Here's why:
Deborah Torres-Gore, who teaches second- and third-graders in Fontana, Calif., said other factors must be considered when judging the effectiveness of teachers.
"When I look into the eyes of a student who I have taught in the past — or I stand at the door in the morning and my students say Mrs. Gore, 'I love you,' or Mrs. Gore, 'You're such a good teacher' — am I effective or not? I think I'm effective," she said.
I get it -- results don't matter. We just need to feel good!
1 comment:
Hmm, not sure I agree with you. (For once.)
I can sit here and argue the ineffectiveness of standardized testing, and talk about how students can be extremely smart and be fully engaged in a classroom setting and do badly on exams. Or I can argue that students may have learned a lot because of a great teacher but chose to blow off the testing because it's uncool. Or I can argue that it doesn't make much sense to punish the teacher who can be the best in the school because her students don't care to prove it.
I'm sorry, but if a teacher has made such a big impact on a student's life for him to tell her, "You're such a good teacher," then she's done her salary worth. How often do teachers hear this from the general public?
I would certainly not want *my* salary to be based on the performances of others. Teachers have regular reviews done by superiors, are mandated to continue their education, have state and federal regulations and guidelines to follow, and they have parents of their students to contend with.
Teachers do not get a free-pass in their profession, and they certainly take more of a beating than they deserve.
So merit pay proposals? When the president's salary is based on how well his underlings do their jobs, and it's this way all the way down, then we'll talk.
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