In his most recent column for the New York Times, Nikolas Kristof came out as a disappointingly lonely voice in the latest debate around teacher compensation: we should be paid more, not less. As political battles in Wisconsin and other states take on public employees as the roots of all financial problems, teachers have been characterized by some as lazy, part-time employees who don't deserve the inflated benefits and union rights they've been afforded.
Kristof argues that "...the bottom line is that we should pay teachers more, not less — and that politicians who falsely lambaste teachers as greedy are simply making it more difficult to attract the kind of above-average teachers our above-average children deserve."
The reader comments on his blog about the column take both sides of the argument. Some readers enthusiastically support his call to raise the professional regard for the teaching profession, with a salary to match. Others argue that increased salaries won't have much impact on the quality of individuals attracted to teaching, nor will it increase the caliber of teachers already in the classroom.
Separate from the union issue, I think, is the fundamental question of whether quality work is motivated by external or internal factors. Kristof quotes a study that shows the pay gap in New York between a teacher and laywer is over $115,000. While it's nice to say teachers are all bleeding hearts who do their jobs out of a calling to a higher moral order, our society makes a strong connection between power and money. I think it's no coincidence that we've become a highly litigious society; it's financially lucrative for lawyers to find reason to file a lawsuit. I can't help but wonder what would happen those same financial indicators pointed to well-educated citizens, rather than the generation living in the "If you have a phone, you have a lawyer" mentality.
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I'll say right away that I'm torn on where I stand on this issue, because I do think there are plenty of terrible teachers who DON'T deserve to make more (and probably shouldn't get paid what they get right now). However, I am so tired of hearing "Oh, you're a teacher? Must be nice having summers off!" or "Must be nice to get off at 3:30". The fact of the matter is, all of the teachers I know work HOURS overtime and are rarely compensated for it. The 7-8 hours a day spent at school is merely represents the execution of time spent outside the classroom planning, reflecting, grading, organizing, creating, etc. The amount of time and thought required to be a good, or even average teacher is a fact that we are all aware of, but not something I knew before I entered the profession.
I think the interesting aspect of this argument is whether or not increased salaries would increase the caliber of teachers, as well as the prestige associated with the position. What if teaching became equivalent to practicing law or medicine? I think it would take many years to see the impact, but increasing salaries is the most direct way I can see to "raise" teaching as a profession in the eyes of the American public. It could create an interesting trickle down effect, as Joy pointed out. More money = better teaching = better educated citizens?
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