Merit Pay Poaching Classroom Teachers?

Master teachers in Eagle County, Colo., get significant pay bonuses and have fewer classes, freeing up their time to evaluate and mentor their peers. Some argue this career track created by merit pay is removing teachers from where they're most needed.

In a story from Morning Edition on NPR, Mike Salamoni, who teaches art at Avon Elementary in Eagle County, commented: "I mean, if these truly are our best teachers, I'd like to see them with more contact time with the students."

ASCD supports the option for teachers to move along a career path—for example, from teacher to mentor to master teacher—with the idea that the teacher stays a teacher and doesn't have to move out of the classroom to become an administrator or leave the profession all together.

That's the idea, but is that what's actually happening? 

ASCD also supports having decisions about merit pay determined by all stakeholders, including the local unions, which the administrators in the Colorado county admit they didn't do at first.

Comments

[Erica Watson]

I like the idea of merit pay. As a teacher, we are given a challenging job with little rewards. Yes, our students are rewarding, but this is not enough. Other professions offer pay increases when a employee shows exemplary work, but in education the only way to increase pay is to further your degree and/or build your years in teaching. We are people, like students, who will be more dedicated, hardworking, and willing to put in time to be more effective when we know that we will be greatly rewarded. I do not see this as taking good teachers out of the classroom, I see it as making teaching more rewarding.

[Brian Christy]

I am what can only be described as on the fence when it comes to merit pay. I think that it is a wonderful concept because teachers who work harder than their colleagues deserve to be rewarded for it. Every year teaching becomes more businesslike and in the business world those who work harder and get results get promotions and pay increases. It seems incredibly unfair that the teacher who shows up when the kids do and leaves 30 minutes after the final bell only to do little or no work at home gets paid the same amount as a teacher who puts in 11 hour days. This is something that is common and merit pay may alleviate some of this lack of fairness. Merit pay could also motivate teachers to work harder and provide better experiences for their students, which is the ultimate goal of teaching. Knowing that there might be a significant raise if my students' test scores are rasied would certainly make me think about how hard I work.

On the flip side, I am quite concerned with the basis upon which merit pay is based. How exactly are teachers rated in this system? If it is soley based on test scores then the program would be worthless. A master teacher with a low group would be lucky to surpass an average teacher with an exceptionally high group. I fear that teachers would abandon the schools with poor performance history because they know that if pay is based on performance, it will pay to be in the upper class school. I don't know what the solution is for a criteria on which pay is based, but I certainly hope it is not test scores!

[Sandra]

The merit pay seems to be something that is a good idea. I can see where the definitions of how you receive the bonuses or merit pay need to be clear. If it is based on test scores then a master teacher dealt with students who perform low is at a disadvantage. Also, if the administration recommends you then there can be favoritism too. But I do like the idea of rewarding hard working teachers and those who work with special needs students. They deserve recognition for their work.

[CW]

I really like the idea of merit pay. I work hard as a teacher and would find it fascinating to actually be rewarded for it!

Teachers are amazing members of society that prepare students to be doctors, lawyers, and the like. All other types of business leads to promotion or demotion if the company sees fit. I do not believe that it should be soley based on test scores because scores do not accurately show ability or student growth.

[dcowart]

In a story from Morning Edition on NPR, Mike Salamoni, who teaches art at Avon Elementary in Eagle County, commented: "I mean, if these truly are our best teachers, I'd like to see them with more contact time with the students."

To accomplish both I like PD that allows teachers to open the doors and to watch each other teach. I don't want my best teachers leaving the classroom. What I want is more opportunities for a less skilled teacher to observe and learn from my best teachers.

As far as merit pay goes, I am all for it as long as there is a specific criteria or rubric used to evaluate performance in regards to who has earned merit pay. I hate to think that there could be favoritism.

[YT]

While I like the idea of merit pay, I would much rather like it on a school wide basis. For instance, if the school meets growth or an important benchmark, everyone would recieve the reward. It is fair, and realistically, everyone in the building plays a role in educating the students. Sure one teacher typically does the load, but if the teacher sends someone to a resource room or has remediated kids, you can't reward just the regular classroom teacher can you? What about specials teachers? In what situation would an art teacher be rewarded? Where if you reward all staff, then equity comes into play, you grow and make strides together as a staff, and it builds a collaborative, synergistic, learning community!

