Offering hope Chasing zeros

CHRISTINA WILLIAMS MANAGING EDITOR CMW722@CABRINI EDU

John Doe graduates from Cabrini within the top 5 percent of his class with a degree in elementary education. John Doe has done enough during his college years to establish himself as a good teacher with a good resume.

When it comes to applying for a teaching position Doe has two options. His first option is he can work in an inner city school where he will get paid little for his high achievements. Doe’s second option is coming to a place like Radnor where he will earn what he should be for his high-level education and stunning resume.

If Doe has any sense whatsoever he will go to the job in Radnor where he will be making what he deserves for his education. There are many reasons why Doe’s choice is the best choice.

First of all, if Doe chooses Radnor, he will be in a safe environment and will be in a wellprotected area. Some of these schools in the city are not safe at all. At the school where I am doing my community service for my Seminar 300 class, the first day we were there I was told not to leave anything in the car.

Second of all, there are less unruly kids so the teacher can teach with out having to stop class and reprimand the children. Sure there will be kids that act out every now and then but there would be even more unruly children in an inner city school.

Third, there would be more parental support in the school system at Radnor then at an inner city school. The teacher would be supported in his or her decision by the parents more at a school in Radnor then at one in the city.

There would be more of a structure at a Radnor school for the teacher compared to a school in the city. There would be no worries of a language barrier.

If Doe ended up in Radnor with a bigger paycheck, he or she would most likely be able to have extra money to buy extra supplies. The further the teacher thinks outside the box the better educated the students will be.

I have heard education majors here at Cabrini say when doing their field experience they have to put out extra money for their lesson plans.

If a teacher is getting paid barely anything to work at an inner city school they won’t have the money that a Radnor teacher will have to get the extra supplies and provide a better lesson.

Most students at this school that I volunteer for are bilingual and their first language is not English. This does not stop this teacher from doing all that she can to get these kids through the eighth grade and into high school. Even though most of them, statistically, will not graduate high school.

The point of telling this story is to show that there are good teachers in inner city schools that make a difference. She is a college-graduate education major that is not making a lot of money, however and most importantly she is making a difference.

ARadnor schoolteacher can be making way more then this teacher and can still make a difference. They are just getting the money they deserve for their years of education.

I mean who wouldn’t want to work in an environment where they are supported, are guaranteed safety, and can have the extra money to make more of an impact on their students?

If making the extra money to improve students’education is a bad thing there are probably a lot of bad people in the world. But I definitely don’t think that those who pick the Radnor school district over the inner city school have anything to be ashamed of or should be looked down upon.

These teachers know that they are worth a certain amount based on the education they have received and the experience they have been exposed to.

There is nothing wrong with getting paid what you are worth. No one wants to be short changed and everyone has a value.

If someone wants to go after those extra zeros no one in this world should put them down because they want to get what they are worth.

I say teachers, get paid what you are worth and pick the