Baa! Moo!

If it wasn't such a sad commentary on public education today, I'd be laughing about my 'market value.' Our new conservative board is in the process of determining each teacher's 'market value,' which is how they are planning to pay us. What are we? Livestock? Will they weigh us soon or check our teeth too? Wait! I think this happened to slaves as well, didn't it? Weren't slaves sold by their 'market value'? What does that mean for teachers if school boards are reverting to assigning a monetary value to a teacher based on his job title?

Now I'm sure you're reading this, chuckling a bit too. I mean, who wouldn't? One of the benefits of teaching in a public school was our salary scale. There was no wondering, no fighting about money; we were paid based on our number of years of experience as well as our level of education. We had incentive to go to school, to learn more, and to keep our resources fresh. We'd eventually be paid for it! Of course, now that I will have a 'market value,' there's no financial reason to earn another master's degree or take courses to improve myself, thereby improving learning for my students. I will simply know my 'value,' thanks to the board of education.

Question: how will our 'market value' be determined? I am biased, I know, but I think an early childhood educator is as important as a high school chemistry teacher. Our students need a solid foundation on which we can build. A first grade teacher, at least in my district, can have as many as 30 little bodies running around her room without a paraprofessional to help her, and yet her 'market value' may be less than a twelfth grade economics teacher. Our elementary teachers must test, write reports, meet with parents, do home visits (at some schools, this is required), teach, grade, plan, supervise playgrounds and/or bus duty; whew! just thinking about what elementary teachers do exhausts me. I also think teachers who have multiple degrees should be paid for said degrees. Radical, I know. There are some professions that pay for their people to pursue further education. And then there's education.

The best way to attract effective, highly qualified teachers into education is to...gasp! PAY THEM  a living wage, not assign some 'monetary value' to what they do. Education is not a business. Students are not 'products.' They are real people, and so are teachers. Pay educators a fair and reasonable wage, and watch what happens.

Now excuse me; it's time for my oats and hay.