Links

Three links about teaching in America:


High School teacher fired after these photos appeared online.  Yet more evidence of America's insane prudishness...

How do you, as a teacher, feel about cell phones in school?  Would you feel differently if you were a student?  A parent?

Interesting organization: The Center for Teaching Quality.  I haven't had time to read through much of the website but, to me, the solution improving teacher quality is simple.  Make the starting salary of a public school teacher $100,000.  Make the ceiling $2,000,000.  Watch teacher quality sky-rocket.

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mollygoldwasser
I DEFINITELY agree that increasing teacher salaries three-fold do wonders for increasing the number and retention rates of high-quality teachers. I have been saying this since I was the intern! (And my school district design for EDSE 610 reflects this) I also think that making the PRAXIS a significantly more rigorous exam (akin to the MCAT, LSAT, GRE) would prove to potential new teachers that the teaching field is a "professional" and prestigious vocational path. If a lot of people want to be teachers because the profession pays well (like doctors, lawyers), the increased difficulty of the PRAXIS would be necessary to help weed out those who are simply going into teaching for the money.
Ben Guest
Good point. And I think that increasing the rigor to become a teacher, and to stay employed, would be a byproduct of dramatically increasing the pay. As you know, right now this country has a teacher shortage. By increasing the starting salary to $100,000, basically the highest starting salary of any profession (and really, this topic deserves its own post), you would vastly increase the number of teachers to such an extent that schools across the nation could have their pick of the litter. This in turn would lead more teachers to become board certified or achieve some other way of distinguishing themselves to schools. Thus, schools of education could raise admissions standards, schools could raise hiring standards, etc.
Gavin

Increasing salaries probably for any position would improve the output/product from that position, but it's a fantasy. Live in the real world. Education costs too much as it is, and still fares poorly; there simply isn't that money available, unless you'd favor confiscating people's income through increased taxation to the point where you'd discourage work in society at-large. Silly proposal.

As for the pictures: a teacher plays a role larger than just instructing in math, language arts, etc. The first 2 of those photos are sexually provocative, and children are very susceptible to suggestion and look to the adults in their lives for guidance. Through those poses - and frankly, the tattoos as well - that teacher is guiding her charges down a potentially damaging path. You want to attract better teachers? Such drastically higher pay is a childish solution, but requiring higher standards - including behavioral standards - costs nothing, would improve the profession's status, and would aid in guiding children.

Ben Guest
Hi Gavin,

Before we continue this "dialogue" I need to ascertain how much of a puritan you are (from the general preachiness of your comments I suspect you may be a Christian conservative) so here are a few more situations for you. In which should the teacher be fired?

a) A male teacher is spotted, by students, at the county fair with his boyfriend.

b) A female teacher is pregnant, and unmarried.

c) A male teacher frequents the local strip club every Friday.

d) A female teacher regularly goes to a nude beach on the weekends.

e) A teacher tells her students she doesn't believe in God.

f) A female elementary teacher is a devout Muslim who wears a burqa and prays to Muhammad during the school day.

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