10 Myths About Public Education

I want to state ahead of time that I am a libertarian.  I believe in limited government.  I believe in the rights of the individuals.  However, unlike this woman, I do not see the corporate buying of public schools as an element of libertarianism or even capitalism.  Government-sponsored capitalism is actually closer to a fascist economic philosophy than anything else.  Note to fellow self-proclaimed libertarians: read the Founding Fathers.  While they disagreed about banks and Jay's Treaty, they all supported public education.

Myth #1: Teachers Have Guaranteed Job Security
Teachers have due process that prevents them from losing their job based upon meritless political reasons.  If a teacher violates terms of the contract, he or she can be fired.  If a teacher is incompetent, districts typically have improvement plans followed by a lack of renewal in the contracts.

Myth #2: Education is a Business
Quite simply, it is not a business. It is a public, civic institution.  It has always been guided by social rather than economic norms.  Nobody is claiming that the fire department, police department or military should be private enterprises.  (Though a brief look into Blackwater will prove how dangerous this can be).  Incidentally, claims about "teachers should be treated like the rest of the workforce" are rarely spoken during a booming economy.  Where were my massive pay increases when we had a bull economy?

Myth #3: Teachers Will Work Harder With Incentives
Teachers work for intrinsic reasons.  They go into the field, not to make more money, but to make a difference in the lives of children.  I am a damn good teacher, even with my mistakes.  No amount of money will increase my motivation.  Look at Wall Street, Major League Baseball and the banks.  Place extrinsic motivation at the top and it leads to cheating.  Meanwhile, some of the best-functioning businesses have switched from merit pay to additional creative time (Google's Twenty Percent concept), more autonomy and a more clearly defined purpose for employee's roles.

Myth #4: Higher Education Is Competitive While K-12 Is Not
Again, this simply isn't true. The university system has private schools and public schools.  So does K-12.  The difference is that universities tend to allow teachers to do more research, earn a higher pay and experience a greater degree of academic freedom.  I am not against private schools.  What I'm against is the private take-over of a civic institution.

Myth #5: Teachers Are Stupid
Surveys have proven that teachers tend to come from the top twenty percent of their classes.  They earn real degrees from real universities.  Moreover, I challenge the "reporter" in this interview to a head-to-head debate on education policy.  I am more educated, more intelligent and more qualified to speak about the subject than she is.  Guaranteed.  Despite the stereotype of teachers as people who "couldn't do anything else," I earned a nearly perfect score on my SAT, took all AP classes and kicked ass in the school game.

Myth #6: Urban Schools Are Broken
Again, this isn't true.  On the latest global tests, the U.S. scored higher in poverty-to-poverty comparisons than any other nation in the world.  Meanwhile, urban charter schools tend to score lower on exams.  As a teacher in a low-income school, I find this myth to be particularly painful.  I work hard.  I teach well.  Quit blaming schools for the tragic effects of poverty.

Myth #7: Per-Pupil Spending Is Up
This lady needs to adjust her numbers to inflation.  Bread is more than twice as expensive.  So is gas.  So  is milk. I would expect economic conservatives to understand the way money works.  Apparently, I'm thinking too highly of them.

Myth #8: Scores Are Lower
The scores will always be near fifty percent, because the tests are norm-referenced rather than criterion-referenced.  The research is unclear regarding whether these numbers are going up or down, because the test itself constantly changes.

Myth #9: Teachers Are Ungrateful
I wrote a post about this on the Cooperative Catalyst blog.  It's not that I don't like my job.  It's not that I'm whining about not being paid enough for what I do.  I can't afford health care for my own children, despite being a professional with a master's degree.  I'm not whining.  I'm not playing victim.  I'm suggesting that professionals deserve and fair wage.

Myth #10: We're All Losers
This woman isn't even being logical here.  Saying "we want to improve the system" is not the same as saying "we're all losers."  We're offering authentic solutions.  We're fighting to keep a public institution.