- Students: The Original American Revolutionaries - February 21, 2018
- The Case of the Shrinking Education Department - November 12, 2017
- We Must Teach the Worst of our History; Not Glorify It - August 14, 2017
- Transgender Student Rights are Human Rights - February 23, 2017
- Why "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Still Matters in 2017 - January 16, 2017
- No Right to an Education: Detroit Schools and the Secretary of Education Nominee - November 29, 2016
- I Think I Failed You - A Civics Teacher's Letter to her Former Students - November 16, 2016
- Transforming the 'Trump Effect' in Schools - October 27, 2016
- Implicit Bias: The Missed Post-Debate Discussion - October 4, 2016
- 15 Years after 9/11: Days of Infamy & Memory as History - September 12, 2016
Myth #3: Teachers are paid too much. This of course is one of the greatest canards in the education debates – especially amongst those bent on breaking unions. Recently, Mother Jones Magazine compiled a list of average pay across the country, and as is evident from what they found, it varies widely (again, due to the differences in local funding). While there are many ways that unions can modernize and become more flexible (speaking as a former VP of my local – I am extremely pro-union, but I do know that the union model is one from a past century and could definitely be updated while still strongly advocate for teachers and students), it was unions that set the bar high enough that teachers at least make average professional salaries commensurate to their education and training in most urban areas of the country. One of the negotiations unions made early on was that teachers would accept lower professional wages in exchange for secured pensions, similar to other state workers and private pensions that were prevalent during the mid-20th century. But now those pensions are being robbed because states are unable or unwilling to fulfill their commitment to retired teachers. Consequently, due to the impact of the failing economy, teachers that intended to retire can no longer afford to do so. Many GenX teachers, like myself, and now Millennial teachers, expected that Baby Boomer teachers would be retiring in droves by now, opening up opportunity for rising, eager and qualified teachers. But because that is now off the table for so many Baby Boomers, who face a much more uncertain retirement than they expected, those jobs are still occupied.
When we believe these myths, we create more layers through which we must wade in order to understand the nature of the problems in our profession. Instead, why not discuss how to value teachers more in order to create a profession that draws in and retains the most qualified and motivated educators around the country? Making equity across the country a priority, building up and supporting teachers rather than treating them as the enemy, and focusing on conditions in schools for students and teachers – those are the reforms that will truly improve our schools, make teaching what it was meant to be for employed teachers, and bring back those qualified teachers that are currently missing from classrooms.
To buy Cari's book that details her sudden unemployment, "How to Finish the Test When Your Pencil Breaks" please click here.
Another myth: Seasoned teachers are tired and not open to new ideas! I learned a gazillion awesome teaching tips and ideas from seasoned teachers.