With the Frederick County Maryland teachers on a work to contract strike (they only work the hours designated by their contract) people are talking more about education. I think that’s great. We should talk more about education.
Now, I’m not trying to start a fight here but I think teachers should be working to contract. All the time. Why should we expect teachers to work extra hours without pay? Would you work extra hours? Would you spend your weekends at work because it would make your product better? Because that is what we are asking them to do. We want teachers to work extra hours to take care of our kids without giving them regular pay increases. (Seriously. Have you seen the gas prices? What’s wrong with a cost of living raise?)
I thought about becoming a teacher. I have a degree in biology and I started taking the required teaching courses because I wanted to help kids learn how their bodies worked and about the world around them. I thought it would be great because with a strong understanding of biology you can understand what your doctor is saying and understand the medications you are taking. It is important stuff that can help you out for a lifetime. But 10 days at the local middle school changed my mind. The enthusiastic teachers were getting ready to move on because of the conditions and the moderate and poor teachers were just doing the minimal amount of work to keep their jobs. Frederick County, Maryland has one of the best public school systems in the nation. That’s sad.
If we want to help our kids we need to help our teachers. Teaching shouldn’t be the last place a person looks for employment. There shouldn’t be a high turnover for teachers. If we pay them well then we will recruit the best and most enthusiastic. Don’t we all want that? I do.
