tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068619684895530539.post7865417580956574438..comments2023-06-15T04:04:25.958-07:00Comments on Stuck in the Middle with You: Merit Based Salaries for Teachers and The Importance of Control GroupsKennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03199895911184527653noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068619684895530539.post-81019765400727321182010-10-29T16:23:30.539-07:002010-10-29T16:23:30.539-07:00Great post and comments. I have had years where e...Great post and comments. I have had years where everybody passed the AP calculus test and years where very few have. Conclusions to be made? Not sure, but I tend to agree with you, Kenny, that what came before the kids who met me was more important than what went on the year they had me as a teacher.<br /><br />Max, I absolutely loved your comment, and tend to think that the horrible math instructor who has tenure is much more realized than the welfare queen, at least on the high school level. With so few math high school math teachers who even have a minor in the subject, the majority are now certified through quicky programs that focus on methods and not on math, the net result being that the depth of knowledge is not there, at least initially. And yes, many of these teachers figure the math out and become proficient, but you would be very surprised at how many do not, relying on their tenure to save them, which it does. I am not saying that these type of teachers are the majority, for thankfully they are not, but I do believe that there are a higher proportion of them out there than any of us would care to admit.Franknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068619684895530539.post-8552537314007410002010-10-27T12:43:00.439-07:002010-10-27T12:43:00.439-07:00Well, Kenny, I certainly disagree with that last p...Well, Kenny, I certainly disagree with that last post. I have never taught or TAed, so my opinions are highly ignorant and fraught with untested conclusions.<br /><br />The best teachers pull as many students as possible into each lecture. If you want to actively ignore a teacher in a non-disruptive way, I suppose that is your right, but a good teacher can find a way to motivate that attentiveness you described in your post.<br /><br />Kenny, I would like to hear your thoughts on the tenor of the debate surrounding teacher salaries and how to get rid of "bad teachers" and motivate "good teachers." I personally imagine that the character of the lazy tenured-teacher is a rarely realized as the myth of the welfare queen, driving around in her pink Cadillac fueled by government handouts and the tax dollars of true-blue hard-working citizens. Is this scapegoat a threat, Kenny, or a smokescreen?Maxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11749503051240337012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068619684895530539.post-77281638854910928672010-10-23T18:30:19.810-07:002010-10-23T18:30:19.810-07:00Thank you, but that is hardly as fun to argue with...Thank you, but that is hardly as fun to argue with ;) Everyone who reads this blog is apparently in education somehow!Kennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03199895911184527653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068619684895530539.post-8974655728509397762010-10-22T21:35:34.234-07:002010-10-22T21:35:34.234-07:00I completely agree with your post!I completely agree with your post!Nicholas Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835607015363341044noreply@blogger.com