It has played through my mind several times in recent months.
I’ve stood in classrooms, teacher lounges, gymnasiums, offices, etc. and heard the background chatter.
“The only way to get fired as a teacher in Arizona is to show up drunk.”
“I’m not worried about losing my job over x y and z, because there’s a teacher shortage.”
“SpEd teachers are hard to find in this state, my job is secure, it doesn’t really matter what I do.”
The offhanded remarks are endless.
I’m not saying this is the attitude of every teacher, but let’s be honest, when you believe your job is 100% secure, there’s a lot less motivation for some people to work hard.
If we as parents, don’t like our kids being taught by teachers who hold themselves to a low standard, then we need to support finding a way to pay quality teachers what they are worth.
As a side, wouldn’t you rather have teachers paid a salary they can live on rather than paying them so little that they have to get 2nd and 3rd jobs? No wonder they can’t put their heart into their teaching job anymore, they’re exhausted from trying to work every extra second they have just so they can survive and provide for their own families.
You get what you pay for.
I had a few teachers in High School that really stood out, one in particular I have never forgotten due to him being someone that should have never been a teacher , he seemed to take pleasure in humiliating you and making you feel stupid if you did not grasp a math concept the first time it was explained , then there was the other math teacher that would explain it to you patiently as many times as necessary and would come in early or stay late, anything to help you and never make you feel small or stupid. Which of them should have been a teacher and deserved to get paid more than a pro sports figure and which one had no business teaching kids of any age?!! Being a teacher is a high calling and should only be done by those that truly love children and they deserve to be paid on a level that rewards them for doing a great job!!!