From: "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: The War on Schools Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2003 12:35:47 -0500
At 10:38 AM 3/9/2003 -0500 Jon Gabriel wrote:
>Education is _very_ underfunded. Teachers definitely need to be paid more
>and the system needs more money for basics. (My wife's an educator... you
>won't see an argument from me on that!) :)
Yes, and almost everyone thinks that they are underpaid.
However, AFAIK, there isn't much of a teacher shortage in the country these days... which implies that teachers are being paid plenty. I'd believe that teachers are underpaid if you could demonstrate a nationwide teacher shortage.....
There's a *huge* multipage section on the ed.gov website which lists teacher shortages by curriculum for every state. I studied it when my wife was job hunting at the end of last year:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/repayment/teachers/tsa.html I'd say that's pretty comprehensive evidence of a widespread nationwide teacher shortage. Also, I've seen statistics (I'm sure I could dig 'em up somewhere if pressed) that most teachers leave the profession within 5 years. Not a ringing endorsement for the job.
I believe that teaching is not a typical supply-and-demand profession. Many people go into it to fulfill an ideal rather than line their pockets in much the same way people take non-profit jobs. My wife could certainly make more money in another field. She chooses to work with children because it means something to her -- and not because it'll ever make her/us rich. My endorsement of higher teacher salaries reflects a desire that they be recognized and respected for the important work they do preparing American children for the future, not to inflate our teacher population.
Jon
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