http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/03/27/how-to-raise-the-status-of-teachers/restructure-teacher-compensation
I was most interested in the viewer comments on this article. They were obviously educated and had experience in the classroom. The author suggests slowly raising class size in order to offer higher teacher pay, making it a more attractive profession. What this author missed is that teachers do not become teachers because of the pay, it is much deeper than that!
Yes, teachers need to be compensated appropriately for their significant effort (I cannot begin to put into words the amount of energy that goes into a dedicated teacher's day), but having a higher class size to do so defeats the purpose. No teacher in their right mind believes teaching is more appealing with a higher pay along with higher class size. Our job challenge is to reach each student each day, and that becomes more of a challenge the higher the # of students. As a parent, one may feel their child is being neglected in the process, which is true.
Joanne Yatvin (The misleading data and debate on class size, Washington Post, March 2011) articulates the concerns of larger class size eloquently and I hope you take the time to read her brief and to the point article. Other than the obvious concerns of trying to reach each student each day, there are concerns of physical space and classroom management. The larger the class, the more these become an issue.
America lags behind education in other countries. When we invest in education, we invest in the future. It is time we stop letting the government buy into "infomercials" offering a quick fix. It is time to listen to the professionals, the ones on the front lines; the teachers.
So the conundrum stays, how do we make teaching a more attractive profession without raising pay? Let's start with raising respect for the profession. If you are reading this, thank a teacher.
I was most interested in the viewer comments on this article. They were obviously educated and had experience in the classroom. The author suggests slowly raising class size in order to offer higher teacher pay, making it a more attractive profession. What this author missed is that teachers do not become teachers because of the pay, it is much deeper than that!
Yes, teachers need to be compensated appropriately for their significant effort (I cannot begin to put into words the amount of energy that goes into a dedicated teacher's day), but having a higher class size to do so defeats the purpose. No teacher in their right mind believes teaching is more appealing with a higher pay along with higher class size. Our job challenge is to reach each student each day, and that becomes more of a challenge the higher the # of students. As a parent, one may feel their child is being neglected in the process, which is true.
Joanne Yatvin (The misleading data and debate on class size, Washington Post, March 2011) articulates the concerns of larger class size eloquently and I hope you take the time to read her brief and to the point article. Other than the obvious concerns of trying to reach each student each day, there are concerns of physical space and classroom management. The larger the class, the more these become an issue.
America lags behind education in other countries. When we invest in education, we invest in the future. It is time we stop letting the government buy into "infomercials" offering a quick fix. It is time to listen to the professionals, the ones on the front lines; the teachers.
So the conundrum stays, how do we make teaching a more attractive profession without raising pay? Let's start with raising respect for the profession. If you are reading this, thank a teacher.
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