Teachers are not creating a 'product'
After reading Mr. Hale's article, "I support the teachers, but...," I felt the pain of so many of our Alaskan educators and administrators. Mr. Hale, you imply that teachers' salaries are to be based on the "product they produce." With all due respect, the public classroom is not a factory. Our children are not products. They are human beings and it is not the job of the teacher to "produce" quality product. That's your job and the job of every single parent and guardian.
In case you haven't noticed, the "No Child Left Behind Act" sets clear and precise testing scores that our already overburden teachers must be sure that their students achieve. Sir, our teachers are already being put to the test!
Teachers give up part of their summer for mandatory in-service education. Most arrive an hour before school starts and are there two hours after school ends. I see them at student functions held in the evenings and on weekends. I see them attending and organizing open houses, at school fundraisers and student sporting events. I see them on the playground and at buses as the children arrive in the morning. I know my daughter's teachers have spent countless hours on their weekends writing newsletters and researching classroom projects. If this is not a "performance measure" of quality job dedication, maybe you are right, we should line them up and drug test them while we force them to take a math test assuring us they are fit to teach.
Teachers just do not fall out of the sky clueless as to what a well-rounded curriculum entails. Our teachers are educated, motivated heroes in my book who have studied hard to achieve their teaching certification. They are directed by an administration that is there to assure standards are upheld. There is a team in place working together to provide quality education for our public school children.
When I walk into my daughter's school I don't see any of the "bad apples" you mention or students being tainted by "political and personal beliefs" of their teachers. I agree that this does not belong in the classroom. What I see are hardworking, dedicated individuals that I am proud to support. If you want quality education and educators, be willing to pay for it. I say support the teacher, they are earning it every single day!
Valerie O'Hare
Juneau