[B. Loyd, NBCT]

Merit pay has a lot of potential problems. How are you going to measure student performance? Standardized testing isn't done with our youngest students, so are those teachers left out? What about the ancillary teachers - p.e., music, art, reading teachers? In the elementary grades teachers in those subjects often don't even give grades and there is no standardized testing for those subjects. How will those teachers be measured or are they left out? How do we prevent the best teachers from leaving the worst schools? Some schools are easier to teach in with higher performing students to begin with and more parental involvement. Then there are tougher schools with more mobility in students. How are you going to divide the responsibility for a student's learning when he/she is in more than one school during the year? I once got a new student after the 3rd day of standardized testing. His grades where recorded under my name, but I hadn't taught him even one day. He didn't do well, but it looked like I had failed that child.
I prefer merit pay for the teacher who seeks and obtains his/her National Board certification. That impacts all students through the professionalism and high expectations established by National Boards.

[John Norton]

For teaching to become a full-fledged profession, we need more options within the career -- enough to support/retain those folks who love teaching but one day reach a point where they'd like to share their expertise with other professionals and perhaps have a wider impact. Career ladders that add salary steps to the pay scale based on accepting different levels of responsibility will serve the profession well in the long run. Teachers should be full partners in crafting the designs of these systems, every step of the way.

For two examples of teachers having real voice about compensation designs that can grow the profession, see the 2007 Teacher Solutions report from the Teacher Leaders Network and a new report from a statewide team in Kansas. Here are the links:

http://www.teachingquality.org/teachersolutions/TSreport.pdf
http://snipurl.com/tlnkansas

[Steve Mathes]

I am an administrator in an Independent School with a pay for performance system. The overall premise works well and teachers are rewarded with percent increases each year commensurate with their overall ratings based upon a myriad of parameters. After four unsettled years the system is generally accepted by all constituents. However, here is my fear and to some extent I can see it starting to happen: will pay for performance systems effectively remove the intrinsic motivation of teachers, the best of whom often enter the field with idealistic goals? Once it is based on money, if the money isn't what the teacher thinks it should be, will the output and dedication be the same? After all, these pay for performance systems aren't going to create six figure incomes for teachers in the near future.

[RSK hamrx]

I do not favor Merit Pay, in our current educational situation. I believe that this would strongly enable a 2 class system of education. It would punish & reward teachers unequally, due to the current way we assess student progress and have lost a culture in which it is ok to recognize areas in which we must approve.

High stakes assessments, due to NCLB's (ESEA) requirements, are the rule of the land. The sad part is that many assessments do not truly assess all of our Nation's students, or they are misused to communicate a schools level of progress that the assessment was not designed for. Merit pay would really hurt any school with populations high needs students, regardless of the schools effort. We are not looking at students’ progress from year to year. Mainly it focuses on how well 5th grade compared to last year’s 5th grade, a completely different group of students and student needs. It can only help make administrators focus on having staff train students to do well on these standardized assessments, which is not learning. It would also continue to funnel teachers into “better” districts, with students who are ready for school and supportive communities. Teachers are humanitarians, but they need to make ends meet and deserve more than that…

Our current climate of job performance, across all professions, is to ignore areas that need improvement. Companies/districts ignore professional growth, because no one wants to say, “While you are doing a good job on___, you need to improve in these areas.” We have gotten rid of tenure, and everyone is afraid to lose their job. That leads to not pointing out problems/asking for help. Teaching is something you should get better at every year. You need to continue to grow to meet our students’ needs, which are ever changing. If a teacher makes a change in their instruction and it doesn’t play out well in standardized assessments they would lose pay, and not take chances that really improve their performance.

Teachers, overall, have done more and more, for less each year. Our pay increases don’t keep up with inflation, or comparable professions, yet pay isn’t our driving force. Merit pay comes in and says we will reward you if… Why do you think teachers, who already use money from their salaries to be able to do their job better (an issue you won’t find in most other professions), would now want bonuses based on if you do more___ we’ll pay you more, but we take away more if you don’t increase test scores? By the way most of the tests are really designed to reflect well on students who come from a background that values education, makes sure they arrive with needs met, have resources to be supported at home and speak English at home… How many districts does this really describe?

Merit pay needs to wait, wait until we have dealt with the other issues. If we don’t wait, we’ll see a higher turnover rate, higher classroom numbers and less qualified teachers. Why stay try and improve your teaching if you will be penalized for trying new and innovative methods?

