How We Should Be Graded on How We Treat Our Teachers

Teachers choose to become teachers obviously for reasons other than to become wealthy. A teacher's job is to prepare young minds yet such a noble task is often not matched with the necessary support, guidance and incentives. World's Teachers' Day is observed on October 5 in many countries and the theme for this year's celebration is "Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status." Showing our appreciation to our teachers should go far beyond saying "Thank You". What we do on October 5 is not sufficient to gauge what we do for the teaching profession. With regard to treating our teachers, we need to be graded not just on a single day but on every single day of the year. Our evaluation must also take into account what is necessary for teachers to survive and thrive in their vocation.

Richie Bernardo of WalletHub recently posted a ranking of states according to how well teachers are treated:

Source: WalletHub

In the map above, states that treat teachers better than others are of a darker shade. New Jersey apparently lands on top. How the ranking is made can provide guidelines on what we need to do to treat teachers well. The methodology employed seems to have been shaped by experts in the education field. Thus, it is useful to look at the scoring scheme:

Job Opportunity & Competition - Total Points: 70

  • Average Starting Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
    Note: This metric was adjusted for the local cost of living.
  • Median Annual Salary for Teachers: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
    Note: This metric was adjusted for the local cost of living.
  • Teachers’ Income Growth Potential: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
  • Average Teacher Pensions: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
    Note: This metric was adjusted for the local cost of living.
  • Projected Teacher Demand: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the number of teachers per 1,000 students by year 2022.
  • Public-School Enrollment Growth (Fall 2015 vs. Fall 2014): Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
  • 10-Year Change in Teacher Salaries: Full Weight (~10.00 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the change in constant dollars for teacher salaries between the 2005–2006 and the 2015–2016 academic years.

Academic & Work Environment - Total Points: 30

  • WalletHub “School Systems” Ranking: Triple Weight (~9.47 Points)
  • Annual Evaluation Requirement for All Teachers: Full Weight (~3.16 Points)
  • Teacher Effectiveness: Full Weight (~3.16 Points)
  • Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~3.16 Points)
  • School Safety: Full Weight (~3.16 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the percentage of public-school teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury by a student from school during the previous 12 months.
  • WalletHub “Underprivileged Children” Ranking: Half Weight (~1.58 Points)
  • Public-School Spending per Student: Full Weight (~3.16 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the annual state and local expenditures for K-12 public schools per capita.
  • Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.58 Points)
  • WalletHub “Working Moms” Ranking: Half Weight (~1.58 Points)

It should be no surprise that salaries are high on the list. Teachers like everyone else have bills to pay.

In the Philippines, public school teachers have been asking for quite sometime for a substantial raise in their salaries. Sadly, the Philippines will likewise score very low under the Academic & Work Environment category. Celebrating World's Teachers' Day on October 5 means nothing if we continue to not value our teachers.

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