The Value of a $125,000-per-Year Teacher
Friday June 5, 2009
Did you know that there are 8 young teachers in New York City making $125,000 per year? (Plus, they're each eligible for up to $25,000 in bonuses!). You might be thinking, "How can I sign up for that deal!?!"
Read about this innovative charter school program in the New York Times and see what it's all about. In my opinion, creative solutions will be needed in order to improve the Education system during these challenging times. It will be interesting to see if this program ultimately proves to be effective.
Comments
It will interesting to keep up with the progress of this school next year. Dream teams sound great in theory but sometimes they don’t mesh in reality. I wish the endeavor well. I don’t begrudge the teachers their salaries because they are at the top of the heap – and they don’t have union benefits or job security. Please keep us informed on your blog. Thanks!
In my opinion, ALL teachers should start at $125,000 a year. After all, brand new lawyers start out at that salary and they haven’t really learned anything other than how to pass the Bar Exam!
Basically this school is seeking elitists who are famous in some way to dazzle kids, i.e., coaching a basketball star, so the kids will gravitate to the “excitement” factor.
The “excitement factor” isn’t necessarily wrong, but it doesn’t mean that someone can teach or has the knowledge needed by middle schoolers for a good basic education. Paying these teachers $125,000 a year won’t guarantee good teaching either, and certainly an elitist charter school isn’t going to do much for the millions of other kids in this country who are not getting a siybd basic education in their public schools.
One of the best teachers U ever had was a lady who taught all eight grades in a one-room schoolhouse in Vermont. I came out of the NYC public system into that school when my folks moved to Vermont when I was in first grade. I stayed in that schoolhouse until 4th grade when we moved back to NYC.
Her teaching becane the foundation of all my education since that time (including going to 6 colleges, teaching in college and becoming an editor and writer) I think she probably made all of about $3500 a year and commuted 40 miles round trip every day. Was this lady extraordinary? Yes. But what was most extraordinary about her was that she was so very ordinary, so typical of most teachers then.
I had many teachers just like her all the way through high school. Most didn’t have advanced degrees (some had just completed two years of teacher college), Certificates and licenses and educational theorists and bureaucracies telling them how to teach or why to teach weren’t needed. These teachers were just quiet everyday heroes who loved kids and got their life value from teaching them. We need more of these sane teachers today, but they are an extinct breed. It’s sad.
I wholeheartedly concur with the first three comments, particularly Barbara and Linda. This sounds pretty much like the perfect experiment where you can choose everything you desire. Life, unfortunately is not that neat and tidy. If we truly desire to change the education system then we must bring together those truly affected by that system: Teachers, students and parents. No one ever seems to engage all three parties about this system yet they are the ones most affected. Most great things come together by osmosis when everyone involved realizes they must make an investment.
Of course any task is easier if you can pick and choose who is on your team. It is much more difficult and sometimes rewarding, working with the hand life has dealt you. That is where true talent comes from.
I teach in an elementary school in southern Ontario.
Do you trust your gut instinct? Mine says that this is wrong. I would rather see this Dream-Team helping other teachers to better their teaching practices – perhaps they could videotape their work and create “Dream-Team” videos or go on tour. Another reason this bothers me is that in my experience teaching is definitely a ‘team’ effort, and some of the best teaching comes from a trusting, caring team approach to teaching. I love feeling a part of a team.
Children are perhaps our greatest resource, but I would add experienced teachers to that list. There’s nothing like meeting with an experienced teacher who is willing to share their experiences and wisdom.
Are these teachers chosen for their teaching abilities mostly around one subject, or do they handle a full course load? It’s an important distinction. Most schools around here have a little rotary, but most don’t have one particular focus, and end up teaching almost everything.
I will be interested, however, to see how it pans out. Lastly, I must say that I am uncomfortable with the whole idea of rating teachers – look at what the kids do at those “Rate Your Teacher” sites. What are the criteria?
Some of the best teachers wouldn’t want to be put on such a pedestal.
I was interested enough in this prospect that I posed the question to my teachers. The responses were varied; “Pay ME $125,000 a year and I would be willing to do a LOT more. I would be able to study and prepare better lesson plans because I wouldn’t be working in the summer or two jobs during the year. I would be more willing to buy things for my classroom and more willing to take on school wide responsibility.” Another one said, “You can’t BUY good teachers. Paying them more money won’t make them better teachers, but it won’t hurt either. They have to earn their wages just like the rest of us.” And still a third one said “More money doesn’t always equal effectiveness. Look at parochial school teachers who make less than we do and their results are every bit as good. What matters is accountability.”
Teachers are professionals, they have studied, they have perfected their craft (if they are excellent teachers they are always learning) and deserve to be paid that way.
An excellent well paid teacher can make up for a lot of things; lack of supplies, poor facility, larger class size. When will we begin to seriously examine funding equity in public education?
As i have said in my previous comment, there are no other professions without teachers. And there is no tertiary education without primary education. So, therefore, whatever benefits and renumeration due for teachers, it must be given.
Those who are critics against teachers must be teachers first before they could understand the plight of the teachers.