Let Students and Parents Decide

The recent letters in The Voice on education have been very interesting and informative. I have enjoyed all of them. I especially enjoyed Matthew P. Valenti's attempt to compare the respect level for babysitters and teachers. Luckily, Tom Bado was able to set this one straight [Advocating True Education Reform, October 12]. I must agree, babysitters do not get paid $5 per hour per child. They typically get paid $5, or maybe even $6, per hour—period. The logic used to multiply out the average class size by the babysitter's hourly rate is amusing, at best. I think this is an insult to teachers.

Even though teachers do not make as much money as babysitters, according to Mr. Valenti, they are generally well-respected members of our society. The problem is more with the system than with the specific individuals trying to do their best within the system.

The pay of other industries is in no way a "slap in the face" to educators. Employees are paid what the market will bear. If a person's chosen profession does not satisfy their needs, monetary or otherwise, I suggest that they find another profession. It is common for adults to have more than one career path in their life these days. Evaluate your current job. Look at the facts. Salary. Benefits. Hours. Vacation time. Job satisfaction. If they don't add up, do yourself a favor and start looking for another job.

While teachers in Connecticut are amongst the highest paid in the country, I do feel that some of the requirements for teaching in our state are unnecessarily high and do not produce better teachers. They seem instead to create unhappiness, resentment, and feelings of entitlement. For example, there is a requirement for teachers to earn their masters degree, on their own time, paid for with their own money, within so many years or else. I fail to see how a master's degree makes an individual a better teacher. This is a burden that our teachers can certainly do without. Perhaps the time and money spent on this virtually worthless endeavor would be better spent on innovative workshops and courses in which teachers might share different and better methods of providing an education for the students.

Instead of judging the ability to teach by the certificates and degrees held by the individual, let the students and the parents determine the effectiveness and worth of the teacher. Students and parents might prefer to have a teacher who is responsive to the individual learning styles and abilities of the students, as opposed to one who is burned out by teaching by day while going to school and studying at night.