An overwhelming majority of Americans are frustrated that it’s too difficult to get rid of bad teachers, while most also believe that teachers aren’t paid enough, a new poll shows.
The Associated Press-Stanford University poll found that 78% think it should be easier for school administrators to fire poorly performing teachers. Yet overall, the public wants to reward teachers ”” 57% say they are paid too little, with just 7% believing they are overpaid and most of the rest saying they’re paid about right.
I was a teacher. I was branded a bad teacher by an administrator, though my kids learned, and improved. I’ve since quit the profession. I’ve met some bad teachers, but most of them became bad because they got disenchanted by the system that they once worked very hard for. After working 60+ hour weeks, they saw little appreciation from administrators, parents, and kids. So, they decided to make it just a job until retirement. I don’t blame them one bit. If you want a way to make teachers stay good teachers, give them some support… don’t blame them for lazy effort in kids, give them support and more authority in the classroom, and (parents) don’t expect the teacher to handle everything… put some time in yourself.