Why Teachers Deserve a Better Pay - Essay Example

?Teacher’s Deserve a Better Pay Indeed teacher’s deserve a better pay. The whole question of whether the teacher’s deserve a better pay or not is a mere cover up on the real issue hounding the country’s educational system over the years. And for all those years, teachers (and students) were made to shoulder the problem of a shrinking budget subsidy to education. A question of budget cut Teacher’s pay freeze is right for times, read the Star Tribune’s Jan.22, 2011 editorial (Editorial, Star Tribune, 2011). Well, it is not a right time and it will never ever find a right time. The facts are clear, the US economy is still reeling from the woes of an economic recession and grappling with a $6.2 billion budget deficit (Editorial, Star Tribune, 2011). Consequently, there is diminishing subsidy to the whole US educational system , which leave school district’s no better option than either to freeze the salary of public school teacher’s or to distribute another round of pink slips amongst public school teachers. It is unfortunate that a salary freeze is proposed by no less than Sen. Thompson, Representative of ,Lakeville and were favoured by school superintendent’s. The group favouring a salary freeze argues that the current compensation system which provides an automatic salary increase to teacher’s who have been in service for a number of years and have taken additional college credits is the culprit for their school districts ‘overspending’ on salaries ( Editorial, Star Tribune, 2011).This is absurd and totally unjust. Teacher’s squeezed in their busy schedule the time to earn masters and possibly doctoral degrees for 2 major reasons, to further equipped themselves on new teaching strategies and techniques and for practical reasons of increasing their salary grade. There is nothing wrong with the teacher’s intentions to pursue higher learning and neither with the current compensation scheme. Upgrading teacher’s knowledge via pursuing a higher degree is favourable in uplifting the quality of our education. At the end of the line, it’s the students and the school in general who would gain in teacher’s continuing education. The compensation scheme is a good incentive for the teachers to stay on the teaching field rather than sought a much lucrative and stable job. The real question at hand is why can’t the local and national government increase the funding on education? Why does the teacher’s and the students have to shoulder for the budget deficit that they did not create in the first place? It is unjust to ask the teacher’s to carry the burden of the country’s economic problems for the so called greater good. When big and private businesses fold up in the face of recession, government readily bails them out of people’s taxes and tells us that if it’s not bailed out, the economy would further shrink into recession and crisis. Education is a basic social service that government need to put its priority funding, why can’t the lawmakers shells out some more budget for the education. I believe these whole debate on teacher’s pay is a mere ploy to cover the real issue of budget cut which is unjust and uncalled for. Salary Freeze is not good for recession A better option for an economy suffering from a recession is a salary increase not a salary freeze and much more not a salary cut and laying off of teachers. I don’t know why the lawmakers are finding it hard to comprehend that people need to spend more , so the economy would keep on moving. A salary freeze will definitely hinder teacher’s to get that next travel ticket for a much needed vacation. Salary freeze and cuts may result to teacher’s inability to pay for their house mortgages which in turn would hurt further the economy. On the other hand, laying off teachers would mean a dramatic decrease in the teacher’s ability to buy and afford commodities and services, which would further slows down the economy. Salary Freeze ,Cuts and Lay off would hurt the quality of education Salary freeze and cuts creates anxiety for teachers, especially when it is argued that it is a better option than to lay off teachers. It isn’t easy to teach and work, while hounded with fears of job insecurity and the possibility of being fired next semester , if the school board could no longer find a solution in the deepening budget cut ,but to lay off teachers . It pushes teacher’s to find a second job or a possible fall back job to augment expenses , resulting to a lessened focus, energy and concentration on preparing and teaching lessons.Moreover, it would mean a disproportionate ratio of teachers and students in a classroom, resulting into a bigger class size. Ultimately these factors create problems in classroom management and quality of teaching. A situation that teachers (and students) where forcibly put into. Therefore it is a solution that does not resolve a problem, but creates a deeper problem. Just Compensation for Teachers These raging debate on teacher’s salary freeze and salary cut has gone into questioning the quality of teachers, which is quite an insult to the whole teaching profession. The worth and value of teacher’s in any given society is an age old argument that has long been settled. Their worth is immeasurable. Teacher’s form part of the major backbone of the society. Teacher’s cannot build buildings nor cannot produce the laptop I’m using to write this paper, but teachers were behind when engineers are trying to solve their first calculus and geometrical problems. Teachers were there when our current senators and governors are trying to read the first vowel and learning that 1 apple plus 1 apple equals 2 apples. However, though it is unfair to compare and to compete the salaries of different professions. Each professions has its own worth and contribution to the society. But what I found unfair is for the top executives of big businesses to earn in a number of years through fat checks and bonuses, what a teacher may earn for their entire teaching career. Top Enron executives were earning hundreds of millions prior to Enron’s bankruptcy (Smith and Emshwiller,2003). And these were never ever put in the line to save the jobs and retirement funds of simple Enron employees (Smith and Emshwiller,2003)! I stand in the principle of just compensation for teachers and for all other professionals and workers of our nation. Rechannel the Military Budget While these lawmakers are struggling to find reason to gently enforced and legislate salary freeze and salary cuts to teachers, they (Republicans and Democrats) have unanimously voted on December 2010 the passage of National Defence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 which authorized $725 Billion for Defence Department, the highest allocation for defence since World War II (Rozoff, ). Why can’t our lawmakers and leaders rechannel the big chunk of the military budget to education. We are not in war anyway! Teachers deserve better than imaginary enemies. References: 1. Editorial Star Tribune (2011), Teacher pay freeze is right for times, Retrieved Aug 11,2011 from http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/114395879.html 2.Smith R.& Emshwiller J (2003), 24 Days How Two Wall Street Journal Reporters Uncovered the Lies That Destroyed Faith in Corporate America, New York: Harpers-Collins Publishers. 3. Rozzop Rick (2010). Pentagon’s Christmas Present: Largest Military Budget Since World War II, Retrieved August 11,2011 from http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ 4.Breier M (2011), San Marcos teachers urge district to rethink cuts, hundreds attend first meeting after impasse declared , Retrieved August 12, 2011 from http://ww.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/12/san-marcos-teachers-urge-district-rethink-cuts/ 5. Rogers K. (2011) , Administrators agree to pay cut, Retrieved August 10,2011 from http://www.rivernewsonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=47&ArticleID=48389 Read More