Retraction: For blaming low grades on teacher pay
Reference:
Honolulu Advertiser 10/20/05
A spokesperson for the Hawaii State Teachers Association was reported as saying that the recent low math and reading scores reflect the low salaries of Hawaii’s teachers.
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I would like to read:
To our community: I apologize for blaming our low math and reading scores on teacher’s pay. What’s true is that the low scores mirror my own leadership-communication skills and the collective communication skills of our teachers.
It was irresponsible of me to blame the public for my inability to inspire them and the legislators to vote for the pay I say teachers deserve. Sales professionals acknowledge that pay is always directly proportional to ones leadership-communication skills.
We are experiencing the effects of decades of inbreeding. University speech-communication courses are taught by staff (former university students) who themselves have not mastered communication, specifically, how to communicate subject matter. These staff (Instructors/Professors) then attempt to teach education majors how to communicate subject matter. Some of these education majors then become DOE staff members who are responsible for hiring facilitators to teach in-house communication workshops. This has resulted in the unconscious screening and hiring of communication workshop facilitators/coaches who deliver comfortable workshops in which participants seldom have an opportunity to confront their anger and self-righteousness—two of the most important barriers to effective communication. Consequently, teachers are at effect of their own anger; many students and parents learn how to manipulate/intimidate teachers using fear and anger.
What’s also true is that the leadership-communication skills it takes to communicate subject matter are the exact same skills it takes to effect satisfactory pay.
Sincerely,
R.T.—President, Hawaii State Teachers Association
Addendum: A 7/23/06 Honolulu Advertiser article reported that the four high schools that have shown the most improvement in the state are ones that have hired outside consultants. —Kerry
For more about teacher's pay.
http://www.bigislandforum.org/tpay
