Money for Education

I have been working with my students writing blog entries. Usually when I teach a new form of writing to my freshman, I give them a basic organizational format to begin with. This format is used to let them get started, and then, once they are comfortable with the format, they can make it their own. As we began blogging, rather than doing all the research myself, I had the students search the Internet for effective organization methods for blog entries. Then I had them search for bloggers who wrote about subjects they are interested in. I also had them search for famous bloggers who write with great style and interest.

As I teach a new concept, in this case searching for blogs on podscope.com, I usually demonstrate on the overhead projector once, and then have the students do the same with a topic of their interest. I searched “why education doesn’t get money.” At some point in this demonstration process, while the students were searching for their own interest areas, I found the following quote in a blog that I can’t find today:

“The reason why education is not given any money is because it doesn’t generate any money. The study of natural resources generates revenue; the study of diseases generates money especially for the pharmaceutical industry, etc. Schools generate human resources and that is not an obvious moneymaker from the beginning because you have to go looking for them, they are not lying around waiting to be minded or mixed.” (Source unknown but if you know, please help me give them credit.)

I am not a very political person, and when conversation turns toward teachers pay in a group of non-teachers, I stay out of the conversation. It is safer this way. If you complain about your paycheck, you are just opening the door for others to complain about their paychecks and how they deserve more money than teachers do. If you complain, then you are just encouraging them to say how much time we get off during the summer and how we have such a short day from 8 to 4. If you complain, someone always has it worse than you. If you complain, and you expect someone to agree with you, you will be disappointed.

However, I can’t help but think about this quote. I don’t want to dwell on the money aspect of this section either. I want to concentrate on the human resources aspect. It might sound cliché, but without teachers to work with the natural resources brought to us every year, your children, there wouldn’t be scientists finding cures for diseases. There wouldn’t be the study of new energy sources, or new pharmaceutical developments. We as teachers have to work with all the students that are given to us. We can’t go through and work with only the resources that will help us in the end. We have to look at our natural resources as more than just moneymakers. We have to think more about how to “mine” the “mix.” We have to figure out how can we use what we have and remix it knowing its strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities that can be cultivated. That is harder work than just digging in a mine for raw materials and selling them as is. That is harder work than mixing materials according to a recipe that is handed down from the boss. We prepare the human resources for all job markets.

Does this mean that we should be paid more? No, not necessarily, but I do believe we need to have the best people possible to work with these kids. We as teachers are cultivating the future and helping every job market to develop. We are training everyone from a CEO of a major global company all the way down to the people who make the world work, the construction workers, hairdressers, waiters, and farmers who are all equally important in the whole scheme of things. Sometimes, to get the best people, you have to pay them well. Sometimes to get the best results, the teachers have to love their jobs and be able to pay their bills without second jobs taking their attention away… I’m just sayin’ …