Raising Teachers' Status

** Warning: This post has a lot of thoughts. ** This is what started it. U.S. Urged to Raise Teachers' Status

It seems lately that some people want to wage a war on teachers. If you watched that video I posted below, so people have no respect for teachers. For some reasons, they are the reason why the economy is failing. (In my opinion it is the cut in spending and the "no new taxes" agenda those in power are pushing. Ever heard of Keynesian economics?) (And I am not saying the government should tax you more. Well, not if you aren't in the top 2%)

But I digress. I say "they" because sometimes I have a hard time believing that I am in this fantastic (or what I consider fantastic) group of people. This is not to say that there are teachers out there who don't do their job. I know they exist, I just haven't personally interacted with one yet. All the teachers at my school are dedicated, caring, awesome teachers. They don't teach from their desks, they stay late to tutor, they use their conference periods to tutor, use Saturdays for professional development and we all do everything we can to help our children become better people.

But, there are some who have never set foot in a classroom and stood in front of 20 students who are depending on you for more than a day who have decided that it is an easy, cushy job. I knew that teaching would be hard, but it really is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. (I still love it, but it is hard.) (Here is a trick I use. If I run to someone who maybe makes me a bit upset I imagine how they would react if they were left alone in my classroom to teach a lesson. More likely than not, the image is comical.)

There are some things in education I would definitely change. Honestly, the things I would change is not a small list. And they don't cost money. The might require spending less money on some things, but not more. (Stay tuned for a possible list of things I would change.)

My point is that teaching is hard. Teachers deserve the pay (sometime more) they get. There is no need to take any of the benefits away. There is also harm in demeaning the work that teachers do. And this article basically proves that. So enjoy or get worked up like me.

U.S. Urged to Raise Teachers' Status