<p>We can all say that we respect teachers but the truth is the profession is not well respected. In many places teachers are expected to follow scripted lesson plans, have little control over their supplies and are constantly told to respond to the newest trend favored by the politicians or school district administration.</p>
<p>The salary structure is weak because it doesn’t lend itself to rapid promotion and that is a problem that is difficult to address. People can disagree with my opinion but the facts indicate that fewer teachers are staying on into their 60’s and that a majority are bailing out as fast as they can because the bureaucracy is overwhelming and they are tired of taking the blame for poor reading scores in a society that spends more money on cable tv than it does on books. The teacher shortage will worsen because intelligent people are not inclined to become underpaid scapegoats. Look at the enrollment of schools…the higher the SAT the lower the chance of getting them to enroll in an education school.</p>
<p>I think a good way to look at salary isn’t the lowest or the highest, it is where is it between 5 and 10 years out. Many of my teacher friends have 25 year old children making more than they do after 30 years in education. </p>
<p>Teaching is a job, it is a profession, but I wouldn’t recommend it to my children until more funds and decision power are returned to the classroom.</p>