The Chicago teachers strike is not just a local issue. It's an issue about the future of education and even the future of our society. Teachers should be paid for doing their job, which is to provide instruction, to the best of their ability. Why should teachers be penalized based on factors which they cannot control?
Do doctors get penalized if their obese patients refuse to eat healthy and exercise? Do police officers get penalized if the criminals they arrest go out and commit more crimes?
Why should teachers get penalized when they have no control over whether their students study? Why should teachers pay the price for so many parents who let their children play with video games and smartphones rather than do their homework?
I see teachers doing an excellent job all the time. I see them constantly striving to engage and motivate students. I am one of those teachers. Regardless of how hard we try, some students simply respond and some do not. That is because each student's academic success is based mainly on factors that are not in the teacher's hands. It is based on each student's natural ability. It is also based on the student's home environment and how conducive it is to the child's education.
Some patients listen to their doctor's advice and make healthier choices. Some do not. Some criminals reform after an arrest and leave their life of crime behind. Some do not. Still, doctors and police officers get paid for doing their job to the best of their ability. So should teachers.
I agree. There was nothing my Algebra II teacher could've done to motivate me, for I so hated that subject. So much so that I failed the class and had to retake it in summer school. And to my dismay it was the same teacher teaching it. I eventually scrapped by with a C. However, I was self motivated and received good marks in subjects I was interested in.
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