Merit Pay
I am currently a student at Western Illinois University enrolled in the education program. I am studying to be a special education teacher with teaching certificates in both special education and elementary education. I have taken many classes that have prepared me to be a teacher and have taught over 100 hours in both the special education classroom and general education classroom. Merit pay is an issue that has come up in many discussions in the classroom and during field work that I have done with other teachers. I like the idea of merit pay, but am concerned with how it will be implemented. It is important for people who have the power to control how educators will be paid to surround themselves with people who are currently educators. Merit pay would be a great way to reward teachers who go above and beyond to ensure that every student is getting the best education possible. However, everyone has their own opinions on what a “great teacher” is and how to ensure that those teachers would be rewarded with merit pay. I am concerned that if merit pay was mandated that the people who would judge who gets the money and who does not qualify will be biased. I am also concerned that they will judge a teacher with more testing of students and pressure being put on student success rates that are not possible. In special education students each have individual goals; these goals are set up to create the most achievement possible for that student. Teachers work hard to help students reach these goals, but what if the student’s goals do not meet the expectations of merit pay. I am concerned that teachers will be overlooked for the hard work that they put in if the student’s are not as successful as another person thinks he/she should be. Everyone learns differently and everyone has different expectations for teachers. How would merit pay make sure that all of these expectations are met? It wouldn’t. Merit pay would not solve any of the problems with “bad teachers” it would only increase stress for teachers who already work hard! Teachers are not respected, taken seriously, and are taken for granted every day; merit pay is a nice idea to solve some of these problems, but what needs to happen is an increase in teachers’ salaries all together! People need incentives to become teachers, going to college for 4+ years to start out at a teacher’s salary takes a lot of dedication, and bad teachers are a result. People in businesses and other jobs that make more than teachers need the degree because they are going to be competing against other people for a profit, teachers are expected to compete at the same level for jobs that pay next to nothing, and this is the problem that needs to be solved.
This post was submitted by Emily Calkins.
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