With schools facing the prospect of laying off teachers, cutting programs and closing schools, I haven’t heard much about stopping or cutting “teacher incentive pay programs”. I never understood that program anyway. Why are we giving teachers an incentive to teach rather than giving students an incentive to learn? Isn’t that why we call them “teachers”, because they are being paid to teach? Why are we giving them bonuses or incentives to do that?
Well, some might say that we are giving them incentives or bonuses to…to…why are we giving them bonuses? Oh yeah, to encourage teachers to improve their teaching abilities and give them bonuses when their students improve. Now we expect doctors to stay current on medical advances, lawyers to stay current on recent changes in the law or new precedents in the legal system without bonuses and incentives. We expect the guy who comes and fixes our air conditioner, our car, or our septic system to use the latest in methods and techniques to make those repairs and we don’t give them a bonus when they make a better repair or use improved methods? So why don’t we have that same expectation for our teachers? Why are we pouring millions, perhaps billions into incentive and bonuses for teachers when there should be an expectation that they improve their techniques or find better ways to teach their students? The only thing I see from giving teachers these bonuses and incentives are students in the twelfth grade still using their fingers to calculate their multiplication tables, skewed bell curves being used to grade students, and students being passed on, just for attendance.
How about giving the students, incentives and bonuses for “LEARNING” rather than teachers for teaching. Why not give children incentives for parental participation in school programs and the business of educating their children. Here is my plan:
- Enroll each and every student in a College Savings Program (CSP) when they enter school or pre-school. This CSP can be funded initially by the school district or through a nominal school district tax based on the number of children enrolled in the district in which the child is enrolled. The money is placed into an interest-bearing bond or account similar to a 529 plan. http://www.savingforcollege.com/intro_to_529s/what-is-a-529-plan.php
- Children can earn more money for their plan throughout their education through such things as attendance; grade point averages/improved grade point averages, participation in school extra-curricular activities, and participation in citizenship/law enforcement, military programs, or other criteria.
- Parents can increase their child’s fund by contributing or participating in mentoring/tutoring or assistance programs for disadvantaged children.
- Children can also increase their fund also through parental involvement in their child’s education by involvement in school programs such as PTA, sports, music and arts programs, school district meetings and tutoring or mentoring other students having difficulties in school.
- Parents can contribute to their child’s fund through direct, tax-deductible contributions.
- Students can receive a year-end bonus for passing standardized state tests with graduating amounts for improved performance on those tests.
- Students can receive bonuses for SAT or ACT testing or preparation programs for those tests.
- Students earn bonuses for enrolling in, and attending college-level courses while high school students.
- The fund follows the student to each school district he/she attends and is administered by that district.
This is just an outline for a program designed to encourage our children to learn and improve their skills and encourages parents to involve themselves in not only their children’s education, but in the education of the nation as a whole through volunteering and participation in the educational process.
Now that’s my plan…what do you think?
