But exceptions exist. I am an eight-year veteran. I entered education by getting my certification to teach with my master's degree. In my fourth year of teaching, I applied for and received National Board Certification. I have been my schools' School Improvement Team chairperson twice. I served on school leadership a total of 5 years. I have been on district-wide committees numerous times and am a part of my state's review team for test questions. I think you'd call me "highly qualified."
Teaching is stressful. You don't just work a glorious 40 hour week, 10 months of the year. Yes, that is all you are paid for, but you work 60 hours a week, all year. Summer is spent revisiting curricular and assessment matters, attending professional development workshops, and pursuing higher education, all to stay on top of the game in our field. And I am not alone in this pursuit.
Participating in collective and collaborative school leadership is nice, but I want to be paid what I am worth. It is not a novel concept. My state legislatively forbids teacher unions, so I am literally "at the mercy" of state legislators each year.
Why can teachers not receive the pay for which they are worth? Why can novel approaches, like Denver's model, not be embraced by others? Why can our leigislators not understand just how much we work and how much we do, all to better America's children?
Posted as a reply to:
Training for Teacher Competency by Robin Axworthy
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