Educators...Educate!

I’m going to be harsh. I apologize for the tone of this blog entry, but the topic deserves mature discourse. Educators in the Mountain State are failing to educate. But before you condemn me for my view, try reading my reasoning.

According to the West Virginia Education Association (WVEA), the average number of students in WV taking the ACT is around 70 percent. Of those, 95 percent say they will enter college. However, according to the same WVEA, only 65 percent actually enroll in college. The cause of such a discrepancy might be attributable to the hope-crushing defeat our students receive upon taking the ACT. WV students’ average composite was 20.4 in 2017 when the national average is 21. That’s not a major discrepancy, you might argue, but it continues to fall. “We’re within less than one percent of the national average,” you argue, but while 59 percent of WV high school students express interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) before taking the ACT, only 11 percent of WV ACT participants meet the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark.

But that’s not my argument. It’s an unfortunate side effect of my argument.

When I look on Facebook, all my friends who are teachers are talking about “making it inconvenient” and “paying me what I’m worth” but again, you fail to educate. I'm sorry if I offend you, but it's true. If your whole argument is based on pay, then I can and will throw back at you arguments over tax base, mean WV resident income, cost of living in WV vs. our neighboring states, current and future job prospects within WV, tax supported entitlement programs, tax supported drug rehabilitation, tax supported subsistence, tax supported health care, tax supported….the list goes on. Your argument that you deserve to be paid what you are worth may be valid, but it gets lost in the noise. At a current average single teacher salary of $44,000, your narrative fails to resonate with me when the mean household income in small-town WV is $33,000 - 75% of what you already make! If I only have a dollar, and I need 60 cents of that dollar to live, only 40 cents remains to be spread across hundreds of entitlements and programs that are paid by my taxes – and you want to dig into my 60 cents because you "are worth it."

But that’s not my argument. It’s an unfortunate distraction from my argument that is further promulgated by educators who have lost sight of their calling – to educate.

West Virginia state school board has proposed lowering some teacher requirements. They propose reducing or eliminating in some cases the validity restrictions for teaching certificates. If educators graduate with a high enough GPA, then they don’t have to pass the Praxis knowledge test. Potential teaches with a non-education Master’s degree and “five years of directly related work experience” would no longer have to pass the knowledge test. Further, teachers not certified in their current field would be able to continue for two years, not just one, without gaining certification. According to State Superintendent of Schools, Steve Paine, the dumbing down of requirements, “add more flexibility to help fill job positions without compromising quality.”

What? Does Paine even understand the definition of the word “quality” and the causative relationship between teacher education and the quality of educating?

But that’s not my argument either – even though we’re getting close.

Thirty-eight percent of public school math courses in the State of WV are taught by non-fully certified teachers. Remember what I said in the first paragraph about STEM (11% if you’ve forgotten) and the continuing decline of WV students’ ACT test scores? As if that isn’t bad enough, that number of 38 percent doesn’t even include first class (rookie), full time permit teachers, or out-of-field teachers.

I have some experience with this as we had a conflict with a non-fully certified math teacher who had difficulty understanding how to teach kids who were falling behind. Scores kept getting worse but assignments and lessons marched undeterred. Fortunately, with intervention and a little humility, the course was corrected; however, not every child is fortunate enough to have an educated advocate. That leads to 11 percent of our students actually meeting college readiness benchmarks.

Now this is my argument.

We’re heading for a death spiral. We have 727 validated teaching vacancies in the State. Why can’t we attract qualified educators? Pay. Our students’ test scores are falling. Why can’t our educators get these scores up? Relaxed requirements. With the 49th economy in the Union what incentive does a certified successful educator have to uproot his/her family and come to charity case WV to save the day? What incentive does a graduating senior with $100,000 in school loan debt have to take a local job paying $32,000?

Part of the problem is that WV does not have the tax base to support major increases in education spending. Our roads are disintegrating under our wheels. WV does not have the tax base to fight the increasing drug epidemic in the state caused in part by being the 49th economy in the Union. WV does not have the tax base to put metal detectors and high-impact glass in all schools to defend against possible tragedy. Why would we think WV has the tax base to support a teacher pay raise, fully fund benefits, and increase, not decrease, teaching requirements?

Because you get what you pay for.

As much as I hate to break it down to economic terms, if I buy a $9,000 car, I get the mechanical and aesthetic problems of a $9,000 car. But if I drive out of the showroom with a $40,000 brand new beauty with full warranty and service protection, I get a much more enjoyable experience and peace of mind. Why do we think it’s any different with teachers?

Educators – do your jobs. Educate us on the real reason you’ve chosen to walk out on our students this Thursday and Friday. Educate us on the critical tipping point in WV education that, if not corrected now, will doom us to fall that last position to be the worst economy in the Union. Educate us on why “paying you what you are worth” is about so much more than just a paycheck.

Educators…Educate!

(Photo courtesy of the Register Herald)