Everyday economics: Today's topic Teacher Salaries

Got in to an arguement with a teenagers about teachers salaries and tenure. Actually college students studying teaching, but they looked like teenagers to this old man. I tried to explain the purpose of tenure: to give teacher the freedom to explore and innovate.

I mentioned how under paid teachers were comapred to the rest of the professional class. And the NYT article on teacher salaries. Here.

We discussed the problem of teaching to the test. But all the simple questions quickly end up with philosophical and moral choices. What should we teacher our kids ?? What kind of society do we want ?? What is a teachers role in society ?? How should we reward teacher, cops, firemen, prison guards ?

I got deaf ears. They insisted tenure was bad and teachers were lazy. However, it is mice to see people focused on the teaching profession even as they were set against it. At least they care and are willing to consider a different point of view.

But then they went back to the usual: "the current system is not working." But for a few moments they were thinking.

Note: Anyone who wants an advanced credit topic can look up service process R&D and innovation in teaching methods. Service process R&D is very difficult.

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