a problem with teacher pay arguments
Amid all the recent talk about state budgets, a very common claim is that teachers should be paid as much as possible. It’s hard to argue against this claim - what could possibly be wrong with paying teachers well? And yet the two main arguments advanced in favor of the claim are not entirely consistent.
1. Teachers deserve higher pay. Teachers are responsible for our children, for the future. They work very hard. They deserve to be compensated at least as well as other professionals.
2. Higher pay would incentivize teaching. Many very smart people currently go into other professions because they realize that teaching pays poorly. If we increase teacher pay, then those smart people might instead go into teaching, which will provide far greater benefit to our children.
Notice that the first argument is essentially moral in nature, while the second is essentially pragmatic. Notice also an unspoken assumption of the incentive argument - many of the people currently teaching our children are not good enough. It would be better, all things considered, if they were replaced with smarter people, and higher salaries would lure those smarter people.
Now, if you believe that current teachers are not good enough, why would you claim that they deserve to be paid more? These two arguments do not sit well together.
1. Teachers deserve higher pay. Teachers are responsible for our children, for the future. They work very hard. They deserve to be compensated at least as well as other professionals.
2. Higher pay would incentivize teaching. Many very smart people currently go into other professions because they realize that teaching pays poorly. If we increase teacher pay, then those smart people might instead go into teaching, which will provide far greater benefit to our children.
Notice that the first argument is essentially moral in nature, while the second is essentially pragmatic. Notice also an unspoken assumption of the incentive argument - many of the people currently teaching our children are not good enough. It would be better, all things considered, if they were replaced with smarter people, and higher salaries would lure those smarter people.
Now, if you believe that current teachers are not good enough, why would you claim that they deserve to be paid more? These two arguments do not sit well together.