If you live in California you know that anytime a new budget gets passed Education is the first to receive cuts. Teachers on average are the most under payed profession in the United States. One would think that since they are educating our youth they would receive top dollar.
A mediocre halfback in the NFL is paid 3 times more than the average teacher. These athletes are "supposed" to be role models for our kids but their off field behavior is appalling. They teach our kids that it's okay to be arrested, it's cool to break laws and when they get into trouble they receive a slap on the hand.
I've heard the excuse that teachers get the summer off. Well all athletes have an off season. Plus most teachers are willing to teach summer school to earn extra money. So my question is, why do athletes as a whole command such large sums of money while most teachers live hand to mouth.
5 comments:
In High School I instigated, then lost control of, a walkout in support of the teachers on the picket line. We came out in the L.A. Times but they plastered us as an embarrassment to the community because of the few idiots that saw it as an opportunity to ditch.
Anyway to answer your question, its all about money. Athletes GENERATE a lot of money. Public schools ONLY get money from the government and pitiful school drive's. If teachers were to generate more income, perhaps in the form of a Girl's of Public Education Calendar XD, then their pay would inevitably increase.
There is ONE big problem I have with public school though. Have you spoken to many of these teachers? I understand it is a high stress job given today's wild over-populated kids with sue happy parents, but a majority of those teachers themselves are poorly educated.
I'm sure there are a few schools with some good teachers but damn, I don't think a single one of my elementary school teacher ever read a book that wasn't a teacher's guide.
I think they should be paid by performance and held by much higher standards. I think they should be funded and supported EVENLY. Which means Beverly Hills High will get the EXACT same amount PER STUDENT that South Central High gets. That would greatly motivate GOOD TEACHERS from teaching in other cities and not just the higher paying one's.
I for one am glad Villaraigosa is taking such a hands on approach here in California. Someone has to and I don't trust those quite possibly uneducated school board officials.
Great blog!
Thanks for the calendar comment, that made me laugh!
If you think about most if not all of these athletes or any successful person for that matter wouldn't be the person they are without the influence, information or direction of a teacher.
So couldn't we say all the monies created from these people are generated by teachers?
Also, what about creating an impartial rating system to weed out bad teachers. If Government is the problem, should we then privatize it?
It would be ideal if people earned what they are worth and worth what they earned. Ultimately it's the children of this world that are on the losing end.
Though I agree that athlete's are grossly overpaid, (as are the entire franchises and owners,) I wouldn't necessarily agree with your statement that teachers necessarily influenced athletes and are therefore indirectly contributing to their income. I use myself as an example. Though I KNOW I am the exception and not the norm, I ran through a really tough streak of terrible, terrible teachers. The kind that would hit Kindergarten kids on the head with a yard stick for speaking. The kind that tell you the first day of class that they hated all these "minorities that are infesting our schools and neighborhoods." The kind that would flirt with teenage girls and get caught doing inappropriate things with them yet somehow still manage to keep their jobs.
I know I'm bitter because of my specific experiences but because I exist, then I know its possible that your statement isn't true. I work with computers and the ONLY thing ANY grade school teacher ever told me about my choice in career was, "Don't waste your time and instead try mechanics." Or "Information Technology is for a certain type of person and you're not it."
Pushing that aside I tend to think that simply because at one point in their lives these athletes had a teacher, that doesn't necessarily mean that they could attribute anything to them simply because they existed. In fact I tend to think the opposite.
How many athletes don't you know that are really, really dull? Teachers, gave these athletes a passing grade when they didn't deserve one. Listen to them speak when they are interviewed. "Uh...I'm gunna play to win."
I like the idea behind privatizing BUT then that creates a greater fissure between the rich and poor. Only the rich, and the extremely hard working and partly lucky geniuses born in poverty, can get a good education as it is. Privatizing it would greatly increase this divide.
The answer is right in front of your nose. Home schooling via internet. A LOT less expensive for students, teachers and government. A lot less money would be wasted on paper, transportation, construction etc.
We can leave the social aspects of learning elsewhere. It is not necessary for EVERY course. The time alone that would be saved is incredible. Commuting, even walking class to class.
This is only a pipe dream for sure because I know there is so much money invested in public schools and colleges that they would NEVER allow this to happen.
The technology is here now but as is frequently the case, the education system is discouraging innovation instead of promoting it.
As a first year teacher in the public school system, I can agree that teachers are underpaid. The problem I see is that when budgets are cut, it's always the Education system that suffers, and in turn the students suffer from it. Our government in general needs to see the value and High importance of education and look at other ways to cut funds. For instance cutting resources and extra-curricular activities, etc.
Great blog, Leah! Just like Hektik said, athletes get paid much more because more money is going into the American market because of them. Shirts, jackets, posters, coffee cups and anything else that has a specific team's or player's name on it is what people like to buy. Its sad, really. Doctors and nurses who save people's lives everyday aren't paid as much as some of these athletes are. Unfair.
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