First, is the unattractive salaries and working conditions, especially in poor urban schools that result in many teachers leaving the profession for better paying positions and without the stress of the classroom. They are usually replaced by "newbie" teachers who make minimum salary, who in turn, leave for greener pastures themselves in a few years. This further depresses salaries as school districts suffer high teacher turnover and leave before receiving significant salary raises.
Second, State and Local teacher evaluation, complete with "junk science" , has made lasting in the profession a punitive one and has resulted in few college students willing to enter the teaching profession which has resulted in widespread shortages.
Third, the school and teacher accountability policies by politicians and education reformers have resulted in high teacher turnover nationwide. Many teachers decide that their talents are better compensated and appreciated in other professions.
Finally, the climate of disrespect fostered by education reform organizations and their political and media allies has made the teaching profession an unappealing long-term job and has encouraged potential teacher candidates to seek other professions.
A side note, having a union that can collectively bargain helps somewhat as unionized teachers make only 11% less than other professions with similar education and experience. However, that is sill far less than what they should be paid.
4 comments:
Yes our pay is not up to par with the amount of education we need to maintain our jobs. However, I will always say that salaries are the least of our problems these days. Evaluations, hostile work conditions, and overcrowded classrooms are the topics that really piss off myself and the other teachers at our school. In all honesty, we don't grumble that much about pay.
For me, even if the kids run wild, I can handle it. The problem started about 6-7 years ago when admins started acting like tyrants out for blood. The Leadership Academy principals are just awful. They are told to run their schools "like a business" but then they think that means to oppress the workers, mess with them psychologically, insinuate that they suck, give them impossible mandates, belittle them publicly and give unfair evaluations.
Inadequate teacher salaries, combined with depressed learning environments, along with all the barriers thrown before us, which prevent teachers from teaching, come as no accident.
The federal government dictates "minimum knowledge for a stable government" according to abstracts written by Federal Reserve economists who drive legislation. (Their opinions are available on the Federal Reserve website).
Those same economists refer to the people as "human capital". They justify unconstitutional intrusion in the classroom as the government's right to protect its "investment".
That is a violation of the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution. The Founders provided power to the state and the people to set educational policy, for good reason.
Common Core Curriculum and No Child Left Behind are examples of failed federal educational programs whose true mission is to dumb down students while increasing the federal debt for the benefit of international bankers and investors.
Amelia Arcamone-Makinano, retired teacher, is the author of KRONOS All-Devouring Federal Reserve
Trump stated that his Ed. Policy would end Common Core, The Ed. Dept., and work for local control(s).
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