Monday, June 16, 2014

Teacher is Key to Classroom Success More Than Expensive Administrator

   Average teacher salary in Utah? Maybe $43,000. Average school superintendent pay with benefits? I don't know, but maybe $200,000. So, which one would I trust to do a better job deciding what to teach, and how to teach it?
   Give me a good teacher, and if the teacher is good, let him or her set the course.
   As I sat down to write this, I spotted a Deseret News report on a study out of the University of Utah suggesting companies with CEOs making more than $20 million are often not earning their keep. Their companies are losing money instead of turning profits.
   I can't help but wonder if the same principle applies in education: An expensive top executive does not s successful school make.
   In schools, it is the teacher doing the teaching. How great an education a child gets can depend much on the passion the teacher puts into it. Remembering the DesNews story on expensive companies CEOs, I am not suggesting we pump up the pay of educators drastically. Rather, in our hiring and training, we should seek for passionate, driven teachers.
   You don't get better simply by throwing money at a problem. You get better by putting in place people who can overcome the problem, teachers who are inspired and motivated. And, when it comes to really making a difference, it is perhaps with the teacher more than the administrator that you want to make the right hire. They are at the point of impact. They are where the rubber meets the road.

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