How Joel Klein insulted physical education teachers
Physical education teachers across the country are not taking kindly to New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's televised comment that they shouldn’t earn as much as math and science teachers. Klein appeared on the “The View” this week to discuss New York City’s public schools. When the conversation turned to the issue of merit pay for teachers, he said, “Math and science teachers receive the same pay as physical educators,” a statement that, in context, suggested that math and science teachers should earn more than PE teachers. That, naturally, sparked a backlash from physical education teachers who rightly see their field as important as academics, and believe that Klein betrayed an ignorance of the importance of regular physical activity and its positive effect on student achievement.