[Jeff Arenson]

I like the idea of Merit Pay. I think that there should be a 'reward' for teachers who do a great job with student learning. I don't know how you can find a nationally or state normed test(s) which can do that in all subjects. NCLB tests are a snapshot and don't measure student progress. 'MAP' and 'Scantron' do measure growth, but they only have a limited amount of subjects. There are many subjects which aren't part of NCLB and not tested.(Social Studies, Art,Foreign Language, Music, P.E., etc.) There are also subjects which are not tested at every grade level. (Science is only tested in 5th and 8th grade in Colorado)Of course, there are grade levels which aren't tested at all. (Junior/Seniors in High school and 2nd grade down to Pre-K)
Until every teacher, regardless of subject/content/grade, is given the same opportunity to earn 'Merit Pay' there can't be merit pay. I'd love to hear about any school or district that gives all teachers, regardless of grade level or content area, an equal opportunity to show that their students' growth is being maximized.
Until then, there should be other opportunities for teachers to have an impact on student learning. That could be a 'master' teacher, 'coach' or becoming 'Nationally Certified'. Even though they aren't in the classroom, they still can help teachers do their job better which will help student learning.

[Kim Cornwell]

Why don't we just pay teachers a descent base pay so that they can support themselves? A reasonable base pay for our smartest and brightest-competitive with the private sector-would be more beneficial to our educational system. Will merit pay motivate our teachers to do a better job of teaching our children? Hmmm... What about the teachers that are perfectly happy doing their mediocre job and getting their lower pay? We will continue to have unmotivated teachers who will show up, do nothing, and then take a pay check unless their are no more jobs for the unmotivated,lazy people. What a great world where there are so many people wanting to teach; able to choose teaching because their salary actually provides for lodging, food, and transportation! No positions left for slackers!!!

[Tamala McDermott]

I would rather have some kind of merit pay than step increases. I see teachers following normal bell curves. They are novices when they first start teaching or switch disciplines. These teachers continue their progression until they start to coast to retirement. In my opinion, step increases promote that coasting stage. What are the incentives to continue improving, learning, growing? I do have to admit how depressing it is to qualify for food stamps while have all High Performance reviews. It would be nice to have monitary rewards for going above and beyond expectations.

[Kim Cornwell]

I guess my real problem with this discussion is that we will reward the teachers that are performing well, using best practices, going above and beyond but what is the plan for the teachers who are not performing up to the predetermined standards. We haven't touched on the fact that all students have a right to the best teachers we have to offer. So, who stays in the slackers class...? There has got to be a better way to motivate and ensure that all of our students are getting the best instructors.

I can see some form of raise based on certain criteria, but I say if a teacher doesn't meet the standard set for that pay increase, we help them find another job.

[Jill Burgess]

Public School Districts in Alberta, Canada have not yet openly discussed the issue of merit pay with their teachers, for many of the same reasons some of you have raised in your posts. Being a teacher that also coaches, I understand the frustrations that teachers feel when their colleagues, who take home the same paycheque, leave the school five minutes after the students and never volunteer for any after school clubs or committees. However, I feel there are still so many negative aspects to merit pay that I would still have to vote against such a change. Like many other teachers, I have concerns as to who would be given the power to assign merit points and impose the new pay scale. It would be frustrating to have a district superintendent or principal who never really sees what goes on in your class on a day to day basis, be asked to make ‘fair’ decisions. On the flip side, letting test results, which most teachers believe do not give accurate results, be the merit marker seems like an even riskier decision. My greatest concern is that merit pay goes against the initiative of failure is not an option or no student left behind. A teacher worried about scoring enough monthly merit points will not be focused on improving their student based instruction or building common assessments as a member of a professional learning community.

[Tamala McDermott]

What about having a range within the step increases? There is already a range from step to step whether a teacher has a master's degree or not, etc. Can there be room in that step for a merit range? It does not have to be much, but something to strive for. Something that says administration recognizes someones effort. Those teachers in their coasting to retirement years would just receive the step increase while someone really showing their work is going above and beyond receives just a little hight without reaching the next step. Any thoughts?

[Shannon Hazeltine]

I worked for a few years with a major airline, and we were not awarded our raises on merit but on time on the job. When I returned to the teaching profession, I was once again awarded a raise based on my length of employment. At the beginning this really bothered me because I would see other teachers that had been employed longer not working as hard as me and still getting paid more money. Then I realized that I agreed to work at my school for the amount of money they said that they would pay me. I did not agree to work only if I got paid for all my hard work. I think that sometimes there are hidden rewards in knowing that you are doing a good job. It is easy to get caught up in the “I work harder for less money part of the job” but no teacher ever went into the teacher profession to make money.

