Thus, teachers are always looking for ways to march up the salary schedule. There are really only three options available. Put in more years of service, take on stipend positions, and take continuing education units or get a master's degree.
The last of these, pay for a master's degree, is the most recent pet-peeve of education secretary Arne Duncan and the pseudo-reformer elite. These business minded make-over marauders can seldom see beyond the bottom line. In these times of financial hardship, the pseudo-reformers are calling for the elimination of pay increases for teachers with master’s degrees.
The argument is that teachers with master’s degrees do not perform better than their less-educated colleagues. This raises some disturbing implications, namely that education does not pay. While many teachers likely start a master’s program to climb the salary schedule (and mind you, in my district and many, it ain’t much of a climb), most will find the opportunity for self-reflection and enrichment inspiring.
The other disturbing issue here, is that this is just another thinly veiled operation to move teacher pay into a performance based model. Paying teachers for their performance is fine with me – if there is an adequate measure. Student test scores are not adequate.
I got a master’s degree to climb the salary schedule. I have now moved from an almost modest pay to a just about modest pay. That is fine with me. I did not enter this profession to become rich. I entered it to be happy and fulfilled. In entering a master’s program, my motivation may have been money, but my inspiration was enrichment.
No, the program did not make me a better teacher (whatever criteria that is measured by!) but it did inspire me and give me the confidence to expand my curriculum. I can’t help but think that if I am refreshed and inspired and thinking academically about my subject area that somehow the students benefit. I agree, knowledge in one’s subject does not automatically make a good teacher. Far from it. But, to say a master’s degree has no benefit is ludicrous. Why don’t we just tell our students not to go to college because it won’t make them any better? That higher degree? Oh, don’t bother, it isn’t worth anything. I mean, Bill Gates was a one-time college drop-out, and he’s successful. What’s that? He is pushing for master’s degree stipends to be eliminated?
No, the program did not make me a better teacher (whatever criteria that is measured by!) but it did inspire me and give me the confidence to expand my curriculum. I can’t help but think that if I am refreshed and inspired and thinking academically about my subject area that somehow the students benefit. I agree, knowledge in one’s subject does not automatically make a good teacher. Far from it. But, to say a master’s degree has no benefit is ludicrous. Why don’t we just tell our students not to go to college because it won’t make them any better? That higher degree? Oh, don’t bother, it isn’t worth anything. I mean, Bill Gates was a one-time college drop-out, and he’s successful. What’s that? He is pushing for master’s degree stipends to be eliminated?
Well, maybe if we were all as smart as Bill Gates we wouldn’t need a master’s degree, but for the rest of us mere mortals, here is a sobering statistic from NPR: The overall unemployment rate in America is at 9.6%, while that for college grads is 4.7% and the rate for high school dropouts is a whopping 15%. And the unemployment rate for advanced degrees? Under three percent.
Now, who is the real economic burden in this scenario? Tell the economists to spend more time reading in their kids’ classrooms and less time reading the bottom line. Education does pay.
Reclaim public education!
