No cost for getting the best teachers?

As a dedicated middle school teacher, I am very disappointed with the continued attacks on the teaching profession, in Illinois and across the country. Apparently, teachers are the scapegoats for all that is wrong in our country — both economically and educationally.

What is equally disturbing, however, are the contradictory statements made by politicians that we need to make teachers more accountable by tying salary to student performance. They want to insure that schools hire and retain only the best teachers. I have no problem with that. But how will they do this? By reducing salary, benefits, increasing class size, and making teachers work longer for a smaller pension.

When you think about it, what kind of teachers will your children be getting? How will the education of our children improve if we continue to devalue the importance of good teachers by trashing and demeaning the teaching profession?

Don Brown

Glen Ellyn