Misunderstanding Teachers is a costly mistake in Education

Writing that the general public misunderstands education and more specifically, the teaching profession, is snobbish. It is also necessary, for several reasons, the most striking dealing with teacher recruitment. When colleges and the government recruit teachers, they must focus on people willing look past the idealized side of education. The United States Department of Education predicts, "During the next three to five years, we could lose a third of veteran teachers and school leaders to retirement." To offset this, the current administration has proposed to double spending for teacher preparation programs to $235 million and increasing funding for school leadership preparation programs to $170 million. That money could be wasted if it trains people who leave the teaching field because the job cannot be what they envisioned.

I often write about a disconnect between the expectations of those who enter the teaching profession and the actual work day, pay, level of respect-and consequential lifestyle teachers lead. Recently, Lesley Chilcott, the producer of "Waiting for Superman" echoed my words.  When asked, "Does teaching have a branding problem?" she responded: Teaching is a profession—an extremely difficult one. It is one of the most important jobs one can have. And it's a job that deserves to be valued, appreciated and honored. In order to achieve more prestige and value for the teaching profession as a whole, we need to start talking about teaching, and teachers, in a different way. She continues with a bit of 'teaching history,' such as its roots in an agrarian lifestyle and different expectations than today. Teaching has a branding problem; working in education is more than what people think.

Understanding the teaching profession is key to wisely spending money. Training teachers is expensive. States often pay all or a part of college tuition for students who agree to teach in difficult to hire areas, such as special education. Once hired, school districts pay for mentors, workshops and conferences to train new teachers. Teachers often leave the profession because they are unhappy, which is a preventable reason. When teachers leave the profession after states and school districts have invested them, the education system suffers.

Defining and picturing the teaching profession requires looking at difficult questions and answering them honestly. Why are teachers not treated as professionals? How should that change? If teachers are professionals (and their levels of education would say they are), why does their pay not reflect that? Should all teachers be paid the same (more than just a difference between secondary and elementary)? What should be done about the disparity between working hours and pay? Some of the solutions for these problems are impossible to imagine at this stage in the education reform movement. Look at them we must, or continue to train teachers for a profession they will unhappily leave.

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