Fixing American Education

I just read a headline about teacher-pay negotiations starting. It got me to thinking....

Jane and I have taught people from around the world. Ours is the only culture - and I'm not exaggerating when I say this - ours is the only culture that does not hold its teachers in high esteem. Some countries pay their teachers handsomely, like Switzerland. Many do not. But in every country, educators are at the top of the social heap, right up there with political leaders, doctors, and wealthy capitalists.

So why not here? Why is the US so unique in this regard?

I think that first and foremost, we Americans equate social class with economic class. "How much do you make?" is the standard by which we judge each other. It's shallow and lame, but that's how we work - even those of us who eschew this consciously have this perspective below the surface.

Teachers get paid very, very little. If they value themselves so little, and if their employers (the school system) value them so little, then clearly they have little value. That is the cultural undercurrent in our society.

Then there's all that vacation time, and the way they end the work day in the early afternoon. No one else on earth has tenure. What is that, anyway? Teachers have a cushy job, we think.

Finally, look at the discipline problems that teachers have to face every day. Lack of support from the administration and school board means that kids are practically encouraged to mistreat their teachers. How are we supposed to respect these people if their own bosses, and little children, don't respect them?

Despite all that's right with American education - for instance, the fact that we have a practical monopoly on excellent colleges; the fact that it truly is the best system in the world - there's an awful lot wrong with it, too.

Here is my modest proposal to turn that around:

1. Double teacher pay. Seriously. If we want the cream of the employment pool crop, we have to pay for it.

2. Limit class size to 12 students. Better to have 6 & 7 in a class than 13. Nothing else is half as important as this one factor.

3. Limit school size to 150 students. That is the size at which groups fragment, cliques form, and alienation sets in. Sports teams and other extracurriculars can involve groups of schools practicing and competing as one.

4. Eliminate education departments and majors from colleges. Teachers must know content - a math teacher should be a math major, a history teacher a history major, etc. Masters can be in psychology, but not education.

5. Administrations must exist solely to support teachers, rather than vice-verse. That means that classroom discipline is taken seriously.

6. Teachers should be judged on performance and enthusiasm! Burnout in most private-sector jobs is not tolerated. Why would it be in our most important profession of all?

"What will all this cost?!?" many will howl about items 1 & 2, and possibly 3 as well. But this is my reply: if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

I know I lost an entire community of support with items #4 & 6. About four-fifths of the teachers I've ever met - the talented ones - will love these suggestions. But there are vested interests out there who will see this as a threat to their jobs. Sorry, guys.

All sorts of administrators will have trouble with #5 - that's the principle of the inverted pyramid that Coine teaches our corporate clients, and even in the private sector this is a hard sell. A lot of people seek management positions for status, not service. It's just human nature.

You know what's funny in all this (or sad, depending on your outlook)? Private schools already do all of this, with the unfortunate exception of #1. And if you're completely honest with yourself, you'll have to admit that most private, non-parochial schools give an education that is far superior to public schools. I am the product of both, and I'm living proof that this is true. But I'll spare you that for another day.

I am not going to hold my breath for any of this to happen in the public sector - there are too many entrenched interests out there. But I think the dialog is worth having anyway. After all, our nation's future is at stake.