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Just what the economy in the state of NY needs, more low paying jobs. If the teachers and directors of these schools will be paid a decent wage, why not pay the men and women, who will give their blood and sweat to build these schools the decent wage they deserve?

And somewhere, bloomberg, klein, gates, broad, moskowitz, and sharpton are high-fiving, chest-bumping, and giggling their asses off. Meanwhile, weingarten and other Union leaders just stay very still and quiet, and sit on their hands…and sit…and sit…and sit.

I’d take exception to the assertion that charters pay prevailing wage, unless the time of working people counts for nothing at all. If KIPP, for example, pays 20% more, but teachers work 60% more, as Sara Mosle wrote in Slate, they actually pay less.

Kitchen Sink
I find it interesting that Obama asked that question. I wonder if he’s ever seen a bad politician and what he’s done about it? See one Rudy B who everyone knew was doing funny stuff in the very backyard of Obama. I would say, that bad politicians – and not just crooks but ineffective ones – are way more harmful to all than a bad teacher. And did he ask if we ever saw a bad doctor? They actually kill people – and believe me I know people in the medical field and they never get rid of bad doctors. Or ineffective cops. You think there are any of those? Or worse of all, bad principals and I can attest I’ve seen plenty of those.

Thus the focus on bad teachers and the ‘research’ about it seems to me politically motivated. But you’ll be accusing me of ducking Obama’s question.

First of all, I saw quite a few bad teachers – mine. Two out of my first six teachers in elementary school were bad the the other 4 very good. I had a few dousies in junior and senior high and even in college. Somehow we survived the bad teachers. But I digress again.

I know you meant how many did I see in my teaching life. I spent the last 4 years of my career visiting schools as a staff developer in Williamburg and saw lots of teachers and very few bad ones – mostly newbies struggling.

I did spend 3 years at one school when I started and we were innundated with new teachers.
I was definitely a bad teacher my first year, thankfully as a sub. Because of so many newbies there were lots of classes out of control. When I transferred to another school, the staff was older and the quality of teaching was at a higher level. I think there is a direct correlation, in spite of the propaganda about older and the newer, energetic teachers.

Teachers spend most of their time teaching and not watching other teachers. From what I did see, there was a normal bell curve of “quality” a very subjective word. Some of the worst were protected by my principal because they were political allies. Almost every teacher I poll has said they felt there were about 5% bad teachers who should not teach. Many self-selected themselves out of the classroom- or the difficulties they had with kids selected them out. An awful lot became supervisors, not a surprise to many teachers today. If you like teaching a lot you don’t leave the classroom. If you are bad, it’s hell. There are not a lot of bad teachers who do it for a career, though in the old days they did – like my 2nd grade teacher.

When bad teachers leave you still will end up with replacements that are often also not too good. Some get better. Some don’t.

The point is that these witch hunts for the so-called “bad” teachers is way out of proportion to the problem. If we gave principals the right to fire whomoever they want immediately, the idea that the problems in education would be solved is a pipe dream. Why? Because I have seen so many more bad principals than bad teachers and as long as these people make the same bad decisions without checks and balances that should come from a strong teachers union even at the cost of protecting some bad teachers, we will always be swimming uphill.