Teacher Pay Intiative

There will be an Oregon ballot measure on the November ballot that ties teacher pay to student performance. I have mixed emotions about this. I suppose I would be far more willing to support such a measure if parents were equally held to task---increased taxes or fines for parents whose students do poorly in school.

Do the people of Oregon know how many parents out there do not really behave as parents at all? Why should teachers face the consequences of dealing with kids, who have had no parenting, who lack self-discipline or any form of consequence for not studying, at home. This also gives lousy parents fingers to point away from themselves, martars for their own bad behavior.

So, I guess I would support such an initiative if it also included consequences for parents of children who do not come to school prepared to learn or who get no help at home, of any sort.