A number of the yard signs for politicians in my neighborhood in Montgomery County, Maryland boast the endorsement, "Teacher Recommended." That means that the candidate has been endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association, the teacher’s union.
These signs are very useful. As I walk around the neighborhood with my children, I point out the signs and explain that I will be voting against these candidates because teacher recommended is not the same thing as parent recommended or student recommended. In fact, the goals of teachers and teachers’ unions often conflict with the goals of parents and students. Parents (and even sometimes students) want teachers to work hard at educating their children. Many teachers want to work hard. But they also like not working hard sometimes. And the unions frequently (always?) oppose changes in educational policy that might make them work harder. The unions support pay raises for teachers unconnected to performance, something many parents would favor. There is always a tension between employee and employer, no matter how dedicated the employee. That is why we pay people and monitor performance. We don’t just assume that the level of effort and care is the same regardless of the incentives in place.
I explain to my children that the signs try and exploit a confusion we might have between teachers and education. We’re supposed to assume that a candidate that is teacher recommended is pro-education. But the more accurate assumption is that a candidate that is teacher recommended is simply pro-teacher. Being pro-teacher does not make you pro-education and alas, can often be a sign of being anti-education when the goals of teachers and parents conflict as they inevitably do.
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"something many parents would favor"
Would they?
I'm just completing a teaching certificate. You should see the horror on my classmates faces when I suggest good teachers should earn more than bad teachers or, heaven forbid, math teachers should get paid more than english teachers
(if there is a shortage of math teachers of course).
Russell,
I had the same thought while watching the teacher of the year recommending that I vote against a referendum – or maybe it was for. Either way, it just bothers me to see teachers involved in politics, just as it bothers me to see military people involved in politics. It makes me think that they are politicians first and professionals second. In fact, I'm thinking that political skill was very likely to have been the primary factor in her becoming "teacher of the year".
Randy, I agree with your logic, but I am still happy that teachers are political.
It helps me know how to vote–I just invert my balot from what the teacher's union would want.
My sister is beginning the process of applying to public schools to teach.
Her first problem when finding a job is to find one — there are way to many teachers out there, and holding a degree from the state flagship university isn't much of an advantage to somebody who holds a degree from Joe Bob's College of Teaching. (She also almost has a master degree, which is actually a disadvantage since people with masters are automatically paid more. Therefore, she will not finish her last requirement for the masters until she has a teaching job.)
The second problem is that she has to find a job somewhere that she wants to teach for the rest of her life. Somewhere that she can live or commute to and find a husband who can stay in the same place for the rest of his life (probably a teacher, I guess). Teachers are underpaid to start, but they do it because they're going to eventually make more than $120,000, have a fat retirement plan, and get two months off plus holidays. If a teacher has to move because of a spouse's job, they lose all of that and have to start at zero.
This sort of inflexibility, as well as the inequitable pay, really cuts down on the quality of people who want to be teachers.
Some of the worse teaching I have encontered has been at the college and graduate level, yet university economists rarely address the problem. Since this is somthing they do know a lot about, solutions here might make their criticism of public schools more creditable.
Breaking the teacher's union, setting wages based on merit instead of years of service, paying different teaching areas differently, school choice, these aren't solutions enough for you, Joan?
Your sister should try anywhere within an hour of Atlanta. I'm not sure that she'll ever bring in $120K but they're begging for teachers at most levels.
I suspect teachers are able to convince the public that their interests are the same as the general interest because, they argue, since teachers are so underpaid, becomming a teacher is a reliable signal that one is unselfish and unconcerned with "petty" things like money.
I remember a teachers' union button floating around UC Davis that said "students are my special interest." Teachers have worked very hard to convince everyone that they are different from the rest of us, and that their choice of occupation is proof that they act in children's and parents' interest, not their own. Most people seem to believe it because they believe that teachers are underpaid.
Teachers are much like firefighters in this respect; it's one of those professions that only the sainted and noble practice, and thus what they endorse must be good. We trust our children to these teachers right? We trust certain aspects of our public safety to the firefighters right?
Only both groups are completely (almost) controlled by the unions and are thus political machines with agendas more often than not, at odds with the best interests of the community.
A local (Phx, AZ) union mouthpiece for the firefighters union is involved with the ugly little mess we had with a very inappropriate 9/11 memorial. Even the most outspoken of conservative radio hosts here approach the subject of this guy's involvement with kid gloves on, simply because he is (marginally) a firefighter.
I am sure what I am about to say will sound completely unkind and be misinterpreted.
With that having been said let me qualify what I am about to say. My mother is a public school teacher, a member of the union, my father a public servant, my sister was a public school teacher prior to having her child and I love them all.
But let's be real here, no where else could someone work 8 months out of the year, get government holidays, half a week around thanksgiving, anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks around Christmas, 1 week in the spring and any other miscellaneous days; AND get paid in some places in the south $25k and in the North up to 6 figures. I made $25k when I got out of college and I worked my rear off. That's how I have been able to get to where I am today. If teachers really want to be lumped together then fine, but don't complain that you don't get paid enough. If you are good at what you do, you will be rewarded. Good teachers are ALWAYS in demand and the fact that unions stifle advancement is sad.
Back to this posting though…if anyone actually believes that teachers are not out to make themselves better off they are living in a dream world. The sad thing about it is that they are doing it all wrong.
Of the Metro State class of 2004, more students graduated from the Teaching department than any other, eclipsing second place (Information Systems) by a factor of 3 if memory serves.
If teachers are so underpaid, why are so many people tripping over themselves to get into the business?
Is there such a thing as a noble job where someone makes personal sacrifices for the greater good? If so, there are not many and teaching certainly isn't one of those professions. Ask a new teacher why they chose their job (I know several and have asked them). Is is one or both of these reasons: 1) They LOVE the work. 2) The money. Here in Texas teachers start at $45K. Not bad for a college grad. And if someone loves a job so much that they pass up better paying jobs for one they love, more power to them. They have logically made the decision that they think will make them the happiest in the long run. Isn't that how ALL of us decide what we should do??
Randy,
True call. See…
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?c68c8207-770a-44e2-9878-1b5cc218e1a7
I think that just because some one is teacher recommended doesn't mean that person has the drive to really help a student learn. I mean there are millions of teachers out there that doesn't mean that their all good at what they do.The public school system isn't the best in Europe they begin doing our high school math in elementary school. In the beginning of their career teachers are motivated to changing children's lives and giving them the opportunity to a good education but after years of doing the same thing and having the same unappreciative kids that motivation begins to wear off.Thats how you get bad teachers or ineffective teachers as some people call them. The government should monitor and be able to tell the good teachers from the bad. Teachers shouldnt be complaining about how much they get paid most teachers that you ask 'why did you become a teacher' most answer 'for the kids' never do you hear the answer 'money'.
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