers, coaches, behavior managers, police, and more. Schools were blamed for closing in-person settings during COVID AND for keeping schools open during the pandemic (only in wealthy areas where there were few if any multi-generational houses or essential workers). There were folks right ready to grade students on what they had lost during the pandemic, but I have seen and heard no accounting for what students gained during COVID: how to effectively use the internet (Oh wait, the rich kids already knew that, so I guess it wasn't a gain for them). Students had to learn to take turns in a different way when on Zoom and to listen differently. Some teachers had Students try different ways of learning because books and other materials were not available. To compound the negative aspects, in some schools, kids are still not allowed to take out any books because many people still think COVID is passed through touching things. It seems to me we should be looking at the positives and help students to process what happened during COVID and think about what people around the world could do to keep this from happening again. Go with students' strengths rather than magnifying the deficits. Deficit shaming is just another conservative/Republican tactic to undermine public schools. It needs to stop!
Bennett B. ; That economist supports low pay for teachers, no doubt, and the 'second class' status of teachers, who, in elementary schools, were most likely to be women, reflects the attitude that they don't need or rate good salaries. The fact that they must pay out of their own pockets for school supplies, even after years is stunning! (95% of them pay for supplies for their students!) I guess they want to pass the evaluations and make 'the grade' that people expect them to achieve, in spite of not having adequate materials for their students. It's like adding insult to injury that they must do that! What will the future hold for teachers and their students?
Individuals should have a right to an education.
At one time, the Supreme Court ruled that wealth was a suspect criterion under the equal protection clause if the 14th Amendment. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-14/section-1/wealth
However, in San Antonio School District v. Rodriguez rebuffed an intensive effort with widespread support in lower court decisions to invalidate the system prevalent in 49 of the 50 states of financing schools primarily out of property taxes, with the consequent effect that the funds available to local school boards within each state were widely divergent. Plaintiffs had sought to bring their case within the strict scrutiny—compelling state interest doctrine of equal protection review by claiming that under the tax system there resulted a de facto wealth classification that was “suspect” or that education was a “fundamental” right and the disparity in educational financing could not therefore be justified. The Court held, however, that there was neither a suspect classification nor a fundamental interest involved, that the system must be judged by the traditional restrained standard, and that the system was rationally related to the state’s interest in protecting and promoting local control of education.
Congress should fix this. A right to education should be protected....
Yes Daniel Solomon. it's in our hands to change the status quo. We have to GOTV. We have to join forces with Election Protection. We have to get involved in whatever we are passionate about to save our democracy. For starters we need to teach our students the unabridged truth of American history and the make Civic classes a part of our school Curriculum.
I love that you support the work of Mervis Reissig.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Great action team - thank you Daniel
Right. First let’s make it likely you’ll underperform. Then let’s blame you for underperforming.
Well said!
I think it may be Finland that has one and only one university that trains teachers - and only top students are accepted, and teachers are paid like our athletes. That society is a much healthier and happier one.
Finland's scores are the highest in the world, and their classroom instruction time is the lowest. What does this say to us?
They only qualify the very best teachers, and of course they pay them top salaries
I think it's less time in the classroom; less child apartheid.
Odorous? Was it a particularly bad smell? Or do you mean "onerous"? Sounds pretty noxious either way.
I meant metaphorically stinky.
Odious, for sure
Ah, yes, I knew there was another word it could be, but I couldn't quite grasp it.
Jaime Ramirez ; That happens to me often. especially as I age.
Me, too. It's always been a problem for me finding the right word ("onerous" isn't bad, but "odious" is even better). It may be a little worse now, but it's hard to tell.
I see.
Or maybe that economist has bought into the current maga move to fascism, where keeping people ignorant makes them easier to control..... something we are watching play out in real time & in broad daylight...
The good teachers showed us there was a world of magic doors to unlock, then held out the keys and placed them in our hands. To diminish or demean their importance is shameful. The thanks we fail to give them and the low pay we offer is an insult. Ellis Johnson M.D.
It’s great to see this tribute again especially with the comment from her son.
You are right: we need to pay our teachers a salary that puts them comfortably in the middle class, and allocate funds for school supplies. Teaching grade school should attract qualified, motivated, caring professionals.
Robert: Thanks for this. What I am reminded of is an economics prof, who I'm certain you knew, who was the sole Marxist in our very conservative economics department. He taught micro-economics (the theory of the firm) as was expected, but kept reminding us that it was all about efficiency and was silent on fairness. His examples of how the optimal market solution often resulted in injustices was a great lesson I will never forget. '70
Greg, wouldn't it be great if more teachers/professors actually pointed out when something from the book was not correct or had problems?
