How do we get top students (as defined by high school SAT and GPA) to enter public school teaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all are missing that teachers have less annual work hours and more time off than most jobs. That's part of why the pay is lower.

I don't disagree that the pay should be raised, but i think if we want to professionalize teaching, make it year round. Summer school would be great, especially to help catch kids up.

I’m a teacher and I work a ton of hours outside my standard work hours. That is the only way to do a good job especially in years 1-5 of teaching

Teachers in my city did a work-to-rule protest and we quickly found out that you cannot be an effective teacher if you only work the required hours and do the required tasks. As a parent, I would much rather see a contract that reflects the actual time and work needed to be effective and then negotiate salary and benefits based on that.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here- 1500 SAT, bachelors and masters from UVA. I make around $56,000. My brother (1500 SAT bachelors from UVA) makes $100,00+ consulting.

I have to work a second job to live in the area.

Pay teachers more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m aware that this is a touchy subject. I know there’s also debate over whether teachers should be getting subject matter degrees then specializing in education in a master’s program, versus majoring in education as an undergraduate. My opinion is that that would need to take into account credential inflation and that students would need to pay more to become teachers than they previously needed to. Currently, universities that were historically and continue to ones that produce teachers have low average SAT scores, graduation rates and other factors.

Now for a super touchy alternative: What if we went with a quantity over quality strategy and doubled the number of teachers, but in order to afford that, reduced teaching pay to private school equivalent and reduced required teacher credentialing to trade school equivalent? Which would have better student outcomes—1 highly credentialed, highly paid teacher, or 2 lesser-credentialed, lesser-paid teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I had a 1430 SAT score and attended a top liberal arts school. I currently have a masters degree but know teachers with PHDs who would agree with me. More money is tops. Second is better discipline of students. Schools have no way to control students who disrupt classrooms anymore. We want to teach, not do babysitting or do crowd control all day.

This. Parents and administrators are important factors too, but mainly only a problem when they are failing to support and creating (or preventing us from resolving) issues in the classroom. But when today's high schoolers are exposed to a bad school environment or parental bad behavior or so on I could see that having a detrimental effect on their desire to pursue the profession.

I don't have a good answer for how to address the overemphasis on standardized testing against the understandable the need to ensure student progress and accountability, but this probably isn't the sort of thing that keeps top students from entering public school teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such an easy one.

Pay them more.

A lot more.

Raise the standards.

A lot more.

Because as it stands, the profession, union brass, and district admin ranks are dominated by degree mill morons with fake master's and EdD degrees (which they bilk the public for). Nobody who graduates at the top of their class or who attended an elite college wants to work with such backwater small-minded morons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here- 1500 SAT, bachelors and masters from UVA. I make around $56,000. My brother (1500 SAT bachelors from UVA) makes $100,00+ consulting.

I have to work a second job to live in the area.

Pay teachers more.

that's apples to oranges

Teachers are generally paid right around the median for college graduates starting out remember there is roughly a 15% premium as well since it's not a full year job

The problem with the pay scale is that there is no promotion potential because a 30 year teacher and a first year teacher have the same exact job

There needs to be more job differentiations to allow for promotions and higher salaries

[Anonymous]

The pay issue is an interesting one, as there are other high status careers that don't pay well, but lots of people want in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The pay issue is an interesting one, as there are other high status careers that don't pay well, but lots of people want in.

But in the US, teaching isn't a high-status career

[Anonymous]

K-12 public school teaching will never attract high achievers. It is not an intellectually challenging profession that these type of people generally seek. For one, they are teaching basic subject matter- year after year. Second, they are largely doing a lot of parenting and behavioral management.

[Anonymous]

This is really really easy. Double their pay. I would definitely teach if I wouldn’t take a huge pay cut. I’d be looking at a 1/3 of my salary or less to teach. I’d be willing to take a pay cut, but not by that much. Teaching is hard, but it is fulfilling and good work. Just up the pay by a lot and they will get a lot more people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K-12 public school teaching will never attract high achievers. It is not an intellectually challenging profession that these type of people generally seek. For one, they are teaching basic subject matter- year after year. Second, they are largely doing a lot of parenting and behavioral management.

It can be a very intellectually challenging career--and in many countries (e.g., Finland, Japan) teaching attracts the strongest students. If teachers write curriculum, do lesson study, are involved in state standards, take on leadership roles as they have the opportunities to do in many countries, it's a very intellectually demanding career. Look at what other professionals do--lawyers, accountants etc. do a lot more routine work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pay them more. The end. In some places, teachers start at $30k. Those are poverty wages, and it's hard to make a life on that, particularly if you have student loans.

In the olden days, you could live decently as a teacher. I know, since my single mom was a teacher (then administrator), and we lived a solidly middle class life on that one salary. I took private music lessons, dance classes several days per week, she owned (and still owns) and always had a nice, working car.

+1. For any career, if you can't afford the basics of a professional lifestyle (house, car, vacations, student loan payments, extras for the kids), don't be surprised if the best and the brightest choose other fields

[Anonymous]

Discipline is a huge issue. It needs to be more like it was when we were growing up. Teachers can freely kick kids out and admins have to deal with those kids when they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K-12 public school teaching will never attract high achievers. It is not an intellectually challenging profession that these type of people generally seek. For one, they are teaching basic subject matter- year after year. Second, they are largely doing a lot of parenting and behavioral management.

Not intellectually challenging? Are you joking?

[Anonymous]

I posted previously stating basically that schools would have to pay more to attract top students into teaching. But there's wishful dreaming and then there's reality. We will NEVER pay teachers much more than what they make now. It will never happen. Teachers will never get more support with challenging kids. When it comes down to it, no one really cares. So why bother even thinking about it?