what a teacher makes

[greenbriar]

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

A poem by: Taylor Mali


The dinner guests were sitting around the table
discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain
the problem with education. He argued:
"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided
his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true
what they say about teachers: "Those who can...do.
Those who can't ... teach."

To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a
teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you
make?"

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness,
replied, "You want to know what I make?"

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they
could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal
of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the
student did not do his or her very best."

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home"

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and
over again, until they will never misspell either one
of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it
all on their final drafts in English."

"I make them understand that if you have the brains,
then follow your heart...and if someone ever tries to
judge you by what you make, you pay them no
attention!"

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make a difference."

"And you? What do you make?"

[BlooInBloo]

1. Nice poem.

[aikoaiko]

2. What about making the criterion on standardized test scores?

;)

[Psephos]

3. nice post n/t

[1]

4. teachers pretty much know the way it is before they make that career choice, yeah?

or were any of you deceived along the way?

i admire teachers, but i could/would never choose that job. i admire nurses, but i could/would never choose that job.

you knew what you were getting into, right?

[greenbriar]

5. I thought I would be getting to teach my passion of SS not teaching to a test

thanks to NCLB

[1]

6. wow. ok. i totally get that.

the reason i say i couldn't do your jobs is that i would most likely suck at it. i would try, but i don't think i have the gift.

when i was looking at what careers to pursue, i immediately removed teaching from the list based on the compensation alone. it didn't interest me, and that was just too much work for too little money.

i always knew y'all had incredible bureaucracy hanging over your heads on a local level. now it seems like all presidents want to jump into your shit too.

good luck, teachers. i saw a thread in lbn where they are going to lay off 26,000 teachers in california alone.

my god...

[greenbriar]

7. with all the standardize crap it is almost like we are becoming replacable

with anyone off the streets

[soothsayer]

8. yeah, but that 'summers off' thing is pretty cool

Become a teacher in California, they make a bundle

[MadHound]

12. Summers off, eh?

Yeah, sure, summers off so that we can pursue either higher or continuing education, both of which are mandated. Summers off, sure, so that we can take a crappy full or part time job in order to make ends meet. Summers off, sure, unless we're teaching summer school, either at the school or at the local college, again, to make ends meet.

I love how people assume that teachers get the summers off so that we can lounge around eating bon-bons and such. Sorry, but that's not reality.

As far as teaching in California, well, they might make a bundle, but the fact of the matter is that the cost of living is expensive also. Judging from what I've seen, my twenty acre little farm would cost what, a cool mil out in California. No thanks. Besides, it's California, and while California was all cool and what have you forty years ago, now it's just too crowded, too expensive, too over developed, and now too conservative for my taste. I think I'll stay out here in the Midwest, where the pay may not be great, but the cost of living is low, it isn't crowded, it isn't over developed and the air is still clean.

[11 Bravo]

18. I've been a teacher for 30+ years but that "summers off" shit still makes me laugh.

To begin with, my contract runs for 9 3/4 months. Add the week that I (and most other teachers) return to school early to get my room ready, and the week I work after school is out to tear down the room and pack everything up, and we're looking at less than two months. During that time, I pursue professional development opportunities and post-graduate course work. In Fairfax County, VA, where I teach, eeducators are required to obtain 180 professional development points (2 post-graduate college courses) every 5 years in order to maintain our certification. I am also my school's science lead teacher which requires additional course work and occasional meetings during the summer. New teachers attend a 2 week BTAP (Beginning Teachers Assistance Program) during the summer as well.
That whole "summers off" gig just ain't what it's cracked up to be.

[greenbriar]

19. any one will tell you that summers are for taking classes

and planning what to do the next year as chances are you won't be teaching the same subject or grade level that you did the year before

[Rebubula]

9. Amen...

..that is why I got out of teaching back in the 90's.

I still mentor and Big Brother, but I could not endure what the teaching world was coming to...and that was before NCLB.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dinger]

10. Nice Poem greenbriar

Interesting replies too. Thought-provoking, instead of flame-provoking. I like that:)

[tbyg52]

13. >>"Those who can...do. Those who can't ... teach."

Very few, I think, realize the actual meaning of that saying, which is that the way to understand something in depth is to prepare yourself to teach it to someone else. Oh, and to answer their questions while you're teaching them....!

[MorningGlow]

14. Excellent post, GB

I taught high school English for one whole year (!) and couldn't cut it. I loved teaching the kids, but I couldn't handle the bureaucracy and the urge to "just get 'em out" even if they couldn't write a complete sentence. And this was BEFORE NCLB. I can't imagine what it's like now.

And that made me realize what's wrong with all this talk of teaching, testing, and merit pay for "better" teachers. Some things in the teaching profession can't be quantitatively measured. It's a conundrum, for sure.

[driver8]

15. This is awesome. I am sending this to my wife (a teacher) and to

my mother in law (retired teacher).

Thank you for posting this!

[Fire1]

16. Thanks greenbriar. Bookmarked.

[Malikshah]

17. The spoken word on youtube is brilliant

Taylor Mali on Youtube-- "Taylor Mali on What Teachers Make" in case this doesn't work...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU&feature=channel_page

[greenbriar]

20. cool

thank you