Woodstock CT Café

Hey Folks, If you have the time don’t miss the upcoming health care forum..

Wednesday, April 15 – 2nd Congressional District

Special Guest Congressman Joe Courtney
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (Doors open at 6 PM)
Coventry High School
78 Ripley Hill Road, Coventry 06238

Regards -

Chris

Christopher Pitts
Communications Committee
Canterbury DTC

Info@CanterburyDemocrats.com
CanterburyDemocrats.com

by A Teacher 

I’m not sure unions do oppose the whole concept of merit based pay (to Taxpayer). They’ve opposed the forms of merit based pay suggested so far, but I know for a fact that many associations are working in committees with administrators and boards to explore the option of merit based pay. The teaching profession is active in the “political process and in the structuring of educational reform.”

The problem is citizens assume we are not because teachers oppose the final recommendation that fails to utilize our professional opinions. My purpose in writing here is not to reform merit based pay. It’s to point out that just because we’ve opposed it up to now doesn’t mean we’re doing so only to preserve our self interests.

To be honest, I don’t like the idea of merit based pay as a whole. If you’re a good teacher, you should get paid as well as all the other good teachers. If you’re not a good teacher, you should be gone. I don’t think we should be identifying ineffective teachers so we can pay them less, I think we should be identifying them so we can help them move on to another career. There’s to much at stake in this profession.

However, If you want to switch gears here and start coming up with a form of merit based pay that will work in improving education, I’m game. You go first, and I’ll respond. I promise my response will be soley based on the best interests of sound educational policy, and not on pay increases or decreases.