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average for all seniors taking the
test was 893.
A Price to Pay
With the furor over teachers and
education growi ng annually, it
would be well to take a long, hard
look at the future to see what must
be done to attract bright, creative,
talented men and women to the
teaching profession.
One good place to start is to ele–
vate the pay structure to a respect–
able leve! and place it near the top
of the priorities that will help
attract the cream-of-the-crop to
this profession.
As a contrasting example, it is a
shame many who don't even learn
the basic ski lls of reading and writ–
ing can earn astronomical salaries in
professional athletics. Millions of
Americans are willing to pay $15 or
more to view a professional sporting
event, making it possible to pay high
salaries to athletes. Yet those same
spectators may scream at the
thought of paying an extra $15 in
taxes to support teacher pay raises.
And those same people are the
chronic complainers about the stan–
dards of education their children are
receiving.
I t somehow doesn't make sense.
The concern over educational
standards and the mounting vio–
lence in the public schools is driv–
ing more and more American fami–
lies to place children in prívate
schools or even take them out of
school altogether, educating them
in the home.
Bu t the high cost of prívate
schooling doesn 't make this a viable
alternat ive for most families. And
few fami lies are reaJly qualified to
educate their own chi ldren at
home-even though in the United
States sorne estímate as many as
three million people are pursuing
in-home education.
In Britain many parents are so
concerned about the teacher strikes
and other problems of education
that thousands are pursuing special
schooling for their children.
The school systems of many
nations are clearly in trouble.
A Word About Teacher
Quallflcatlons
Awareness of lower test scores, dis–
ruption of classes, lack of discipline
September 1985
and related problems have focused
attention on the lack of qualifica–
tions in teachers.
Recent legislation passed in the
state of California requires a profi–
ciency tes t for college graduates
entering the teaching profession.
The first test was administered
in late 1982. Results were shock–
ing. Nearly 7,000 prospective
teachers took the test. Almost one
third fai led it.
How many of the presently cre–
dentialed teachers could pass the
test? California does not require
such testing for establ ished teach–
ers. But many states are consider–
ing it-a few have implemented
this procedure.
In many cases teachers resist
such testing and evaluation. Why?
What is there to fear if they have
been properly educated, are good
teachers, have a successful record?
Taking a test shouldn't interfere
with that career. And what if they
can't pass a standardized test? How
about requiring night school till
they can? And if they can't should
they even be teaching at all?
A cartoon appeared in the Loo–
don
Daily Mail.
In the car toon
teachers on s trike were picketing
with signs for more pay. One teach–
er's sigo demanded tbe superinten–
dent "shud pay us what weer
wurth!" Another teacher leaned
over and said, "For your sake, 1 do
hope he doesn
't."
Eloquent ly spoken!
If
pay scales are ever going to
reach an acceptable leve!, teachers
must be qualified . Of all people
who ought to know reading, writing
and arithmetic, teachers should .
The Questlon of Merlt
Then there is the question of teach–
er advancement and pay based on
merit-success in the classroom.
This sounds good at first, but no
one has yet devised an effective
method for evaluating teachers.
lt
is subjective.
A few years ago 1 took a course
on the history of higher education.
1 don't think 1 ever had a teacher
more int erest ing in the class–
room-he was truly a teacher's
teacher. Students in the School of
Education clamored to get his
section of the required course.
Bu t in university life, most
teachers are evaluated on how
much they publish-not only on
how well they teach.
This teacher loved teaching so
much and was so good at teaching
that he didn't fi nd t ime to publish
often enough in educational jour–
nals and magazines. When evalu–
ated for tenure, he was turncd
down because he had not published
sufficiently. Yet his classes were
full. All the students 1 talked to
said he was the best teacher they
had ever had (and this was in the
doctoral program).
Those teachers who can inspire,
motívate and lift the spirits of stu–
dents need recognition. Up to now
they have had to be content with a
file drawer full of appreciative let–
ters from former students.
The future of education is at
stake. The next generation and the
one after that are in our hands
today. We need quality teachers
and safe schools.
There is little chance the most
capable lawyers, doctors, corporate
executives, accountants and busi–
nessmen are going to retrain as
teachers and school administrators.
But the rewards of teaching and
school administration are great.
The joy of seeing children learn,
grow, progress, overcome is beyond
explanation.
l f men and women of high school
and college age see the challenge of
teaching for what it really is, if they
knew it wou Id become one of the
most highly respected professional
fields, if they knew it would have
sufficient and comparable financia!
rewards as other professions, you
would see a new flood of students
to the field of education.
And it would not be a flood of
those who didn't know what else to
do, of substandard students who
couldn't measure up to law, busi–
ness and medicine courses. l t would
be a flood of the most capable men
and women in the nation.
If
parents, administrators and
teachers would rally together with
the intent to ban polydrug abuse, to
improve conditions, to restore disci–
pline and make the schools safe and
to strive for excellence, we would
be on the way to solving our educa–
tion dilemma.
In ashort time the furorover teach–
ers and education would cease! o
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