I had a few thoughts rolling around in my head over the holidays, and one had me thinking about the teaching profession, and how it pays its professionals. The question was, does our education system, with a basic structure of Superintendents, Administrators, and Teachers running the show, have things all wrong. In sum, we are basically operating under the assumption that Superintendents make the most money, Administrators make the next most money, and teachers make the least? This isn't a debate about paying teachers more, but I was comparing the pay grades of these positions in terms of real value?
In professional sports, the "best" athletes make the most money. These athletes earn a great living, but that said they work for owners, Team Presidents, and General Managers. Owners aside, I am assuming that Team Presidents and General Managers do not earn anywhere near what the highest paid athletes make. Why? Because the athlete, a person not in a official position of "power" within a team is the reason for success or failure. Compare this to teachers. Teachers are on the front lines of education; student motivation, happiness, wellness, and success depends on the teacher. A great teacher can make a huge difference, be it positively or negatively, in a child's life. Does 'success' in our system push our best teachers into Administrative positions?
There is some logic to the fact that a great teacher, should remain a great teacher for as long as they can. Unlike professional athletes, a master teacher would probably age like a fine wine. Their skills and influence in the classroom would grow because they would continually do the job they were meant to do. Our education system would appear to push our best teachers into leadership positions. Hence the question, does the allure of "Administration" take great teachers out of the classroom to the detriment of students? I understand the argument for Instructional Leadership, and I do know that there are many great teachers acting as Superintendents and Administrators. I have no doubt that these fine teachers themselves continue to have a positive impact on schools, teachers, and students. That said, part of me can't help but wonder what would happen if we had a system where the best of the best stayed in the classroom. What would it be like to work in a system where the best players stayed in the game for as long as possible? To me this was an interesting question, and I sometimes wonder if we have things completely wrong.
