Give teachers the same kind of incentives you give sports players and actors and that may change. Sports and Entertainment figures affect people for a few hours, but teachers affect them for a lifetime.
Teachers were paid well in my district growing up and since I departed the area is much wealthier in average household income. I don’t know the quality today but even back in the “good ol’ days” most of them were adequate but easily forgettable.
I had one in middle school who shaped and motivated my thinking. Two in high school who were OK and provided a few memorable learning experiences.
I thought I might make a career change in my mid-30’s and did student teaching for a few months. There were a few decent teachers but sitting in their lounge during lunch and breaks was the best way to determine that most of them were as petty, vindictive, gossip-mongering and cliqueish as the tweeners and teens they taught.
A third of the students wanted to learn or were at least tolerant if they were not interested or ahead of their peers. The worst was the third who the system now insists be mainstreamed and consisted of those who were years behind their peers, asocial or just highly disruptive in the classroom. They took 2/3 of the work time and were exhausting. It was, as the loungers termed it, babysitting time.
If I was to go into teaching today I would major in the sciences and math. Those people have much less to have to deal with and the extreme shortage there gives them leverage. Otherwise you would have to pay me pro ball player wages to do it.
I can’t believe it has taken this long. In 2005, I got all the way through a teacher credential program that had the student teaching the final semester. It was the worst experience of my life. I learned so much about the attitudes of the social classes in the US about which, to be honest, I was totally blind. All of the parents were absolutely horrible in their own special way, depending on their social class. The pay is miniscule and yet as a teacher you pretty much have to pony up for your own supplies and the work involved was extreme – creating lesson plans and grading student work is NOT easy and extremely time-consuming, especially when you have well over 150 students. Add to that, I was teaching science with the evolution vs creationism conflict which created additional stress. After more than 2 years of extreme effort in the graduate program, I decided NOT to take the job offer to teach Biology and Geology, which I would have loved. Oh, and you were told exactly what to teach thanks to No Child Left Behind. A real nightmare. I am surprised we have anyone willing to teach. It is such a shame. Teachers are so important and yet they are treated so poorly. They should be honored.
Over the years, I’ve known a number of people who got into teaching in spite of the competitively low pay and mediocre conditions because they truly wanted children to learn things they need to know. The pay is effectively made lower by the fact that most (if not all) school districts demand that teachers regularly take further courses at their own expense to keep up their certification. Quite a few have left the teaching profession due to threats from parents for not passing children who never do homework assignments or any studying. When the teachers send notes home to the parents, the notes are ignored. Then the parents show up on parent -teacher day and threaten the teachers. They can usually make more money with much less aggravation in other jobs. Then you get republicans who get angry when the teachers teach the curriculum.
Conservatives want to destroy the public educational system of America. If they can’t control it, which they try to do by riling up people about CRT then wrecking the schools seems to be their goal. They don’t care about educating the masses, because they are believers in education, science, etc.
RRWLTC (Real Republicans Who Loved Their Country) are rolling in their graves as HeWhoShallNotBeNamed and the GQP bastardize their party and our country.
While January’s $125 supplement went only to teachers and paraprofessional teacher aides, state education officials said the new supplement will include others who provide instructional support on a daily basis including counselors, librarians, school nurses and speech language pathologists.Georgia Teachers Get $125 More for Supplies From Federal Aid
Packratjohn Premium Member over 1 year ago
“Hey, Kids, leave them Teachers alone”, to paraphrase. I appreciate teachers, but wouldn’t care to be one.
Patjade over 1 year ago
Give teachers the same kind of incentives you give sports players and actors and that may change. Sports and Entertainment figures affect people for a few hours, but teachers affect them for a lifetime.
DrDon1 over 1 year ago
Sad evidence of our priorities as a society…
rlaker22j over 1 year ago
they are the backbone of society whether anybody wants to admit it or not
Alberta Oil Premium Member over 1 year ago
Turns out our nurses feel the same way on this side of the fence.
knutdl over 1 year ago
https://youtu.be/7iITFrcNLcA
martens over 1 year ago
Occupations that are primarily held by women have had this problem to a greater or lesser extent forever.
charliekane over 1 year ago
There was a time where if you got in trouble at school . . .
