Truly Dare to be Different

Reading the latest news regarding teacher evaluations, pay for performance, tenure, and you name it. I have a radical idea. Everyone is paid on the same scale within a district. From the superintendent to the first year teacher, all move on the same salary schedule. I have heard all administrators say there is no more important work than what goes on in the classroom; let's keep the best teachers in the classroom. All professional school employees would move to a year around schedule, all would have the same vacation time, when no students are present teachers would be free for in-services, meetings, curriculum work, data analysis, technology training, and so on. This is also when classroom teachers would plan their vacation time. Don't like that one?

Every ten years all administrators, deans, department chairs, and counselors return full-time to the classroom from whence they came. New people, new ideas, new favorite programs, new directions, lower salaries would enter and have their shot at improving the school. This would keep the people who are always telling teachers what to do in touch with the ever-changing student attitude, new technology, and new initiatives. It would also allow those who constantly criticize the administration a chance to walk in the shoes of someone else. Sorry no changing districts to avoid the ten year rule, it is ten years and out, don't care how many different schools were involved. Everyone in education needs to revisit the classroom. Oh, consultants..........you must teach full-time for four years out every ten(two years consecutive). I want someone who walks in my shoes for the entire school year demonstrating what they did and why I should use this instructional model.

Bottom line, parents and income are the best indicator of how a student will do in school. Why doesn't either political party talk about evaluating parents and publishing their scores? Failing scores for seven consecutive years and the parent must ___________________. Politicians should fill in the blank. Standardized tests measure socio-economic level and not a whole lot more. Why do you think middle and upper class schools always do better? The honest truth, parents and life opportunities. Neither political party will touch the real issue of American education when it is so easy to beat up the defenseless teacher.