Why do so many educated professionals look down on teachers?

[Anonymous]

The biggest problem for teachers is their spokesman. Whenever someone comes out publicly "speaking for the teachers" is is usually a union charlatan claiming it's unfair to use performance as a measure of success. To the multitudes in the non-government world, where pay for performance is the norm, it makes the profession look bad.

They also tend to "circle the wagons" when a truly bad teacher is identified and make it hard to fire them, thus hurting the masses that have to carry them.

I know a lot of primary teachers (and I've been a teacher of college classes for 25 years), they are generally great and don't agree with these fools but they still represent the public face of an honorable profession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest problem for teachers is their spokesman. Whenever someone comes out publicly "speaking for the teachers" is is usually a union charlatan claiming it's unfair to use performance as a measure of success. To the multitudes in the non-government world, where pay for performance is the norm, it makes the profession look bad.

They also tend to "circle the wagons" when a truly bad teacher is identified and make it hard to fire them, thus hurting the masses that have to carry them.

I know a lot of primary teachers (and I've been a teacher of college classes for 25 years), they are generally great and don't agree with these fools but they still represent the public face of an honorable profession.

Let me know when you figure out how to measure the performance of teachers properly. Until then, you're using "performance" as a measure, and that actually is unfair. As for pay for performance being the norm -- well, the norm obviously doesn't apply to CEOs.

(I am not a teacher.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest problem for teachers is their spokesman. Whenever someone comes out publicly "speaking for the teachers" is is usually a union charlatan claiming it's unfair to use performance as a measure of success. To the multitudes in the non-government world, where pay for performance is the norm, it makes the profession look bad.

They also tend to "circle the wagons" when a truly bad teacher is identified and make it hard to fire them, thus hurting the masses that have to carry them.

I know a lot of primary teachers (and I've been a teacher of college classes for 25 years), they are generally great and don't agree with these fools but they still represent the public face of an honorable profession.

Let me know when you figure out how to measure the performance of teachers properly. Until then, you're using "performance" as a measure, and that actually is unfair. As for pay for performance being the norm -- well, the norm obviously doesn't apply to CEOs.

(I am not a teacher.)

Please do not deny being a teacher. This is classic teacher logic. You are saying you show up at your school and that should be enough. For parents and tax payers to expect you to work educating our children while you are present is unfair. You are saying to assess you based on your performance in the classroom is unfair. There are still a few good teachers, but most are not. Most teachers are not experts in any field whatsoever. Thousands come into education only so they can become athletic coaches. They were Saturday's Hero and they want to relive the glory days, but they can't unless they show up some academic class every day where they have no time for their students because they're too busy creating rosters and watch game tapes.

They come straight out of college with little knowledge and less ambition and all of sudden they expect people to be deferential to them.

We've all known great teachers, but the difference is the "greats" earned our love and devotion over a period of many years of excellence and self sacrifice. This recent crop of Five-and-Outs are dreadful and we should tell them every time the opportunity presents itself.

What could possibly be more dreadful than giving students assignments to complete without teaching them the material.

In aggregate we no longer have teachers. We have facilitators and there is a world of difference between the two. A teacher/educator is a professional who adheres to the professional standards of that profession. A teaching facilitator adheres to no particular standards. A teaching facilitator works strictly for their hourly wage and the adhere to no particular professional standards.

If teaching is your job, then you have no profession.

[Anonymous]

What is going to be your measure? I taught school, and I have always said that when they figure out a way to judge good teachers, that I will be for merit pay. But, here's a clue--they have not yet figured it out.

[Anonymous]

cont. Start by getting rid of crappy teachers. Don't make it so hard to fire sorry teachers. I taught with a gal who came from another school on probation. A waste of a year for her students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:cont. Start by getting rid of crappy teachers. Don't make it so hard to fire sorry teachers. I taught with a gal who came from another school on probation. A waste of a year for her students.

That would be an excellent start. There is no excuse to defend some of the people they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest problem for teachers is their spokesman. Whenever someone comes out publicly "speaking for the teachers" is is usually a union charlatan claiming it's unfair to use performance as a measure of success. To the multitudes in the non-government world, where pay for performance is the norm, it makes the profession look bad.

