Ah a right-leaning publication is again pushing merit pay for teachers

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That is absolute horse-you-know-what. I've always said that I will accept merit pay when I get to choose my students. Yes it is very easy to get excellent standardized test scores from the best and most motivated students but it can be impossible to hit benchmarks when you are dealing with students and parents who don't care, students who can't speak English, students with disabilities, etc. For the past several years I have been teaching students at the lowest level. Some have learning disabilities. Some have health challenges. Some don't speak a word of English. It would be absolutely outrageous to compare the results of my students on a standardized test to a teacher who is teaching all "honors" or "advanced" or whatever you want to call it. A failure to reach that arbitrary benchmark shouldn't be held against me when there are SO MANY factors out of my control. I remember the merit pay BS idea being floated back when GW Bush instituted No Child Left Behind. What a nightmare that was. I work in a good school district in what is considered the "rich" school and we were on like year 7 or 8 of being named. . . I don't even remember but basically a failing school. According to the law we should have been taken over by the state but I think there were so many schools in the same situation that it was never enforced. How we were a "good" district that couldn't hit test scores is a discussion for another time. I have strong thoughts about that. Merit pay is definitely not the answer. That is a surefire way to further destroy teacher morale and divide staff. Teachers can't force students to pay attention, show up to class prepared, or do work. Teachers can't force parents to pay attention, care, or give consequences for failing grades. Teachers can't control if a student spends their time after school working to help support the family or caring for a sibling because their parents are always working. Nope. Merit pay would be entirely unfair to teachers who show up every day and do their job. There are far too many variables that are totally out of their control.