4 ms·

Well, I think the real pain point is teachers in a lot of locales are just really not paid much. Which pushes them out of poorer districts into wealthier ones

Well, I think the real pain point is teachers in a lot of locales are just really not paid much. Which pushes them out of poorer districts into wealthier ones where their jobs are easier and they get paid more. Even if all we did was find a way to pay teachers better it would be a big improvement I think. Not sure what specific waste you're referring to.

giantg2 4y ago
In some states teachers may be paid poorly. There are a lot of states where they are paid well. My state pays well. However, increasing pay is not going to get many more or much better teachers. The teachers I know would rather work for less money at a private school because there's less bureaucracy and better policies. I have a friend who completed his student teaching and decided not teach because the school policies sucked and the kids were terrible. He took a lower paying non-teaching job instead.
- wollsmoth 4y ago
  Yeah, private schools can be nicer because it's way easier to remove problem students. They're also typically attended by students whose parents actually care about education and make their kids do homework. Public schools are obliged to educate everyone. My district would funnel bad students into an alternative school, not all areas have that kind of resource. We can't make parents care about educating their kids. But some districts have teachers barely getting by, or struggle to hire due to low pay. It doesn't sound like the area where your friend works doesn't have this problem, but generally teachers should be able to live on their salaries.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    Well, these are friends in three states and across multiple locations in my state. Two of the states are in the top 10 and one is somewhere in the bottom 25 (list was top 25). And while this doesn't speak nationally (other areas may pay less), it does show that even in these well-off and higher paid states, the issue isn't money, yet the demand for more funding and higher pay is still a talking point.

giantg2 4y ago

In some states teachers may be paid poorly. There are a lot of states where they are paid well. My state pays well. However, increasing pay is not going to get many more or much better teachers. The teachers I know would rather work for less money at a private school because there's less bureaucracy and better policies. I have a friend who completed his student teaching and decided not teach because the school policies sucked and the kids were terrible. He took a lower paying non-teaching job instead.

wollsmoth 4y ago
Yeah, private schools can be nicer because it's way easier to remove problem students. They're also typically attended by students whose parents actually care about education and make their kids do homework. Public schools are obliged to educate everyone. My district would funnel bad students into an alternative school, not all areas have that kind of resource. We can't make parents care about educating their kids. But some districts have teachers barely getting by, or struggle to hire due to low pay. It doesn't sound like the area where your friend works doesn't have this problem, but generally teachers should be able to live on their salaries.
- giantg2 4y ago
  Well, these are friends in three states and across multiple locations in my state. Two of the states are in the top 10 and one is somewhere in the bottom 25 (list was top 25). And while this doesn't speak nationally (other areas may pay less), it does show that even in these well-off and higher paid states, the issue isn't money, yet the demand for more funding and higher pay is still a talking point.