Mu-mon-kan

I wrote this in response to an article on Wired’s website.

As with most fields, teaching is beginning to demand more. I believe that NY now requires elementary school teachers to have a Master’s degree and the starting pay hasn’t moved an inch (a friend of mine teaches at an public elementary school in NY and her co-worker is required to have her Master’s by year end, which is why I’m assuming they are now enforcing it.) Personally, I’m of Steve Jobs’ mindset, a complete overhaul of the current system. However, changing it to match a business model might not be an appropriate solution. He should probably defer to the group of people most effected the change: the teachers. Why not bring the most celebrated teachers into the discussion? Why should a businessman(men) decide what’s right or wrong in the schools? The saddest aspect of this whole story is the focus on the teacher. What role does the administrator play? If a school is full of competent teachers, 2 assistant principals, could a principal coast by doing nothing? Just some food for thought, the average salary for a teacher in NY is ~$50,000 (average, not starting). The average starting salary for an assistant principal in NY is ~$85,000. For a principal, ~$100,000+. I feel the balance of power should be pushed into the center. Allow teachers more leverage to oust an incompetant principal/assistant principal either by yearly surveys or some other metric. Not all the blame should be focused on the teachers. As I see it now, the administration has too much power. Sure, prior to being tenured, the administration can remove a poorly performing teacher and, after being tenured, the administration can make their life miserable. What if the teacher is purely victim of a personality clash and is, in fact, an excellent educator? Is a lifetime of misery the ethical way to remove people from a job? I feel these questions and issues need to be addressed before the discussion can move any further. I would love to hear teachers’ perspectives on their administration, especially people in NY/VT (the only 2 systems on which I have any knowledge.)

Really . . . if you have any thoughts, please comment.