Teachers are often the first connection we make outside of our family groups so their influence is enormous. My husband was a kindergarten teacher for many years - he loved this age group and the children certainly loved him as well. He never raised his voice in the classroom; if things were getting a bit too lively, he would talk more quietly and the children had to quiet down to hear his voice! He celebrated their aliveness - something we could all remember to do, always.
Thank you for this post. I too, enjoyed my years of teaching. I feel very fortunate to have been able to teach science, which I love. I hope I was able to instill the same love and appreciation for science that Ms Camp gave you.
Hello Fay, fellow teacher. I do wish we had a way to help young people see what a joy and sometimes even magnificence there is in teaching, despite the occasionally poor administrators, paying for materials, often crummy salary. Just the chance to help children see something they never noticed before or help them figure out a challenging problem or give them a key to begin to understand what we know about the universe or introduce them to an author or poet they didn't know, or teach them a song that lights up their face. Those moments, days, months, even years are priceless.
You certainly do get the point Ruth. While teaching is a pleasure, the profession needs to be rewarded with a middle class living wage. And that wage must match the community where the school is located, for instance it is away more expensive to live in San Francisco than in Sacramento, therefore teachers in the Bay Area of necessity need more income than those of us who teach (or in my case taught) in Sacramento. For States to base teachers incomes Statewide and excessively low because 'they' don't want to pay more taxes is ignorance at the highest level
I also remember those teachers who impacted me. This morning I will be going into Discovery High School as a long-term substitute for the English Department. I try to give every student my best.
George, good luck. Substituting is a challenge, but soooo important!
I spent forty years in the classroom, mostly middle school, and taught in a progressive school in England and taught English to Soviets during Gorbachev’s time. I loved those years beyond words but had my time. Now I write, onto my Sixth book, all to share the love and necessity to teach, to teach so children learn, not listen to me but learn. I write now to give hope for better days in the classroom. Without hope where will we be?
My mother was a teacher like Alice Camp. My mother was my very best education professor because she was right there in the classroom, and I spent countless hours helping in her class. She loved her students, all of them. She, too, spent countless hours at home making preparations for her classroom. She also spent thousands of dollars buying materials, so she would have what she needed to teach her lessons. My mother’s very best advice to me as a beginning teacher was that I should love my students because I might be the only one who ever did.
FYI- the median teacher salary in NC is $55,100. That $275,500 BONUS would pay for 5 teachers. Is there something wrong with that picture? Are hedge fund managers essential to the operation of society? Just asking.
Pay the teachers what the investment bankers get and pay the investment bankers what teachers get.
Teachers paying for their own school supplies is not new: my mother was an elementary school teacher decades ago (she recently passed) and SHE had to buy supplies with her own money from a list she was REQUIRED to shop from, the most egregious example of which was that she was REQUIRED to buy M&Ms for a particular lesson on sorting and counting instead of using her best judgement to buy something non edible and non sugary for obvious reasons. She eventually retired early just to stop having to deal with the bullshit.
Wow. That WAS some bullshit. smh.
I had Wonderful teachers all throughout my education, I never made it to college do to a litany of medical issues. But I hope to one day be well enough to get something accomplished along those lines.
Our nations teachers have never been paid enough and it’s only getting worse because now they have to deal with (excuse my language) dumbass politicians forcing hamstrung curriculums on them and hanging posters that belie the separation of church and state. It’s beyond ridiculous.
Hey Derek you are right about all the obstacles in the path of our teachers, but perhaps those teachers can use these encroachments in our rights as teachable moments, asking students how they feel about the various posters and if they believe everyone lives up to what they are expecting students to do. Make "hypocrisy" one of the vocabulary words for the first week of school.
That’s a great idea, my only concern would be gung ho administrators firing teachers for going against their pre set “good Christian values” curriculum.
SO TRUE!!! and it would make headlines in certain states where the governor might even take extreme pleasure in terminating such (TRUE) teachers - with full media in attendance.
I taught high school math, my wife was a Special Ed teacher and my son taught high school starting through Teach for a America.. today I am glad I am not teaching for exactly the reasons you noted. Living in a red state with a blue governor things are not bad but I fear his replacement.
Yes! This sums the whole thing up! “ I don’t think there’s a “teacher shortage.” I think there’s a shortage of teaching jobs that treat educators with the dignity — and give them the pay — they deserve.”