[Shannon Hazeltine]

I worked for a few years with a major airline, and we were not awarded our raises on merit but on time on the job. When I returned to the teaching profession, I was once again awarded a raise based on my length of employment. At the beginning this really bothered me because I would see other teachers that had been employed longer not working as hard as me and still getting paid more money. Then I realized that I agreed to work at my school for the amount of money they said that they would pay me. I did not agree to work only if I got paid for all my hard work. I think that sometimes there are hidden rewards in knowing that you are doing a good job. It is easy to get caught up in the “I work harder for less money part of the job” but no teacher ever went into the teacher profession to make money.

[Monique Girard]

I agree with you Kim about the fact that we would be rewarding teachers who are performing well and those who go that extra mile. I know of districts that require teachers to get a certain amount of credits a few years after they begin teaching, to keep their teaching certificate. This ideas does have some merit to it. In the public schools here in Alberta, we do not have this system in place. Maybe this could help to motivate the unmotivated. My question is that if a teacher is struggling, what support systems do we have in place to help that person be successful?

[Intervention Teacher]

I am also onthe fence about merit pay. I know that I work a lot harder than some teachers at my school and there are many times I would like to receive merit pay for how hard I work. On the other hand, I also teach interverntion students. Intervention meaning they are at least 4-5 years below level and have had runins with the law. Would I be punished for raising them only two grades or rewarded for this movement considering their behavior and lack of attendance. Merit pay is a very grey area and very tricky. I have yet to be sold on or turn down the idea. I need more info.

[Elanna Nesmith]

Merit pay is a good way to reward teachers; according to the way it is given I do not believe it is fair. Merit pay is based on to the type(grouping of students) of class you have instead of how a teacher move the students. Teachers who have classes that are able to move with standardized state test and have the best readers are not what I would give merit to. Meaning these kids are going to achieve with a good teacher or bad one. Merit pay should be based on the lowest students in the class and how much they move. Teachers will teach those students who are able to learn and comprehend and send the other students who are not able either to an intervention or special education classes.
Teachers that are able to work with low-level students that are two to three grades below in reading and math should be paid Merit pay. They have proven to have relationship with the students instead of just teaching them. I do believe teachers of master level should work with students with most difficult in learning and mentor new teachers this will help close the achievement gap in education.

[Michael Warren]

Merit pay definitely has its benefits and its burdens. While it's great to be acknowledged for all the hard work and dedication you put into your work, it seems that only the master teachers would be qualified for this prestige. What novice teacher is going to get merit pay? At the school I teach at, a novice teacher cannot even win the teacher of the month or year award. It doesn't matter if you stay 5 hours later than another teacher does, some people are more organized and have a better grasp at day to day workflow. Why shouldn't they be rewarded? What if you have a particularly rough year and lose your merit pay? I"m sure some teachers would make a stink about that.

[Michael Myers]

I can see some benefit of merit pay but the pay systems I have seen so far are too subjective and there are far too many variables to aministrate the pay effectively or fairly. Besides, what teacher got into teaching for the money? Money is not what motivates a teacher to be effective!

[Shanna Scott]

I dislike the idea of Merit Pay because I think that if a teacher obtains their master's degree in education then the teacher should use their knowledge and expertise with their students. However, while thery are teaching full time they can be a mentor to another teacher; this is how my school district works. With Merit Pay I think the pool of teachers will decrease if alot teachers follow this route. The teachers that are already doing the Merit Pay may perfer working with adults rather than the students and leave the teaching profession.

[Phillip Parillo]

I do not agree with the concept of merit pay. I am a first year teacher and I do not think that we as teachers get paid bad. I am in a district that does not pay "well" according to the experienced teachers that I know. And I am already making more money than my parents did combined. And I live in a nice house and in a nice neighborhood and had nice things in my life. I do not like when teachers complain about money, this is the profession we wanted. We chose to get into teaching, I work hard and I coach as well, and I am obtaining my Master's degree, I do not think I deserve any more money because I am working my tail off. I understand that we as teachers work very hard, but we chose to do this and I am happy that I chose this profession. Merit pay makes sense in theory, but I do not think it is fair to make teaching a competitive field. It needs to be a more collaborative effort from the entire school and district. Let's worry about teaching our students instead of making more money.