They also tend to "circle the wagons" when a truly bad teacher is identified and make it hard to fire them, thus hurting the masses that have to carry them.

I know a lot of primary teachers (and I've been a teacher of college classes for 25 years), they are generally great and don't agree with these fools but they still represent the public face of an honorable profession.

Let me know when you figure out how to measure the performance of teachers properly. Until then, you're using "performance" as a measure, and that actually is unfair. As for pay for performance being the norm -- well, the norm obviously doesn't apply to CEOs.

(I am not a teacher.)

Improvement in the scores of the students is a good start. How about principal evaluations? 360 degree evaluations for the higher grades?

Or penalties for poor performance? Shouldn't felons or drug users or molesters be summarily fired? None of this "paid leave" crud.

Of course it applies to CEOs. Especially to CEOs. How many CEOs survive 2 quarters in a row of stock price retrenchment? List please....

[Anonymous]

Improvement in the scores of the students is a good start.

Too many variables and too much fraud. I will write in more detail later, but it is New Year's Eve and I am done for today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Improvement in the scores of the students is a good start. How about principal evaluations? 360 degree evaluations for the higher grades?

Or penalties for poor performance? Shouldn't felons or drug users or molesters be summarily fired? None of this "paid leave" crud.

Of course it applies to CEOs. Especially to CEOs. How many CEOs survive 2 quarters in a row of stock price retrenchment? List please....

No, it really doesn't apply to CEOs.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/06/16/the-highest-paid-ceos-are-the-worst-performers-new-study-says/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Improvement in the scores of the students is a good start. How about principal evaluations? 360 degree evaluations for the higher grades?

Or penalties for poor performance? Shouldn't felons or drug users or molesters be summarily fired? None of this "paid leave" crud.

Of course it applies to CEOs. Especially to CEOs. How many CEOs survive 2 quarters in a row of stock price retrenchment? List please....

It's actually a terrible start.

http://www.epi.org/files/page/-/pdf/bp278.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest problem for teachers is their spokesman. Whenever someone comes out publicly "speaking for the teachers" is is usually a union charlatan claiming it's unfair to use performance as a measure of success. To the multitudes in the non-government world, where pay for performance is the norm, it makes the profession look bad.

They also tend to "circle the wagons" when a truly bad teacher is identified and make it hard to fire them, thus hurting the masses that have to carry them.

I know a lot of primary teachers (and I've been a teacher of college classes for 25 years), they are generally great and don't agree with these fools but they still represent the public face of an honorable profession.

Let me know when you figure out how to measure the performance of teachers properly. Until then, you're using "performance" as a measure, and that actually is unfair. As for pay for performance being the norm -- well, the norm obviously doesn't apply to CEOs.

(I am not a teacher.)

Please do not deny being a teacher. This is classic teacher logic. You are saying you show up at your school and that should be enough. For parents and tax payers to expect you to work educating our children while you are present is unfair. You are saying to assess you based on your performance in the classroom is unfair. There are still a few good teachers, but most are not. Most teachers are not experts in any field whatsoever. Thousands come into education only so they can become athletic coaches. They were Saturday's Hero and they want to relive the glory days, but they can't unless they show up some academic class every day where they have no time for their students because they're too busy creating rosters and watch game tapes.

They come straight out of college with little knowledge and less ambition and all of sudden they expect people to be deferential to them.

We've all known great teachers, but the difference is the "greats" earned our love and devotion over a period of many years of excellence and self sacrifice. This recent crop of Five-and-Outs are dreadful and we should tell them every time the opportunity presents itself.

What could possibly be more dreadful than giving students assignments to complete without teaching them the material.

In aggregate we no longer have teachers. We have facilitators and there is a world of difference between the two. A teacher/educator is a professional who adheres to the professional standards of that profession. A teaching facilitator adheres to no particular standards. A teaching facilitator works strictly for their hourly wage and the adhere to no particular professional standards.

If teaching is your job, then you have no profession.

Good grief. I said that I am not a teacher, and I am not a teacher.

And nobody is saying that teachers should not be assessed by their performance. It's just that nobody yet has figured out a valid method for assessing teacher performance.

[Anonymous]

I have to say, this year many of my son's teachers have not behaved in a professional way. I don't look down on them -- no energy for that, but I am very, very angry and disappointed.