Where exactly would we be if there were no teachers? No educators? Did you know there is a way you can reduce the cost of education? Are you ready to Make a Difference? It is time for us all to MAD.
Statistics
Education is a large employer. Over 3.8 million people in the United States are educators. Around 2.6 million are kindergarten through 12th grade teachers.
42%
Teachers are over the age of 50 years old.
50%
Teachers leave the profession before their fifth year of service.
$7 Billion
Each year is the cost of teacher turnover.
$15 Billion
This yearly investment represents a 30% salary increase which would make teacher pay competitive with professions which require similar education levels.
37 States
Teacher salaries do not adjust yearly for inflation.
More than 65%
Teachers buy supplies for underprivileged students in their classrooms to create an even playing field for all students. They purchase supplies school districts will not to create interactive, stimulating and memorable teaching environments.
100%
Student performance is directly proportional to the quality of teachers.
Make a Difference
The best way to keep down the cost of teacher turnover is to divert the money to maintain teachers. There are some simple ways to raise teacher satisfaction levels which reduce turnover and the associated costs.
1. Identify a teacher.
- One of your child’s teachers
- A friend who teaches
- A neighbor who teaches
- A teacher at your local school
- A professor at a local college
- One of your teachers
2. Show your appreciation for the dedication the teacher has to education.
Send homemade baked goods to school. Cookies, breads and pies (baked from your own fruit) are all good choices.
Letting a child choose is an even bigger delight.
Bring flowers from a florist or (even better) handpicked. Arrange silk flowers or buy an artificial tree for the classroom to bring cheer yearround.
Volunteer in the classroom to help read to students or help with projects, experiments or field trips. Offer to organize or clean supplies.
Give a gift to your teacher, such a book on a topic of interest or send a gift card for a store or activity your teacher likes. Movie passes, book store and restaurant gift cards are all great choices.
Sponsor a program which offers additional education to teachers to keep their skills up-to-date and competitive. Ensure students are being taught the most current information.
Make an appreciation jar. Have students write on paper why their teacher is special to them. Cut them apart, fold them and stuff a jar with them. The teacher can open a new one each morning.
Write a thank you note. Let the teacher know you appreciate the dedication to the future. Send a letter to the school board highlighting what good work is being done in the school.
Have children create an art project for the teacher. Students can draw portraits of the teacher. Older students can write essays about the teacher to accompany their portraits. Children can draw the world they see in the classroom.
Nominate a teacher for teacher of the year. Many contests reward teachers with money, classroom supplies and/or continuing education opportunities.
Donate books and supplies to the classroom. Art and writing supplies are always in demand. Ask your teacher what would make the classroom more successful. Calculators, classroom decorations, furniture and maps are excellent choices.
Sponsor additional curricula. Simple additions like computer software and plants strengthen the practical application of education. Teachers are not in a position to advocate for these supplemental teaching aids.
Sponsor or facilitate field trips to help teachers augment the learning experience.
Offer your services or goods at a discount to a teacher. You can make a difference in the teacher’s life, even if you cannot directly increase limited salary, by offering needed things at a discount.
Who benefits?
Your child spends more hours with a teacher than with you. Well-supplied teachers are only half of the battle. A teacher who is satisfied with the rewards of the job impact students far better than the underappreciated who are merely going through the motions.
Even if you do not have a current student, maintaining satisfied teachers in the classroom is making a difference in your life. The students of today will be the doctors and nurses, police, firefighters, nursing home attendants, drivers, pilots and military of the future. All of them will impact the quality of your life.
Teachers change the world.
Show them you appreciate their positive influence.
~~~~~~~~~~
You DO Make A Difference!
Have you done something to appreciate a teacher? Can you MAD by choosing more than one thing from the list to show appreciation for a teacher? Are you going to Make A Difference?
Cat Forsley
/ June 14, 2012BEST POST EVER RED 🙂
TOTALLY AGREE XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
BEAUTIFULLLLLLL DIFFERENCE YOU ARE MAKING RIGHT NOW 🙂
LOVE XOXOXO
CAT
Cat Forsley recently posted..Personal Rainbow by Cat Forsley ©
Red
/ June 14, 2012Simple acts of kindness get us a long way, Cat <3 Red. xxx
Derek Mansker
/ June 14, 2012You are right. My son’s teacher this year was the best one he has had so far. She even came to a recent birthday party for one of her students. I think that sort of thing really separates the good from the average teacher, in my opinion.
On the flip side, I have met some real loons. But, I guess that is everywhere in life, not just in the schools.
Derek Mansker recently posted..Back to the water again!
Red
/ June 14, 2012I have, too, Derek. Supporting the good ones is absolutely necessary. Those are the ones we want to be teaching for a long time…not getting discouraged by the loons who stay for ages.
Friggin Loon
/ June 15, 2012Tsk, tsk Derek…. “I have met some real loons” Blahahahaa HEY!!!!
Friggin Loon recently posted..Thumbs Up To Vaginas On NZ TV
C. Brown
/ June 14, 2012A great blog Red. I was unaware of some of your information (thank you). And your suggestions were thoughtful and surely helpful to anyone wanting to help out and thank a teacher.
