After spending a few weeks locked down at home with the kids and assisting them with their now-mostly virtual schooling, nearly 80 percent of parents say teachers deserve a pay raise.
In a poll from OnePoll and the educational gaming company Osmo, 77 percent of parents say teachers should get more money, and 80 percent indicated they now have “a newfound respect for educators.”
According to Fox News, about half of the parents polled said they’re currently working from home which “can escalate the ‘family chaos.’” Seventy percent said making sure their kids are occupied “is hindering their performance at work,” and about the same number said “balancing their career and new teaching duties is ‘overwhelming.’”
To keep kids on track and engaged with their studies, 82 percent of parents agreed that they would pay for additional educational programming to help them reach their goals.
“We’re happy to hear so many parents saying they appreciate teachers more, and have greater respect for them,” Jan Richards, Osmo’s Head of Education, said in a statement.
Math and science are getting parents’ top priority. Music and art ranked at the bottom of (home) school subject importance.
Tina Green, a former teacher and administrator, adds some perspective to both facets of the poll:
I left my job as a teacher and school administrator after 11 years because the low pay, long hours and focus on test results were too much for me to withstand once I became a mother. I had no paid maternity leave. I had not received a raise in three years. I had to make a choice between caring for other people’s children or my own. So I left for the nonprofit sector where I made more money and had flexible hours. I don’t regret it.
Such a situation could be improved with a move to a better state and district, but of course not everyone can just pack up and go. Nevertheless, would-be teachers should know going in that the hours will be long and tedious (especially in subjects like English), and, unfortunately, there will be a ridiculous emphasis on standardized testing.
What they may not know is how some parents, usually a small vocal minority, will constantly challenge them on discipline and class management. Hopefully, it is these folks who have had their eyes opened during the lockdown.
MORE: Students learn more from tough teachers, study finds
MORE: Parents, don’t let your kids’ teachers be their only teachers
IMAGE: Roman Samborskyi / Shutterstock.com
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