Should English teachers be paid more than other teachers?

Answer 1

Teaching students to write well is a difficult and time-consuming task. But it is an important task, if high-school graduates are to be well prepared for higher education, for the work required in most professions, and for active citizenship in a participatory democracy.

Not just correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics, but clear, coherent writing on a variety of kinds of issues or topics, well-thought out and well-presented. Such teaching can be initiated, modeled, stimulated, engaged in within the classroom. But if the teaching ultimately is to be effective, if it is "to take," teachers must respond individually to each student's own writing, either in tutorials or in written/recorded comments.

All teachers who take the teaching of writing seriously -- that is, they engage students in writing frequently and respond regularly to their writing on an individual basis -- should EITHER be paid more or have a reduced load.

Consider: Let's say an English teacher has six classes averaging 30 students each (not all that unusual in some school districts). If they were to spend ten minutes a week responding to each student's writing, that would require 1800 minutes, or 30 hours, not counting the time they spend in the classroom, preparing lesson plans, and/or doing other teacherly duties. If they had four classes averaging only 15 students in each class (almost unheard of, except perhaps in very exclusive private schools), such a response would require 600 minutes or 10 hours.

I think you can see why so few high-school teachers are able to take the teaching of writing seriously. College teachers of writing may have four classes averaging 25 students each. Weekly writing assignments, therefore, would require 1000 minutes or 30+ hours, but they are probably in the classroom only twelve hours and have only three lesson plans to prepare.

So, to answer your question: No, English teachers should not necessarily be paid more. Many of them do not take the teaching of writing seriously but confine themselves to literature and/or grammar drills. And this is understandable, given their loads. On the other hand, any teacher -- English, journalism, history, biology, social studies, vocational studies, whatever -- who helps students improve their writing should be compensated in some way.

Probably the most realistic way, given school district and union regulations on differentiated salaries, is to adjust the teaching load of such teachers -- and to adjust the expectations of teacher responses to student writing to the load (number of students, number of hours in the classroom, number of preparations).

Answer 2

Sure they have it harder. They are responsible for making sure the student's composition skills are excellent. This means reports for other subjects will be well organized, well though out, and more elaborate because of the English education.

Reading and writing are not just in English; they exist in all phases/subjects of education. Plus, the verbal aspect of English assists students with valuable communications skills that may lead to a more lucrative job and/or faster promotions.

Should they be paid more? Absolutely. They do more.

Answer 3

Why? they are just another teacher... right? Then, if they did... there would be no other teachers besides English!! And you know we need that Math!! Oh, and the Spanish to talk to the foreigners over here. Pretty soon the US will be the other half of Mexico...

Answer 4

While english may be the most boring, I would think their work is easier. My experiance with english teachers proves that thier work is excessivly easier. Give you a page number, tell you what problems to do, and enter the grades after. And an occasional test/pop quiz. That is my opinion and my opinion only though

Answer 5

Why? Are you an English teacher?

Answer 6

I think that they should be paid the same as any other teachers. We need their knowledge just as much as with other subjects, and it's not like they have it harder than the rest of the teachers!

Answer 7

No, all teachers face the same challenges no matter what the subject matter, all of them need to be paid more.

Answer 8

Nope - Maths teachers. Few people genuinely enjoy it and an awful lot are actively frightened of it.

Answer 9

Why? They don't have to have anymore education. They don't work more or longer hours, although reading all those essays and term papers probably makes them feel like they work 100 times more.

Answer 10

I ask why