Teaching Should Be the Profession Judged by Merit

There has been a lot of debate lately about giving teacher's merit and performance-based pay, as well as getting rid of bad teachers. Some say this: teachers should be rewarded if they do a good job and fired if they do bad, "just as it is in every other line of work."

My question for the people who make this statement: What are these other professions where you're rewarded or fired based on merit?

Some people have this idea that the private sector creates this objective evaluation of employees. Is this the way it's worked in any private sector job you have had? Because it certainly has not in mine.

Come on. Who are they kidding when they say, "just as it is in every other industry"? This is way it really is: You're a manager who nearly bankrupts a financial institution. Result: Million dollar bonus. You're a coke, crack and probably meth-head. Result: 1.8 million dollars an episode.

And there are countless small examples in everyday life. There's a guy I should have fired a year ago. Can't bring myself to do it. A woman who gets in at mid-afternoon. But hell, she does a good job once she's there. Result: raise!

We all know of times the powers that be have kept somebody on because, hell, they sometimes bring in cookies. And it's just so annoying to train someone else. Or he/she's sleeping with the VP.

Why don't these teacher-bashers say the only thing that makes sense, which is to make teaching the ONLY merit-based profession. Why don't they say, let's reward good performance and punish bad, the opposite of how it is everywhere else.