In my previous post, I mentioned some ideas to improve our education system
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/10/education-reform.html
Now, here's a few more
1) Get rid of seniority preferences
Imagine shopping at a store where those with seniority can say "you look fat in that dress" and still be less likely to be fired than a new hire who provides great customer service!
Well guess what? That is how our public education system operates!
That's right. A rude ineffective teacher who's been around for decades is LESS LIKELY TO BE LAID OFF than a new great teacher that inspires the students.
In fact, that's the union rules!
It's called Last In, First Out or LIFO!
I'm not anti-union per se! Unions can help with workers who feel that they've been mistreated by their bosses.
But with LIFO, the unions are becoming the new oppressors!
Some say "hey, the older teachers have been in the community for a long time, let's keep them around"
A rude ineffective teacher HURTS the community, especially if he/she been around for decades.
Plus, sometimes people lose it with age.
Sometimes, a teacher who has "lost it" could be better placed in a different position (ie. tutor, security) than a lead teacher.
But more importantly, IT IS CRUEL to get rid of a new effective inspiring teacher just because of seniority issues!
It's time to put LIFO in the garbage
2) Pay math/science teachers more
I just heard President Obama promising to hire more math & science teachers.
Easier said than done.
Those who are talented in math and science can easily get more high-paying positions elsewhere!
Those who are English and history majors have less opportunities than those with math & science majors.
You know what this mean?
We will have to pay math/science teachers more than English/social studies teachers.
Blasphemy?
Look, LeBron James gets paid more than a bench-warming teammate. That's because it is harder to find and replace someone with LeBron's talent. It's easier to replace a bench-warmer. Therefore, LeBron gets paid more.
This is basic economics.
If you're smart enough to be a teacher, than you're smart enough to understand that the schools will have to pay more for certain teachers with certain specialties.
This isn't personal, it is business, even if you're not working for a private business.
3) Conclusion
While those ideas won't solve every problem, I believe they make major improvements to our educational system.
