Most spoken word poets today bore me, but this guy has something going for him. Definitely worth a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpog1_NFd2Q"]YouTube - Taylor Mali - "What Teachers Make"
Why doesn't he just say, $43,216? Less medical, dental and long term disability insurance premiums equal to 14% of gross pay. Less Teachers Association dues. Less taxes to support the war machine and the financial sector payout. Last time I taught school, there were three major things worthy of laughter. (1) the curriculum the School Board had told me to teach. Okay, you got through it. Anyone ask you to prove any theorems on similar triangles lately? (2) parents. My little Johnny? Johnny never does anything wrong. He'd never fall off his stool in class, not if you were saying anything halfway meaningful. He just doesn't deserve a detention. (3) school board again. Thanks guys and gals. You handed me a grade 8 math class of 28 students. Half perform at grade 8 level, the other half perform at somewhere between grade 4 and grade 7. You want me to teach them all as a unit at a grade 8 level? Probably wouldn't get any laughs that way.
While I agree, Dirtydog, that public education leaves a lot to be desired, i think you are missing the point! Teachers do have the unique ability to make a difference in the lives of children.
It would be nice to provide proper vocational training to all students in grades 10 - 12. In my experience, in Alberta Canada the big cities have the resources to do this, while the smaller centres make greater use of subjects involving nothing more than chalk and blackboards. The subject of what constitutes proper vocational training is a complex one, worthy of a master's thesis. Teacher A with a blackboard may be less effective in providing vocational training than Teacher B who has been given complex equipment with which to teach electronics, welding or auto repair. Both teachers of course may be equally skilled and motivated. Also in the case cited above (my Grade 8 math class of an earlier year), the board might want to provide smaller classes for students who require remedial instruction. That's if the board can get the taxpayers on side. Like other things in life, you get what you pay for.
