Quote:
Originally Posted by UGAalum94
But the tricky part is that you may not really have to teach well to stay employed as a teacher. I think most teacher can think of several colleagues who consistently do a weak job and yet don't really face any professional consequences. There is also another set of teachers who work really hard, but there's nothing that we presently measure that will quantify that they've make any difference at all.
So then you wonder, if some teachers can hold this job doing that little, that poorly, or with that little apparent effect, why should the taxpayers pony up more in compensation across the board as if everyone in the field is teaching like a rock star? It's not that retaining the top set of rock stars has no value; it's just that it's hard to figure out exactly what that value is.
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I know I'm double-posting, but I just read your post, and I completely agree. This is what makes things difficult. As I mentioned, tenure can be a huge controversy. My mom has mentioned on multiple occasions that there are definitely teachers out there who will work their asses off for 3 years - including coaching a team, staying to help students after school, volunteering at after-school events - and then once they receive tenure, they put in the minimum, and that's it.
It's unfortunate, because it's people like that who give other teachers a bad name, and who really end up cheating the students. I'm not saying everyone has to put in a ton of time outside of the 8 hours they're in the classroom, but when you only work hard to get something for yourself in this profession, I think it says something about how much you really care for the students you're teaching.
It truly takes a special person to be a good teacher. I applaud the ones who make a positive impact every day, and especially the ones who made a big impact on my life. Fortunately for me, I can say that's most, if not all of the ones I've had the privilege of learning from.
...And I'm sorry if I was ever a pain in the ass