[Traci]

As Michael Warren and Shannon Hazeltine have already brought to our attention - who goes into teaching for money?? We go into teaching not for money, but to change lives and make a difference. Why is this changing to the point where we demand money and suddenly, as Erica Watson stated "...our students are rewarding but this is not enough." I completely disagree. My students are the biggest reward and I am even so bold to say that I would do my job for half the salary I get. Sure - I get frustrated because I do put a lot of time, energy, and money into my students and teaching but I knew that when I went to college to be a teacher. Never once did I think I'd make my millions teaching and that I'd be recognized for doing a great job.
Teaching is a humble career and you don't get much recognition for the things you deal with on a daily basis. It's been like that for decades. Problems are blamed on you, the teacher and successes are accredited to the student. Any teacher will recognize this. To have the honor to go to my job every day and make a difference in students lives, the goal I set out to do when I decided teaching was my pathway, is a greater merit than any amount of money. We already have more benefits than many professions. So many of you are comparing teaching to other careers. Do other careers get a three month sabbatical every nine months? No - they usually have to put in 5 years or more. Do any other careers get off in the winter for at least a week and again in the spring? I don't know of many other professions that are promised nights and weekends off. Granted, we usually put in many extra hours (I know I put in at least 60 hours a week) but I chose teaching. Nobody told me I had to teach. It's what I chose. Requesting and demanding extra rewards to raise society's children and therefore - future is as ludicrous as the parents saying they should get paid to have children and stay at home with them. It doesn't make sense.
As RSXHamex stated, "teaching is something you should get better at every year. You need to continue to grow to meet our students needs, which are ever changing." Isn't that the philosophy of teaching anyway? Our reward as teachers, is not in dollars but in the future our students will have. Let's quit complaining and looking at all the negatives and instead remember why we all went into teaching. To make a difference as humbly as possible, and not to be recognized or rewarded in any way but the ways our students can reward us. I can honestly say, watching that light bulb click in my students heads, is better than any amount of money.

[Jan Edmiston]

If merit pay is based on student performance on standardized tests, then to be genuinely meritorious and to prevent "teaching to the test," there needs to be a portion of the test that is predictably unpredictable, more competitive, and which would demand application of wider knowledge and skills in the subject discipline. In order to receive merit pay, a significant percentage of a teacher's students (e.g. 10%) should have to score in the top percentiles on the competitive portions of the test. Or alternatively, a teacher would have to demonstrate moving a low-scoring group of students into a higher percentile scoring group.

To say that teaching and student performance on standardized tests should not be competitive is to say that our schools are not intended to help students succeed in our capitalistic economy.

[Shannon Hazeltine]

Traci, You said that very well. I think that we sometimes forget all the benefits that come with our job. I still hold to my thought that we agreed to do our best for the salary on our contract.
I also feel that we as Americans are moving into a sense of entitlement. "I deserve more just because I work harder than the person across the hall." I also believe that this sense of entitlement is harming America.

[Nicole Cramer]

I really like the idea. If my school district was to adopt merit pay, I would want it on an individual basis. This way, if my bonus is not as much as I would like, I have no one to blame but myself. But how would the amount be measured? Test scores? Observations/Evaluations? While I agree that teaching our nation's children and watching them learn is a reward in itself, it would be nice to be compensated and recognized for a job well done. Other professions have that, why not the profession that makes all others possible?

[Nicole Cramer]

In addition, I would like to say that if the merit pay was going to take me out of the classroom, I would have to say no thank you. If I truly am a "master teacher" and therefore deserving of merit pay, my time is best spent in the classroom. I love my job. I could've chosen a different career path, but this is what I have always wanted to do. I knew I wouldn't be rich when decided to be a teacher. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[Dion Patterson]

Merit pay has been a topic among fellow teachers for awhile. I am like other teachers in that I am on the fence about this topic. I totally agree that more money should be given to new teachers that opt to go into school districts that are achieving below certain standards.

I also agree that teachers that go beyond their call of duty should be rewarded, but the way of determining who gets that reward is what bothers me.

Student test scores should not be the only model of determination because no classroom will be alike year after year. Teachers that teach GT classes will be the only ones rewarded. This mode of thinking leaves out teachers that teach students with IEPs, students that have no parental support, as well as students that suffers from behavioral issues. Extra hours at school should also not be a model of determination, although I would benefit from this mode, there are some teachers that have family responsibilities that prevent them from staying late, so I would have to rule of this way of rewarding. Only giving master teachers merit pay also presents a problem because it creates a competitive environment in a school. Teachers should not work against one another, but work as one with each other so that everyone benefits.

