Susan Creighton: Bring competition into the classroom

Pay teachers competitively and hold us accountabled

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 2nd, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Creighton, English Teacher at Flower Mound High School

Have you caught any of those investment house TV ads that show well-heeled 50-somethings sitting in a classroom musing how they're glad they were able to retire early so they could try their hand at teaching? The implication is that only with a sizable portfolio would they be able to indulge in their dream of teaching, because, of course, they would never be able to live on a teacher's salary. Sadly, they're right. I was halfway through writing an essay about leadership in America, unabashedly whining about how little teachers are paid in comparison to sports leaders or CEOs when the ugly little truth about education revealed itself to me: It's our fault because somewhere along the line, we've settled for security over accountability.

In every competitive venue in this country, those who achieve are rewarded with better pay and the security that comes with knowing their skills will always be marketable. Why do teachers choose to play by different rules? Why do we default to using unions, the guardians of security over higher pay and the protectors of the least common denominator, instead of establishing a hierarchy that will reward excellence?

When Texas is already using testing as a means to evaluate students as well as schools, why can't results and incentives be established that will introduce into the equation that most effective of all motivators – competition?

But we're not a business is a common refrain. School boards don't believe that. They set budgets and hold employees accountable for every dollar spent or collected. When I collect dues for the English Honor Society, I must fill out receipts in triplicate and account for every dime of the deposit. My principal, the theater director, the football program – they all know they're engaged in a business, and the bottom line determines their next year's budget.

Accountability? How is it fair for teachers to be held accountable for our students' test results? First we must accept that most students can succeed if given highly motivated teachers to teach them, and we already have yearly testing in most subjects, called TAKS. It seems to me that we could fairly easily assess how much a student has learned from one year to the next and key the average of students' scores back to the teachers they've had. Voilà, accountability.

So much of this idea is already in place. The College Board administers Advanced Placement exams, and we AP teachers find out every July how well our students did. The College Board even rewards each school with $30 for each student's successful completion of his or her exams. In the six years I've prepared students for the AP English Language and Composition exam, I've brought in thousands of dollars in these happy kickbacks to my high school.

My school has benefited, and I'm happy for that, but I never saw any of that money. My salary is determined simply by how many years I've taught in Texas, regardless of how well I've done my job. Other than just keeping my job, there is absolutely no incentive (other than personal pride) for me to improve my teaching.

This has to change.

Teaching can no longer be considered merely an entry-level position into education. To keep the skilled educators in the classroom, we need to create career paths for teachers that aren't administrative. Some states have established the position of Master Teacher, which puts their best teachers on pay scales similar to administrators' or counselors' and lets them stay in the classroom. Master Teachers should be the mentors and evaluators for others in their department, especially the new and challenged teachers.

I'm aware that much of what I've written is considered heresy in the world of education. And I have the privilege of teaching at a high-achieving school where the quality of the teachers is generally very high. But the constancy of low pay for the most vital element in the student's success quotient – the teacher – is universal.

In order for teaching to become a profession of prestige and respect in our society, we teachers need to be held accountable for the effectiveness of our teaching, in return for which we need to be rewarded with a respectable living wage commensurate with our performance.

Susan Creighton teaches English at Flower Mound High School and is a Teacher Voices volunteer columnist. Her e-mail address is creightons@lisd.net.

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