Ya gots yer behind kicked at home too, maybe twice.
admiree2 over 1 year ago
Teachers were paid well in my district growing up and since I departed the area is much wealthier in average household income. I don’t know the quality today but even back in the “good ol’ days” most of them were adequate but easily forgettable.
I had one in middle school who shaped and motivated my thinking. Two in high school who were OK and provided a few memorable learning experiences.
I thought I might make a career change in my mid-30’s and did student teaching for a few months. There were a few decent teachers but sitting in their lounge during lunch and breaks was the best way to determine that most of them were as petty, vindictive, gossip-mongering and cliqueish as the tweeners and teens they taught.
A third of the students wanted to learn or were at least tolerant if they were not interested or ahead of their peers. The worst was the third who the system now insists be mainstreamed and consisted of those who were years behind their peers, asocial or just highly disruptive in the classroom. They took 2/3 of the work time and were exhausting. It was, as the loungers termed it, babysitting time.
If I was to go into teaching today I would major in the sciences and math. Those people have much less to have to deal with and the extreme shortage there gives them leverage. Otherwise you would have to pay me pro ball player wages to do it.
Saurischia Premium Member over 1 year ago
I can’t believe it has taken this long. In 2005, I got all the way through a teacher credential program that had the student teaching the final semester. It was the worst experience of my life. I learned so much about the attitudes of the social classes in the US about which, to be honest, I was totally blind. All of the parents were absolutely horrible in their own special way, depending on their social class. The pay is miniscule and yet as a teacher you pretty much have to pony up for your own supplies and the work involved was extreme – creating lesson plans and grading student work is NOT easy and extremely time-consuming, especially when you have well over 150 students. Add to that, I was teaching science with the evolution vs creationism conflict which created additional stress. After more than 2 years of extreme effort in the graduate program, I decided NOT to take the job offer to teach Biology and Geology, which I would have loved. Oh, and you were told exactly what to teach thanks to No Child Left Behind. A real nightmare. I am surprised we have anyone willing to teach. It is such a shame. Teachers are so important and yet they are treated so poorly. They should be honored.
tee929 over 1 year ago
A fundamental building block for generations past and to come…….
RAGs over 1 year ago
Over the years, I’ve known a number of people who got into teaching in spite of the competitively low pay and mediocre conditions because they truly wanted children to learn things they need to know. The pay is effectively made lower by the fact that most (if not all) school districts demand that teachers regularly take further courses at their own expense to keep up their certification. Quite a few have left the teaching profession due to threats from parents for not passing children who never do homework assignments or any studying. When the teachers send notes home to the parents, the notes are ignored. Then the parents show up on parent -teacher day and threaten the teachers. They can usually make more money with much less aggravation in other jobs. Then you get republicans who get angry when the teachers teach the curriculum.
Zebrastripes over 1 year ago
+…..some states publish their own text books slanted in their own Christian views…..
MC4802 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Conservatives want to destroy the public educational system of America. If they can’t control it, which they try to do by riling up people about CRT then wrecking the schools seems to be their goal. They don’t care about educating the masses, because they are believers in education, science, etc.
RRWLTC (Real Republicans Who Loved Their Country) are rolling in their graves as HeWhoShallNotBeNamed and the GQP bastardize their party and our country.
amethyst52 Premium Member over 1 year ago
While January’s $125 supplement went only to teachers and paraprofessional teacher aides, state education officials said the new supplement will include others who provide instructional support on a daily basis including counselors, librarians, school nurses and speech language pathologists.Georgia Teachers Get $125 More for Supplies From Federal Aid
azardoz over 1 year ago
Some more details:
https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Georgia-teachers-get-125-more-for-supplies-from-17339312.php