Posted by
gilroy man on Sunday, June 29, 2008 1:23:45 AM
What’s a common complaint that I’ve heard for all my adult life? That teachers aren’t paid enough. Why is that?
You can break down the issue as a simple case of supply and demand. There are a limited amount of positions and a large supply or labor, both at the K-12 and college level.
Or you can approach the issue of performance. How do you judge whether a teacher is successful or not? Invariably the response is that children’s behavior comes from many factors in society, including parents, friends, mass media, and the like. So limited accountability is built into the system.
Besides, if children can’t read or measure up to standardized tests, are teachers fined? Do they lose the money they’ve already been paid? No. So there’s no penalty for failure. Under those conditions, there’s little or no risk in being a teacher. That’s why they supply of available teachers is always high. When you get to the college level, where tenure makes it almost impossible to fire a professor, the supply is even higher and the competition is fierce. And why not? Once you get tenure you’re all set. Who can say that in the business world?
But those who complain about teacher’s pay do not consider job security, low risk, and benefit packages as factors in the equation. All they care about is the base salary. And the fact that “our children” are at stake.
Which brings up another issue. Whenever people without children bring up issues with the educational system, people with children sniff that “you don’t have children, so you don’t know anything”. Well, one thing I do know is that my taxes are paying for your children. As long as I’m taxed without consent, I’ll have my say about how my tax money is spent. If you don’t want my input, pay for your own children.