Article - Obama Insists on Performance Standards for Teachers

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/obama-insists-on-performance-standards-for-teachers/60586/

A hot debate - are teachers paid for the amount of work that they do?

This week I will be talking about an article that I read that really offended me. There seems to be a debate of whether or not teachers should be paid more or less than they are now. I believe that teachers are severely underpaid while others believe that they should be paid LESS. In the following article, the writer makes his argument as to why teachers should get paid less:

http://www.libertarianminds.com/lowering-teacher-wages-and-requirements-to-increase-teaching

"Teachers often complain that they are underpaid and/or overworked. It is the purpose of this article to explore this question and expose its myth. In fact, it is the conclusion of this article that teachers are overpaid and overly qualified. Furthermore, it is this articles’ presumption that lowered barriers of educational entry would not only decrease teaching salaries but would also increase teaching capability."

The writer of this article argues that teachers only work on average 1384 hours per year in comparison with other professions where someone works 1856. The writer claims that teachers are only in the classroom 6 hours a day, 36 weeks a year and on average works 25% less than other people do. I do not agree with these findings. Yes, teachers get summer vacations and holidays. But there is so much more work involved aside from just teaching. There are meetings to attend, parent-teacher conferences to coordinate, after school activities, lesson planning, correcting and so forth. On average, teachers put in an extra 2 hours per day in addition to the work that they do in the classroom.

Scheduled annual hours (40 hours × 36 weeks):	1,440 hours
- Personal days (8 hours × 3 days):	24 hours
- Sick days (8 hours × 4 days):	32 hours
= Annual hours worked:	1,384 hours

"Public school teachers work 25% fewer hours less per week and commute, on average, 26 hours less per year than other comparable professionals. Furthermore, it has been presented above that teachers may in fact be overqualified given the nature of their work and the variables that shape learning (notably experience and preparation time). Given this, it is within all likelihood that individuals of lesser education may well work year-round for the same pay (thus increasing hours worked by 25%) or work the same hours for 25% less in salary. Furthermore, given that the supply of potential teachers would increase as barriers of entry decrease, it is also within all likelihood that increased competition would translate into increased learning via teacher productivity."

Reasons to Become a Teacher

There are so many reasons why someone would choose the career path of becoming a teacher...I have heard from all of my teacher friends that you don't do it for the money, you just do it because you love it. According to the website http://k6educators.about.com/od/becomingateacher/tp/whyteach.htm these are the most popular reasons to become a teacher:


1) The energizing environment
2) The schedule
3) Your personality and humor
4) Job security
5) Intangible rewards
6) Inspiring students
7) Giving back to the community


Not every teacher will agree with all of these reasons, but they were important factors to me when making my decision about my career path. First and foremost, I love children. I feel it is my calling to work with them, and I am most comfortable with elementary school kids. Everyone who knows me thinks I am naturally good with kids. I just seem to "get them"...I have a lot of patience, feel that I can explain things well (especially to children) and make things fun.


Of course things like a teacher's schedule and having the summers off are perks, but I think that most people don't realize how much work a teacher puts in outside of school hours. I know that most of my friends who are teachers do a lot of planning and correcting at night, and spend school vacations and summer to further their careers and take more classes. I am really prepared that I won't have as much time off in the beginning as most people would think, especially since it will take a while to get into the swing of things.


The biggest reason for me to become a teacher is because it is so rewarding. How many people can actually say that they love what they do and that they make a difference in someone's life? Not many..people may love what they do, but teaching is one of the few careers where someone has so much influence in one person's life. I still remember the best teachers I ever had. They helped to shape who I am today.


I have several friends that are teachers, and I asked them what inspired them to become teachers. This is what they had to say:

Tiffany
"I went into teaching because I have always loved school and learning, and I wanted to be in an environment where that was the primary focus. I also love that teaching is never exactly the same day to day or year to year, and you have to be able to think on your feet. Finally, I truly enjoy building relationships with the kids I teach."


Michelle
"I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher... every ounce of me knew even though at times I tried to fight it... it's hard to say the exact reason. I guess I wanted to be the one to get to the students that really struggled and to validate the unique thinkers. I wanted to help them establish a love learning and feel good about themselves as they went through their education. These initial feels often still drive me today."

Louise 

"I went into teaching because I grew up loving the idea. I think it was because my mom was a teacher and I went with her to school alot. I loved the idea of helping others learn."

Megan

"I went into teaching because my Kindergarten teacher told me that I would make a great teacher someday because I liked helping people, teaching people new things and watching children get "that teachable moment" that they have been struggling on for weeks. I don't expect anything in return, but just knowing for one minute, I made a difference in a kids life"

Taking risks and making changes...

I am starting out my teaching blog. I am in my second semester as a transfer at Salem State University pursuing my degree in Elementary Education. I am so fortunate to be back in school, especially considering where I was just a year ago. I was working as a recruiter in an absolute miserable environment. I hated going to work every day and I only dreamed about going back to school to finish my degree...at that time it seemed so far away and so unattainable. Due to downsizing at my company, I was laid off and found myself with an opportunity. Through a state program called Section 30, I was able to go back to school full time and not look for a job at the same time. This has been such a blessing for me...I have been able to come to school full time and really concentrate on taking classes and doing well. Last semester I took 5 classes and managed to get a 3.4 GPA and made the Dean's List...I took one class over Winter Session and got a B+ and now I am taking 6 classes in the Spring. I'm even planning on taking classes over the summer!

I think that I am maybe more grateful for being in school than someone right out of high school because I know what it's like to be in the workforce and when you hate your job, how much you can feel stuck. I went to Northeastern right out of high school as an Architeture major, then switched to Music Industry and then finally went into Marketing. I ran out of money and decided to get a job. It was the WORST decision I had ever made. I got into recruiting (staffing) and ended up in it for 10 years. It was nearly impossible to continue going to school. Once you start making money, going to school seems less and less important. After 10 years of working as a recruiter and doing really well, I finally had had enough. I jumped at the chance to come to Salem State full time to become a teacher.

It's been a long road, with a lot of bumps along the way, but I feel so fortunate to be in the position I'm in. I have about a year left and I'm hoping to do my student teaching in England! I have learned it's never ever too late to change the direction your life is going in. It just takes some courage and a little bit of planning, but it can be done.