4 ms·

Finland both pays and respects its teachers. This is not so much the case in the US, where teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting. Also, prestige/symbolic

by growlix 12y ago

Finland both pays and respects its teachers. This is not so much the case in the US, where teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting. Also, prestige/symbolic capital is a powerful motivator. It seems to me that in the US, wealth is a major contributor to prestige, so they're often not dissociated in professional attainment.

happyscrappy 12y ago
Massachusetts is larger than Finland and has a better educational system. How does Europe fare when compared to the US?
djrogers 12y ago
> teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting I'd vehemently dispute that chartacterization. I've never once in my life run in to anyone who felt that way, with the possible exception of some politicians and union heads.
- geoffbrown2014 12y ago
  I think you need to expand your horizons. There are large portions of the US population that view our public schools as little more than glorified daycare. While I agree for the most part, I admit that there are exceptions where we do have really solid public schooling. The exceptions are for the rich kids in schools like New Trier, etc.. There is a nearly unlimited number of edu startups trying to address this very problem, they wouldn't exist if we had good schools.
- kevin_thibedeau 12y ago
  Dispute it all you want. It's true. This plagues the lower echelons of society which you may be too distanced from to be aware of. Ask anyone from a school with a large population of students from poor families. When a kid's parents are illiterate and innumerate they tend to not rise above their station.
- omegaham 12y ago
  While you're correct in that teachers in better districts are respected, teachers in the inner city literally are babysitters (although I would argue that they earn every penny of their paychecks; they aren't overpaid). They spend so much time and effort keeping order that they can barely teach the classes. No parental involvement, kids with mental disorders who cannot be disciplined, insanely high class sizes, and an administration that shrugs and says, "Just keep us from getting closed." Just get 'em to 18 (or earlier - a lot will drop out) and get 'em out the door. Someone else's problem now, probably the state penitentiary.
bduerst 12y ago
>teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting. I think it's also an example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which parents think that just because they have kids, it makes them experts at education. This is ultimately harmful because it makes parents feel superior to educators in their respective field.
- ptaipale 12y ago
  Many people also think they are experts in education, even if they don't have kids, but they've been to school.
streptomycin 12y ago
Teachers in the US are paid more than teachers in Finland: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/09/09/business/economy/teachersalary.jpg http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/09/09/business/econ...
- digz 12y ago
  Adjust those for cost of living and the US would be even more competitive.
  - streptomycin 12y ago
    It's already adjusted for cost of living, the y axis is PPP.

by growlix 12y ago

happyscrappy 12y ago

Massachusetts is larger than Finland and has a better educational system. How does Europe fare when compared to the US?

djrogers 12y ago

> teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting I'd vehemently dispute that chartacterization. I've never once in my life run in to anyone who felt that way, with the possible exception of some politicians and union heads.

geoffbrown2014 12y ago
I think you need to expand your horizons. There are large portions of the US population that view our public schools as little more than glorified daycare. While I agree for the most part, I admit that there are exceptions where we do have really solid public schooling. The exceptions are for the rich kids in schools like New Trier, etc.. There is a nearly unlimited number of edu startups trying to address this very problem, they wouldn't exist if we had good schools.
kevin_thibedeau 12y ago
Dispute it all you want. It's true. This plagues the lower echelons of society which you may be too distanced from to be aware of. Ask anyone from a school with a large population of students from poor families. When a kid's parents are illiterate and innumerate they tend to not rise above their station.
omegaham 12y ago
While you're correct in that teachers in better districts are respected, teachers in the inner city literally are babysitters (although I would argue that they earn every penny of their paychecks; they aren't overpaid). They spend so much time and effort keeping order that they can barely teach the classes. No parental involvement, kids with mental disorders who cannot be disciplined, insanely high class sizes, and an administration that shrugs and says, "Just keep us from getting closed." Just get 'em to 18 (or earlier - a lot will drop out) and get 'em out the door. Someone else's problem now, probably the state penitentiary.

bduerst 12y ago

>teaching is viewed as overpaid babysitting. I think it's also an example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which parents think that just because they have kids, it makes them experts at education. This is ultimately harmful because it makes parents feel superior to educators in their respective field.

ptaipale 12y ago
Many people also think they are experts in education, even if they don't have kids, but they've been to school.

streptomycin 12y ago

Teachers in the US are paid more than teachers in Finland: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/09/09/business/economy/teachersalary.jpg http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/09/09/business/econ...

digz 12y ago
Adjust those for cost of living and the US would be even more competitive.
- streptomycin 12y ago
  It's already adjusted for cost of living, the y axis is PPP.