Retaining Teachers

For those who wonder why it is so difficult to keep excellent teachers in our nation’s classrooms, listen up. Here’s one of many reasons.

The mother of one of my students telephoned me to chastise me for having given her child a poor mark for her poor behavior. She accused me of not liking her child, of mistakenly giving her child a low mark when her other teachers gave her high marks and of being completely negligent when I would not change the grade, as it would keep the child from going on a school trip she had been looking forward to. When her own rudeness did not change my mind, she switched to abuse. She demanded to know if I was bright enough to understand the vocabulary words she was using. She told me that my approach to discipline was fascist.

Not one word about the child’s responsibilities. Most of the parents I meet are thoughtful, cordial and want to help their children succeed. But there are enough of the abusive ones to make many of us run from the classroom sooner than we might have if we received courtesy and respect.

ANN BOURMAN

Los Angeles

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The Feb. 9 article, “20% of Teachers Quit Profession Within 3 Years, Study Shows,” and the accompanying table and graphs misrepresent data on teachers’ earnings. To pick one category, 44- to 50-year-olds with a master’s degree, the teachers earned $43,313 compared to $75,824 for nonteachers. But if teachers work 180 days a year and others work 250 days a year (i.e., no long summer vacations, winter and spring breaks and other assorted holidays) the daily earnings are $240 for teachers and $303 for the others. Annualized, this is about $15,800 a year, still a difference, but not as dramatic a difference.

And the earnings gap is nonexistent for the younger teachers, who actually earn more per day than nonteachers ($121 versus $120). If younger teachers are leaving teaching, it is not solely for financial reasons.

DANIEL J. FINK

Los Angeles