We need more teachers, not ‘keepers’

Monty Snyder

This is a topic I felt strongly about when I started my short-lived

teaching career. My first teaching job after college was quite

wonderful and richly rewarding, if not financially. It was of a

personal nature.

Myself and several other fresh-out-of-college teachers had the

temerity to go to the superintendent of the district and propose a

merit system.

Well, we knew teachers were kind of disappointed at the lack of

enthusiasm and involvement the tenured teachers showed.

And we thought there must be some better way to equivocate the

teachers who were keeping school as opposed to the ones who were

teaching school.

Of course, the outpouring of protests by a large number of

teachers in the district pretty soon drowned out our pleas to at

least make an attempt to base pay increases on merit -- to reward the

teachers who were motivated and who inspired and excited our

students.

That was in 1962. And as the saying goes, it seems like deja vu

all over again. Anyway, I went into business, where my efforts were

reflected in my income.

I think merit pay is a wonderful idea, but I don’t think it’ll

ever fly. There’s too many school-keepers. And there are not enough

school teachers.

Merit pay is wonderful. But how and who decides what is

meritorious?

* MONTY SNYDER is a resident of Newport Beach.