You work for your local, hometown bank as a drive-thru teller. It's the end of the month and you are meeting with your boss to discuss your performance.
Boss: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut your pay this month"
You: "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
Boss: "It seems like you didn't take in many deposits this month. We have to have more deposits to be able to function."
You: "You're kidding, right? I can't control how many people come through the drive-thru to make a deposit."
Boss: "I'm sorry, but I'm not kidding. This is our new policy. The amount you are getting paid will depend on how many deposits your customers make each month."
As you could imagine, you are very disappointed. The amount of money you depend on to support your family is not there anymore. But there's nothing you can do now. You go home, and over the next month, you study. You learn new strategies for your customers. You take books home on how to become a better banker. You read and read and read, look up new techniques until you can't stare at a computer screen anymore. You dream about banking. You spend your evenings, normally devoted to family time, with your nose in a book. You feel more prepared than ever before. You go into your boss' office the next month, expecting great results.
Boss: "It looks like there has been no change this month. In fact, your deposits are down again. Looks like I'll be cutting your pay again."
You: "I have worked so hard to get my deposits up! This can't be fair! I've done everything in my power to become a better teller. I am not in control of how much my customers deposit."
Boss: "Betty hasn't had any troubles getting high deposits each month."
You try to explain that Betty is inside, where all the big businesses go for deposits, that the drive-thru is where people go for quick service with their little deposits, that maybe because it's around Christmas time people don't have much money to deposit, but there's nothing he can do. This was a policy set in place by someone much higher up than him. And although he does not agree, he must abide by it.
This, essentially, is what will happen to teachers in Missouri if Amendment 3 passes in November. Our pay would be determined by how well our 'customers' (students) are performing. For me personally, that would mean that 6- and 7-year-olds would be setting my salary. How scary is that?
Let's take this a little bit at a time, because there is a lot covered on this Amendment. (By the way, you can read the exact language here.)
If passed, teachers would be evaluated by a standards-based evaluation system. Basically, there will be a set of standards that each teacher must achieve to be considered a competent teacher. We are already evaluated each year, so this doesn't change *much* when it comes to our jobs. It will be a more thorough list of standards we must meet each year. However, state and local funding will be based off of these evaluations. Although I'm not how this will be assessed, I don't necessarily agree that funding be based off of teacher evaluations (I'm assuming they will use this as motivation to get 'bad' teachers out of schools.)
Next, if passed, teachers will be "dismissed, retained, demoted, promoted, and paid primarily using quantifiable student performance data as part of the evaluation system." This is what the first part of my post was about. This is my 6th year teaching, and while I finally feel comfortable and confident in my career, I know it is not long in the grand scheme of things. However, I think back on my 6 years of teaching, and I can vividly remember groups of students who tested me as a teacher. Some were SO SMART, but could not focus when it came around to test time. Some groups were so low academically that I knew I would never get them all to where they needed to be by the end of the year. Some groups had such bad behaviors that the rest of the class suffered. However, one thing remains the same each year...our end-of-year scores fluctuate. I always have good surprises and bad surprises. I would never, ever want my salary to be based off of what a piece of paper says. And it's not because I feel like I am a lazy teacher who just wants to sneak by under the radar. I work my butt off for every one of my kids. When one struggles, I rack my brain and everyone else's brains until I find something that works. But in the end, I know the score on that paper tells me nothing about the person who completed the test. I know my students better than any test or government official ever will.
Here are some things to think about. There are some secondary teachers who teach all advanced classes, and some who teach basic classes. Who do you think will get paid more? What are we going to do for the Art teachers, who do not give a standardized test at the end of the year? Will we start making tests for everything? Music, P.E., library, etc.? Come on, people, it's not realistic!
And finally, if passed, this Amendment would require teachers to enter into contracts of three years or fewer with school districts. This is to get rid of tenure. I am not yet a tenured teacher, so I don't know what the feeling of being tenured is like. I think most of the public thinks being tenured means you can't get rid of a bad teacher. That is not what it is! You still have to hold up your end of the contract as a tenured teacher. It is not impossible to get rid of a teacher who is not teaching. Period. Tenure does, however, make it impossible to get rid of a teacher for no reason. As a non-tenured teacher, technically I can be told at any moment that I don't have a job next year and they don't have to give me a reason. Yes, I understand that any other job has the same risk. However, in our line of work, a school board (who generally has no background in education) has the ultimate decision on whether or not you will get your contract renewed (yes, most listen to the advice from administrators, but the ultimate decision rests in the hands of the school board).