[roger fritz]

I agree with merit pay idea a teacher will teach properly if he get pay by his capability and he will try to give best to get best.
_____________________
roger
Addiction Recovery Rhode Island

[Traci]

I don't understand why they do not do away with tenure and get rid of inadequate teachers, rather then pay the teachers who do their job, more. This way - You will have that incentive to keep working your butt off, like one has to do in every other profession. What it sounds like many of you are saying is to pay those who work harder and do their jobs, more. Again - we don't go into teaching for money so instead - why don't they get rid of the ineffective teachers since they are not doing their job and probably doing the kids, more harm then good. Aren't we there to benefit the students, not ourselves? If this is the case, forget about getting paid more since that is the last thing teaching is about and instead - let's focus on the students and what benefits them. Let's advocate to get rid of the teachers who do not do their job and that way - in the process, we will earn a lot more respect as a profession rather than resting on a pedestal of tenure and merit pay.

[Phillip]

I see some comments that may be regarding my post, I do not think that competition is bad. What I was saying is that teachers competing for money and merit pay could end up having teachers teaching to the test. And the more we teach to the test, the more problems (in my opinion) we will have. A lot of teachers are saying that more work should equal more money. Lots of jobs do not pay employees more money for more work. My father was a firefighter for 15 years. He worked harder than his co-workers. He cooked for all the guys, he was in shape and could attend to a fire longer, he also was fit enough to go into the houses and save lives. Now, he was not paid more and never complained about it. I understand that there could be benefits of merit pay, but I think that most teachers are learning great teaching strategies and this should increase the amount of success in the classroom. I agree with the posts that say we should get rid of bad teachers, that makes more sense. Give the ineffective teachers a chance to grow and if they do not show improvement, they should no longer be teachers.

[Michael Warren]

I want to live where Philip lives :) Philip says he is a first year teacher and owns a home, makes more money than his parents did/do and he couldn't be happier. Unless, as a first year teacher he is at the top of the guide (because he teachers math or science) I'm not sure how he could live so comfortably. I live in NJ where a first year teacher's salary can barely cover the rent and utilities. I'm not complaining about my job, but I think we need to put into perspective each other's socioeconomic status, especially when it comes to talk of paychecks.

[Stephanie Manso]

I think setting up a merit pay system would be great. I agree somewhat with Brian Christy that if the merit system were set up based on assessment scores, some teachers would be placed at a disadvantage. If the merit system were set up so that if the low academic performing student showed improvement each year, then I think that is something to be noted. In addition, I do not think novice teachers would be placed at a disadvantage. They should be rewarded for seeking professional development and implementing research-based strategies in the classroom. If the system was given much thought and if the administrators were not the soul evaluators, then I think the system could work. If parents, administration, and other teachers were involved in nomiting those who go the extra mile, I think it may work.
However, I agree with Jeff Arenson: a better base pay is a better idea =)

[Stephanie Manso]

Someone commented: “Never once did I think I'd make my millions teaching and that I'd be recognized for doing a great job.”
Of course most teachers do not go into teaching for money, but not because they make that conscious decision, but because they don’t truly understand the mechanics of money and living until they are faced with needing to buy a car, to get married, to buy a home, to start a family, etc. Those events take place in the beginning of our lives as adults when we graduate from college and land our first job. Only then do we face the reality of how important money is. Let’s be honest, we went into teaching because we wanted to work with people our own age, to share our great love for knowledge and education, and to inspire others to feel the same way. Sure, those who loved you warned, “Teachers do not make a lot of money,” but did we truly understand what that meant?
Today, less people are entering the profession because more and more young people are beginning to understand the value of money. Today, more people are leaving the teaching profession because not only are they dealing with the stress of learning how to manage a classroom, but they have the stress of trying to survive.
Therefore, my question is: When did it become shameful to say that teachers should get paid more? When did it become shameful for a teacher TO ADMIT that they want more money, or that they deserve more money? Everyone expects teachers to act, perform, and be professionals, but they do not want to treat us as professionals. Do not be ashamed that you want to be treated as a professional.

