Happy Teacher Appreciation Week
Teachers make such a difference in the lives of so many children. I know this first hand because I was a student in San Diego for nearly a year before coming to work at Last Stand for Children First. In that time, I was a truly and unsung hero and I remember it fondly. I had wanted to do a drive to have parents donate used mugs that we could clean and then present to teachers as our little way of saying thanks, but unfortunately I forgot about Teacher Appreciation Week until it was too late.Teachers give so much of themselves to their students. I really wish there was a way to give them more money. Recently, Last Stand for Children First call a blue ribbon panel of experts in education reform together to look at ways we could better reward top performing teachers. After spending 18 months and $20,000,000 researching different approaches, we came up with a merit pay system that we thought would be a great way to make sure the best teachers are rewarded. Wouldn't you know it? Backed by their unions, district after district has rejected our plan.
In fact, teachers routinely block all the best things we have designed for them---from equipping students with dog collars