Teacher Incentives...

Our school supposedly hit several benchmarks so that we are now eligible for receiving a performance-based incentive. So as one of these schools who participated in this experimental program, we are either entitled to $1500 per union member or $3000 per union member depending on what sort of improvements we've made in the past year.

Our school's report card grade has not been officially posted, however word is out that we've improved a full letter grade. The basis of the incentive is to reward the schools who make the most ground in a year with their kids.

I have mixed feelings about incentive programs. Though I find that it's a nice chunk of change at the end of the year, it's not worth the message we send to society. Teachers are not bribed to perform. We are not donkeys that need a carrot dangled in front of us to do our jobs. And what sort of message do you send our students that we need an incentive to "teach better?" If anything, these incentives shouldn't be based on student performance but should be based on student needs (which begs the question if we should even call them incentives).

It doesn't make sense to pin all the successes and failures on teachers within a school. You would have to perform a longitudinal study with each teacher to determine their efficacy and that even that is unreliable at best since cohorts change from year to year.

I have developed a refined appreciation for how students are dealt with in school. Teaching really is an art form that is unappreciated and grossly misunderstood by the general public...

But despite how I think and feel about all this, I'll gladly accept any incentive bonus that has my name on it. :)