[Traci]

I want to be treated as a professional and that includes accepting the benefits and consequences of my job, such as a low salary and level or respect. The many benefits outweigh that by far. Such as summer vacation, along with winter and spring breaks, weekends and nights guaranteed off, etc. Oh - and one other thing, inspiring and teaching the future of America. I think before demanding more money, we need to take care of the many problems within the structures of our contracts and the tenure system we have in place.
As far as understanding the value of money and the "stress to survive," I understand both very well and very personally. I am still not complaining about my low salary because I knew what to expect in the realm of teaching. No one MADE me teach. I chose it. Why lure teachers by a higher salary? The problem with that is with a lower salary, you are truly getting the passionate teachers who care and will try. If you increase the salary to be a competitive wage with other "professionals" then you have people in it just to make a living, and not to teach and make a difference.

[Shannon Lowrie]

Traci - I hope there are still a lot of people that go into the field of medicine because they want to help others and make the world a healthier place - and they still have the potential of making a heck of a lot of money!!!! Nevertheless - I appreciate your thinking even if I do want the basic level of pay to be increased for all teachers - unrelated to the achievement of our clients.

In my opinion, stating that merit pay is a fair and equitable way to honor and reward teachers for student achievement makes about as much sense as saying that there is equal opportunity education for every student. It is virtually impossible to control all the variables that influence schools and our students and ultimately achievement, so how could we reward teachers for student achievement? If we were to level the teacher playing ground and make the competition (does anyone else see this - competitiveness - as a result of merit pay?) fair, wouldn't every teacher have to have the same access to resources as the next teacher? At some point, would the creativity of our craft be compromised in order to roll out high scoring test takers? What about the differences in students from year to year? How is that accommodated? Do teachers who have less access to PD become like our students who have less access to the education that THEY need to get where they need to go?
The best PD available is National Board Certification and it is accessible (not to be confused with easy...) to every teacher after 2 years of experience. Research already shows that National Board Certified teachers make significant differences in student achievement and we get bonuses for our investment in our students and ourselves. PROMOTE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION NOT MERIT PAY!!!

[Elizabeth]

As a teacher who works in a district where there is pay for performance, I can definitely confirm that there are problems within this practice. There are incentives that teachers at certain grades are not eligible for because their students do not take that particular test, or because they teach the grade where the student first takes that test (not allowing for longitudinal study of scores yet). Unfortunately, the performance pay in the district where I teach does not take into account at all the fact that some teachers barely put in the required hours and do hardly any work at home while others put in 12 hour days. If teachers' pay were merely hourly, I would be wealthy. I would not be rewarded under my district's pay for performance system for the extra hours I put in. But, a teacher who teaches advanced students who have high test scores would receive a bonus, as long as she teaches a grade higher than mine so that her test scores can be compared with those students' scores from the previous year. Indeed, I believe that pay for performance can lure the best teachers away from the schools where they are needed most. Personally, I find it insulting that some people think teachers would work harder if they were rewarded more. I have always worked hard, and I think all teachers should be paid more. I think there is nothing wrong with longevity increases, but I do think they should be significant enough that they are noticable in one's paycheck.

[Phillip]

Most teachers within this blog seem to want more money for more work. But if you look at it through the eyes of teachers like me. I teach Health, though it is required, I do not have any state of national standardized tests to prepare my students for. Much like psychology, music, PE, sociology, and family and consumer science teachers. So test scores and even grades would be a bad start. My students seem to enjoy my class and have a genuine interest in the topics that I cover. I do not feel it is fair for the other teachers if I was paid more because my students perform well. Also, I do not think it is fair for me to get paid more just becuase I implement many creative and new ways to teach. I can afford to take chances on these activities and strategies because I do not have to worry about a large state and national test. So from my eyes, I would get paid more, but I wouldn't think it fair. Regardless, if merit pay does find a place in education, I won't worry about it. I am going to work to be a great teacher and my only worry will be my students learning.

[Stephanie Manso]

Traci -

We still have enough time left after inspiring our great young minds to discuss money. Just because we are in the teaching profession does not make us any lesser of a person if we do. Working and earning money is part of life. As I stated before: somehow, somewhere, someone said that "inspiring" and "money" do not mix in the teaching profession. Why? In addition, I am shocked that you suggest that we get our passionate teachers by offering a lower salary. I disagree. In fact, we are losing quite a few great passionate teachers to other careers because of how low their salaries are. May I recommend a book to you?

