February 8, 2013
I believe merit
pay can have a place in the educational field as long as it can be administered
fairly. I realize that “can merit
pay be administered fairly?” is the million-dollar question. I would like to think that most schools
operate with a rational Principal and that this system can work in a way that
will benefit those who are most deserving. As a parent, when I consider some of
the teachers my children have had in their middle school experience, I
definitely wish some of them could be financially compensated for their
outstanding teaching skills. A
great teacher can inspire a student to do so much more than they realize. I also have seen teachers that have not
been effective educators and what that does to a child’s enthusiasm for the
subject. The teachers that are
most passionate and dedicated to sparking the interest of today’s technologically
savvy children are the most highly qualified and therefore worth more than
those who distribute daily worksheets and recite lesson out of the
textbook. For the most part, today’s
children want to be active and inspired learners, I truly believe the most
valuable teachers instruct with this in mind. It would be excellent for the teaching profession if more bright
and creative individuals were drawn to educational careers. Merit pay could
help this cause.
I would like to
think I would be the kind of teacher who would benefit from pay based on my
efforts in the classroom. I would
like to be a teacher who connects with students and treats them with the same
respect I would like them to treat me with. I want to be a teacher who goes beyond the daily
requirements of the job description and cares about my students. It seems as if
children are dealing with more and more distractions outside the classroom,
keeping educational information fresh and motivational is a way to encourage
students to learn. Teachers who are going the extra mile to achieve results
should be valued and retained. Merit pay is an excellent way to do this.