C. Brown recently posted..There’s A Whole World Out There
Red
/ June 14, 2012Good to see you tonight, C. Some of the numbers are outright staggering. The number of teachers supplying needed materials for children was enough to bring me to my knees. I watched a friend, who taught the fourth grade for over 35 years, near bankruptcy to keep her classroom children in supplies and keep resources available to them. Recently, I have met a therapist who is buying her own supplies for her special needs students. The school districts are abominable. xxx
Binky
/ June 14, 2012Teachers tend not to be highly valued, unfortunately. It does seem that their job is kind of important, though.
Binky recently posted..The Shape of Wombies
Red
/ June 14, 2012This post was moved up in the line-up after a particularly disturbing conversation about how some people view teachers and the work they do. For me, the last paragraph about the children of the future sums it up.
Lizzie Cracked
/ June 15, 2012My 11 yo son had an amazing dedicated teacher in 4th grade who because of her dedication and belief in what she was doing, and the belief that getting a kid by to skate into the next grade is not a favor.. was able to get the wheels rolling to get my son the help he needed in school for tutoring and the support he was allowed to have by law.. for his ADHD – he was a behavior problem..but she didnt lose her patience, didn;t stop supporting and guiding him..and also included me – without treating me like I was a failure or dong a terrible job… she went way above and beyond what is expected or compensated for…and when my 11 yo started 5th grade… he had the skills he needed and also the drive to be a better student because of her. In return for her hard work not only with my son, the parents of her students backed her up 100% if she needed something for the classroom..,she asked and often got enough to pass on to other classrooms.. she made a huge difference in how my son now views education and opened my eyes to what goes on for teachers and how much the good ones put into their jobs… and on that note… I lost my thought 🙂
Lizzie Cracked recently posted..Sometimes You Just Can’t Win, Mid-Afternoon Mental Moment
Red
/ June 15, 2012Once you are involved with just one teacher who is 100% through and through, it is easy to see why we need to be keeping the good ones and making enough of them comfortable to find out they really love the profession as well. The quick turnovers are not always teachers who should have washed out. Many of them are the ones who cannot face going to a classroom where they do not have the resources and parental and community support to give all they have. There is no return in it. Being unappreciated in your job is horrible regardless of profession, but when you have children in your charge, it can be heartbreaking. xxx
Friggin Loon
/ June 15, 2012OK Red just so you know, if I baked something for a teacher I fear there could be only 3,799,999 million people in the United States as educators…I’m just saying 🙄
Friggin Loon recently posted..Thumbs Up To Vaginas On NZ TV
Red
/ June 15, 2012May need to stick to flowers, Loon *giggles*
Friggin Loon
/ June 15, 2012Right you are Red 🙂
Friggin Loon recently posted..Art Theft Fail
Soma Mukherjee
/ June 15, 2012loved reading this beautiful write up Red. since i have taught for some years i do know how a teacher feels about these.
I have always helped my daughters school and let them know what their work means to me..infact that was the reason i started working in school all voluntary work without any pay….
sending cards,helping out teachers,celebrating their special days with the class,making the students aware a teacher is a human not a robot or wikipedia…and she loved hugs,words or otherwise
loved the tips and i must say this to those who don’t ..it really will change the way not just how you as a parent see the school but also how the school treats you and your kids…
Soma Mukherjee recently posted..The Bitter Angels
Red
/ June 15, 2012Thank you for volunteering, Soma. It is a huge relief to teachers to have help in any form. Many parents never think about how they are overwhelmed at times with three or four, but how they would feel if they were with more than twenty everyday for six to eight hours. Our children’s naughty bones do not turn off when the bell rings at school! Laughter is a necessary part of education. Some of my most memorable teachers were the ones with the ability to laugh at themselves and with us. Students spontaneously show appreciation when they are given a model. xxx
totsymae1011
/ June 15, 2012Good information. Back to basics, is what I say.
Red
/ June 15, 2012What a mouthful, Tots. I wish we could go back to the basics. Teaching our children to be appreciative helps though. Take care of yourself <3
prenin
/ June 15, 2012Hi Red! 🙂
I got Emily through University and she became a primary school teacher, but left after one too many incidents of violence from a PARENT!!!
She’s now a housewife and mother so she’s happy, but WHAT A WASTE!!! 🙁
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
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Red
/ June 15, 2012Pren, that is part of the problem. Parents can be as bad (read worse than) the children. It takes so little energy, effort and resources to be kind. I am glad she can stay home with her children, but you are right…what a waste. {HUGZ} Red.
Tess Kann
/ June 15, 2012We have been lucky with a particular teacher instructing both my granddaughters. Their mother worked hard to arrange this. Some teachers are so special; it’s a true calling.
Timely post and an important one as well.
Tess Kann recently posted..Whose Money is it by the Way?
Red
/ June 15, 2012I just want more of those who are truly called to be appreciated and not so drained by an uncaring system and callous parents (who think they deserve the dedication for the meager salary) as to quit before they should.