It amazes me that there are some people that find really complex things simple. Mostly, I think we will things to be simple. Even the really complicated things. Tomorrow night, the government may shut down for some really complex reasons. I think good people are working as I type this to avoid it, but it may happen anyway.
To me, if I wanted this to be simple, I'd say this is because lawmakers aren't doing their jobs. But I suspect it isn't like kids who show up to class without their homework done. This is complex. This has to do with public polls, policy issues, economic concerns, and some new people who maybe thought this was all a little more simple than it is.
Education is complex like this too. Since nearly everyone has been to school, we all think we're experts. That's like saying anyone who's had their teeth cleaned could be an oral surgeon. Education is part art, part science. It requires dedication, commitment, long hours sometimes, grace, eloquence, a warm, quick wit, and heaps of patience. We have a national shame in what we pay teachers. In fact 30% of Americans claim that teachers should be paid more than anyone else!
You know what no one really talks about? We probably don't really think that. We probably think that the really good teachers...the ones who make a huge difference; the ones that are constantly getting better, should be paid more. We probably don't think the burned out teacher or the person that hands out worksheets all day should be making 125K like the teachers at TEP. Except that at TEP, they haven't seen test scores go up dramatically yet.
Do you know what I really hate? I hate that the people that know a lot about this stuff dumb it down to the media. We need to be informed. We need to know how hard merit pay would be. How would you like it if your job was on the line and those that could save it were adolescents who care more about their impending break-up or basketball game than a test? Maybe that's how government workers feel tonight! We also need to know how hard it must be to be chancellor of the New York City School System. It is easy to take shots at teachers or Michelle Rhee. What's hard is to look at Cathie Black, Michelle Rhee, Geoff Canada, Arne Duncan, as well as many dedicated teachers and think how hard it must be to be them. It has to be so hard to do what they are charged with doing.
We need to stop dumbing it down...or else our kids will be the product of that. So work hard tonight, Senate staffers. I bet it is hard doing what you're doing tonight. Oh...and thank you for doing it. Your teachers would be proud.
