Initiative adds little to teaching

When considering Bill Sizemore’s ballot initiative measure that would tie teacher pay raises to classroom performance, please note that the classroom teacher is not the only influence on a child’s success in school. The entire school staff effectively works together to help students, including the school secretaries, principals, custodians, librarians, cafeteria workers, counselors, recess duty personnel and bus drivers. Should all these people be included in the merit pay system?

Then there is the fact that a child only spends about six hours in school. Will this measure include some sort of parent merit pay? Our students spend 18 hours outside of school in a variety of environments. Many come to school after a sleepless night in a home where drugs and alcohol are prevalent and parties keep them awake. Living in poverty can lead to hungry, unwashed and scared children coming to school just to feel safe and fed.

Are we supposed to ignore these issues and force them to concentrate only on their studies? Only about half our students are lucky enough to have caring, involved parents who help them study, introduce them to different cultures and activities, and are involved with the school. These other influences dominate a child’s learning and should be considered when assessing student performance.

Historically, teacher pay has always been significantly lower than the cost of living. We work extremely hard to help all children succeed, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. This measure simply adds more pressure to an already arduous task with little respect or compensation. Would Sizemore even be able to construct this measure if he hadn’t had good teachers in his life? Maybe he should learn to appreciate them, not target them.

Cynthia Towers

Winchester