While talking to a teacher friend last night about tenure, she told me that tenure gives you the security to stand up for what you believe without fearing your job will be on the line. She said that she recently fought for a student (which teachers do ALL the time), saying things she believed would best benefit the student even though no one else agreed. Without tenure, who will fight for the students? Who will stand up to do the right thing when no one else agrees?
I recently posted a video to Facebook about a bill that is trying to be passed in Missouri to prohibit teachers from getting involved in any sort of political activity. If you missed the video, click here to watch it. It is very disturbing that this was even a thought that crossed a politician's mind. Are they seeing how teachers are fighting back against Amendment 3, scared it won't pass, and trying to silence the people who are standing up for their rights? Think about other issues on the ballots and where this will lead in the future...
I encourage you to educate yourself on this Amendment and make a decision you are comfortable with. Above all, please, please, PLEASE have some trust in your local school district and know they are doing anything and everything to support, teach, and care for your children.
This, essentially, is what will happen to teachers in Missouri if Amendment 3 passes in November. Our pay would be determined by how well our 'customers' (students) are performing. For me personally, that would mean that 6- and 7-year-olds would be setting my salary. How scary is that?
Let's take this a little bit at a time, because there is a lot covered on this Amendment. (By the way, you can read the exact language here.)
If passed, teachers would be evaluated by a standards-based evaluation system. Basically, there will be a set of standards that each teacher must achieve to be considered a competent teacher. We are already evaluated each year, so this doesn't change *much* when it comes to our jobs. It will be a more thorough list of standards we must meet each year. However, state and local funding will be based off of these evaluations. Although I'm not how this will be assessed, I don't necessarily agree that funding be based off of teacher evaluations (I'm assuming they will use this as motivation to get 'bad' teachers out of schools.)
Next, if passed, teachers will be "dismissed, retained, demoted, promoted, and paid primarily using quantifiable student performance data as part of the evaluation system." This is what the first part of my post was about. This is my 6th year teaching, and while I finally feel comfortable and confident in my career, I know it is not long in the grand scheme of things. However, I think back on my 6 years of teaching, and I can vividly remember groups of students who tested me as a teacher. Some were SO SMART, but could not focus when it came around to test time. Some groups were so low academically that I knew I would never get them all to where they needed to be by the end of the year. Some groups had such bad behaviors that the rest of the class suffered. However, one thing remains the same each year...our end-of-year scores fluctuate. I always have good surprises and bad surprises. I would never, ever want my salary to be based off of what a piece of paper says. And it's not because I feel like I am a lazy teacher who just wants to sneak by under the radar. I work my butt off for every one of my kids. When one struggles, I rack my brain and everyone else's brains until I find something that works. But in the end, I know the score on that paper tells me nothing about the person who completed the test. I know my students better than any test or government official ever will.
Here are some things to think about. There are some secondary teachers who teach all advanced classes, and some who teach basic classes. Who do you think will get paid more? What are we going to do for the Art teachers, who do not give a standardized test at the end of the year? Will we start making tests for everything? Music, P.E., library, etc.? Come on, people, it's not realistic!
And finally, if passed, this Amendment would require teachers to enter into contracts of three years or fewer with school districts. This is to get rid of tenure. I am not yet a tenured teacher, so I don't know what the feeling of being tenured is like. I think most of the public thinks being tenured means you can't get rid of a bad teacher. That is not what it is! You still have to hold up your end of the contract as a tenured teacher. It is not impossible to get rid of a teacher who is not teaching. Period. Tenure does, however, make it impossible to get rid of a teacher for no reason. As a non-tenured teacher, technically I can be told at any moment that I don't have a job next year and they don't have to give me a reason. Yes, I understand that any other job has the same risk. However, in our line of work, a school board (who generally has no background in education) has the ultimate decision on whether or not you will get your contract renewed (yes, most listen to the advice from administrators, but the ultimate decision rests in the hands of the school board).
While talking to a teacher friend last night about tenure, she told me that tenure gives you the security to stand up for what you believe without fearing your job will be on the line. She said that she recently fought for a student (which teachers do ALL the time), saying things she believed would best benefit the student even though no one else agreed. Without tenure, who will fight for the students? Who will stand up to do the right thing when no one else agrees?
I recently posted a video to Facebook about a bill that is trying to be passed in Missouri to prohibit teachers from getting involved in any sort of political activity. If you missed the video, click here to watch it. It is very disturbing that this was even a thought that crossed a politician's mind. Are they seeing how teachers are fighting back against Amendment 3, scared it won't pass, and trying to silence the people who are standing up for their rights? Think about other issues on the ballots and where this will lead in the future...
I encourage you to educate yourself on this Amendment and make a decision you are comfortable with. Above all, please, please, PLEASE have some trust in your local school district and know they are doing anything and everything to support, teach, and care for your children.