In his book "The Quality School," William Glasser states, "If we accept that we need many more effective teachers, we also have to face the fact that a large part of what makes a job easy or hard is the pay" (p. 20-21). He also goes on to say, "If we continue to take the skill and art of teaching lightly, believing that almost anyone can do it...we will not make progress. Teaching is a very hard job that needs ample compensation"(p. 25).

In conclusion, for a person to even think of going into the field of education must be a passionate teacher who wants to inspire others. There are not many of us out there that have the skill to do that. Why shouldn't we feel that we should be valued for what many people cannot do? Not everyone can do brain surgery...yet look at that man's salary.

Reference:
Glasser, W. (1998). "The Quality School." (HarperCollins Publishers, Inc: New York)

[Kimberlee]

To be honest, I am actually surprised at how many people are really in favor of this merit pay idea. I had no idea that the concept was so popular. I am so opposed to this idea that I think I would quit teaching if that ever arrived in my district. I would much rather my district pay for materials and decent interventions for struggling students then merit pay. For one, merit pay will always be at the discretion of somebody else. Who is to decide who is worthy? Is it test scores? Then what about Kindergarten and first grade or special ed? They don't take the tests. What about the blessed folks who decide to teach in remedial or alternative schools? I feel that this would be just another way of class discrimination and would send a lot of good teachers to new places or out of the profession all together. Finally, what kind of message would this send to our children. "Sorry, no art today, got to get you ready to take tests!" This is an extrinsic reward and since I do not use any form of them with my students, I would not agree to use them for my own gain. I much prefer to think/hope that our future generations will be thinkers, ones who will look at a situation and wonder what can be instead of what can I get out of it?

[Ken Jensen]

Merit pay aside, our best teachers need to be working closly with our novice teachers, and this usually means they need to have fewer classes of their own.

This is no different than the best doctors having less patients so they have time to mentor new doctors.

These mentoring teachers, better known as instructional coaches, develop the skills to become instructional leaders. Through these experiences they can become what our country is sorely lacking and that is administrators who are truly instructional leaders.

Or if they choose to remain classroom teacehrs they should rotate out of the coaching position after 3 or 4 years and allow others to be trained.

In either scenario we are building the instructional capacity to take our students into the 21ts century.

[squeaker]

First, I thought there WAS merit pay of sorts most places---there is columned payscale rewarding increased years of service combined with increased post BS or MS education pursuits. Those who serve/train longer and increase their education-- merit more pay. Maybe that's too simple.

My own story: I served a hard case school in my area, the one with the poorest kids, highest number of English Language Learners, highest percentage of special education/special needs kids. I served there 10 years, all the while continuously improving my education in areas that could help my kids (I ended up with an MS plus 75 before it was done) My kids grew by leaps and bounds, they even won district and state level academic pursuits. I won many local and national level grants for enriched lesson plans and we participated like gang-busters in any and every community event that would showcase my kids. NCLB failed our school over and over because, though we made progress, in fact we made the aggregate progress over 3 years that we were supposed to---we still failed over a 3-yr period b/c one year we were a few points below THAT particular year's number---and one year one of our subgroups--the special education group, did not gain enough points, so that meant we failed as a whole school no matter that our overall score "passed."

Our staff became demoralized, fighting over who got "the good kids" in the population, and the admin. became stressed, cranky, cruel (knowing they would be transferred or fired due to the scores). I saw the writing on the wall as soon as merit pay discussions wafted through this mess. Not only did I leave the school for one with wonderful test scores, but being certificated and "highly qualified" in many subjects, I vowed NEVER AGAIN to teach a testable subject, and never again to submit myself to such inhumane, ridiculous measure, and I don't. I still keep my hand "in" leading some academically based clubs. I still enjoy helping kids explore the world and discover their interests and the power of becoming learned. I teach an elective that gives me and my students a little spot of JOY in the midst of the rubble that has become our standardized schooling. I KNOW it keeps me teaching and I HOPE it might keep some kids interested in coming to school every day. The kicker is---people in my district "congratulate" me for having been invited to teach at the high-test score school, as though it was an honor. It is NOT an honor, it is a refuge. I KNOW I need do little more than "coast" there if I would choose to do so. The kids are high socio-economic based, with supportive parents, and there are a fraction of the English Language Learners compared to my former post. Secretly, I know where all the REAL growth is in my district, b/c I saw it first hand over that 10-yr period. I know where my work was best and most-needed. But, having been kicked to the curb by NCLB and the spectre of merit pay, I finally had to fold up my tent and escape or leave the profession entirely.