The Teacher Pay Mess
The Teacher Pay Mess: Teacher Pay Is Bizarre!
Episodes Coming Soon!
In this episode, host Trina English, delves into the history and issues surrounding teacher pay. She discusses the historical context for why teacher salaries are designed the way they are, touching on themes of structural sexism and income inequality. Also explored are the broader implications of the teacher pay structure on attracting new talent, especially from diverse backgrounds. They emphasize the need for systemic change and offer insights on how to address these entrenched issues. The conversation sets the stage for a series of episodes aimed at uncovering the underlying factors contributing to the teacher shortage, all from teachers' point of view.
The Teacher Pay Mess: Take This Mess and Shove It!
In this episode, Trina interviews Kelvin Mak, a UC Berkeley and Stanford educated teacher who quit the profession after only two years due to the oppressive pay system in place in our nation's schools. He reacts to the revelation he learned while listening to the previous episode that teachers are only paid a fraction of a complete salary due to the system sexism baked into our profession.
The Teacher Pay Mess: Dr. Paul Bruno Returns
This episode centers on a discussion about teacher pay, featuring Trina and Dr. Paul Bruno from the University of Illinois. The conversation highlights the complexity and inadequacies of teacher compensation systems, particularly focusing on the disparity in pay between veteran and novice teachers, the rigidity of step and column salary schedules, and the broader socio-economic challenges impacting education funding and teacher retention.
Trina emphasizes issues such as the historical underpayment of teachers due to structural sexism, while both underscore the significant differences in teaching conditions and pay across districts and states, and the lack of effective support for teachers in high-cost urban areas.
They call for a reevaluation of teacher pay structures, better support systems, and broader socio-economic reforms to address these issues.