Education is under public scrutiny because of the need to become more accountable for the academic achievement of all students. The teacher’s union in Chicago should stop using their students as pawns and should be held accountable for educating their students!
Chicago’s teachers’ average salary is $70,000 a year; however, having one of the top teacher salaries in the nation did not stop them from going on strike. Teachers feel that the socioeconomic statuses of their students directly impacts their performance on standardized tests; therefore, other methods should be utilized when evaluating a teacher’s performance in the classroom. Subsequently, these teachers were offered a 16% raise over the next 4 years. Teachers in my county would love to have $ 70,000 as an average salary and a guaranteed raise over the next 4 years!
I believe teacher’s unions should advocate for the teachers; however, sometimes they forget about the importance of all students receiving and deserving a quality education. Teachers should be required to meet the same professional standards as other professionals. For example, doctors are not allowed to practice with several malpractice complaints on their records. Allowing a mediocre teacher to continue to teach results in great cost to districts in providing remediation services. Most importantly, this leaves a long term impact on a student academically.
