Tuesday, 6 March 2012

5 reasons why we should pay teachers decent salaries

As a preface I should say that our British Columbia Teachers are currently on strike after many months of trying to negotiate a fair contract. Let me also say I am not a teacher but a physician, a physician for children with special needs so yes, I do have a "hidden" agenda - to provide adequate services for all children in this province and especially for those with special needs.

Here goes:

5) Teaching is a passion - who in their right mind would go through several cycles of applying to University Teacher Education programs and compete with thousands of applicants, not get in and apply again and then work really hard to graduate for a measly salary unless you were really passionate about teaching? Passion should be rewarded.

4) Every teacher will have a few kids in each class that have difficulties with learning, attentional problems, motor issues, sensory and social difficulties needing them to now be, occupational therpists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and behavioural interventionist. Yet they are doing this for the same salary.

3) Teachers in the past could be uniformed in their approach to all kids now they have to become the ultimate "designer" teachers, needing to address evey child's learning style in a different way. We pay well for designer clothes and NOT for designer education?

2) Access to information has incresed exponentially over the last 50 years and teachers are suppossed to keep up and be aware of it all. You will say, yes but we all have to do that at our job and I say YES! but we get paid a lot better than they do!! Where is the motivation otherwise?

1) Teachers hold the future of our country - hang on, no, not just our country, our PLANET in their hands. Educated children often become educated adults that will make educated decisions about our economy, our environment, our resources, our FUTURE. That responsability is sure worth at least a six figure salary!!

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