The education quotation of the year (seven months early)
Too often in education, public figures tiptoe around issues that might cause controversy. I therefore was pleased to see New York City school system chancellor Joel Klein break loose and deliver a blunt, one-line assessment of the state of education as he sees it. So pleased, in fact, that I’ve dubbed it the 2010 education quotation of the year, even though it’s only May. Without further ado, I give you Chancellor Klein from last month’s Urban Institute event in Washington, DC:
As long as I have to pay a physics teacher the same as a physical education teacher, school reform is never going to work.”
As Jon Stewart might say (accompanied by animated gesticulation), “Boom!” Whether you agree with him or not, at least Klein calls it like he sees it.
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
Great quote, Michael. And I so agree with Mr. Klein’s assessment.
Since we all know the teachers’ unions would never agree to such a system, perhaps the answer is a base level of pay with bonus opportunities for outstanding contributions and/or level of complexity of the material.
I keep thinking about a 4th grade teacher both my children had who brought California settlement history to life with each kid having to research a figure from the Donner Party as well as the ultimate settlers of Sutter’s Fort. Not only did they have to learn the colloquialisms of the day and the music, but for the culminating two-day immersive field trip to Sutter’s Fort they all had to be in period costume and learn crafts and trades like rope making, weaving, blacksmithing, etc. (Think Colonial Williamsburg, only during the Gold Rush.) She does this each and every year and it’s an extraordinary feat of coordination, interdisciplinary teaching, and planning, not to mention getting a bunch of 9 and 10-year-olds excited to give up their modern ways for a couple of days. My kids, who are now in high school and middle school, respectively, complained a lot about the workload at the time, but now fondly remember the experience.
Now, how do we incent teachers like her? Better yet, how do we clone her passion for the benefit of more public school kids?