The state versus union battle raged in Wisconsin throughout February and March and captured the attention of the nation. Like many political debates, it turned from a fiscal issue into an idealistic one over the morality of collective bargaining. The fight over union rights is not new, and one union in particular has been singled out for decades: teachers. In 1997, economist Milton Friedman wrote his now world-renowned article, “Public Schools: Make them Private,” describing how, among other factors, teachers’ unions were destroying public education. He argued that these greedy adults were pushing for lucrative wages and benefits at the expense of the children. This sentiment has since become more popular in education reform. The idea is to run school districts like corporations, which means holding them to the same efficiency standards as businesses. Just as a manager whose branch performs poorly will face punishment, teachers whose students do not succeed will be held accountable.
Holding teachers accountable for the success of their students appears logical. However, when the students come from varied backgrounds and success in the classroom means a certain collective score on an arbitrary standardized test, the logic is no longer so sound. Merit pay has long been discussed as an option, but countless complexities have kept it from the foreground until now. Should students who grew up in front of a television instead of The Cat in the Hat be held to the same standards of achievement? Should the evaluation of a teacher’s efficacy be entirely based on how well a 10-year-old does on a three hour long exam once a year? Teachers’ unions have fought these kinds of changes for decades. But as many states, like Wisconsin, push to curb teacher collective bargaining rights, the unions will no longer be able to stop these changes.
In addition to the arbitrary and unfair judgments of teachers’ efficacy, the detrimental effects it will have on education are worth noting. Just like any other profession, teachers grow and improve with experience. Each teacher develops a unique style that evolves over the years, adapting to changes in the student body and environment. However, if teachers are not treated like professionals, they will not be able to perform accordingly.
Collective bargaining is a legal right (although not always a reality) for nearly all jobs in this country. It allows people to make careers out of their jobs and it has helped turn teaching into a profession with job security and benefits. Just like any other job, good wages and benefits are necessary to attract the best and brightest. As a nation we should offer more to the people shaping our youth than a pat on the back and a passing acknowledgement in campaign speeches. We have all had at least one teacher in our lives that did more than just teach us how to perform on a test–those are the teachers that we remember. We have all been pushed and inspired by a teacher who dedicated his or her life to the profession. The question is whether we are going to give America’s youth—from all economic stratum—that same privilege.
Bonneau is a member of the class of 2014.
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