Taylor Mali on "What Teachers Make"

Taylor Mali (http://taylormali.com), one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and one of the few people in the world to have no job other than that of poet., gives his mind on what teachers make. Mali is a vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, having himself spent nine years in the classroom teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T. test preparation.

He has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world, and his New Teacher Project has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through "poetry, persuasion, and perseverance."

Please visit http://taylormali.com for more on Mali and his New Teacher Project.

Taylor Mali's comments on the video can be found here! http://bit.ly/JB4IJe

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This video was produced and edited by Paul Devlin the director of SlamNation ( http://www.devlinpix.com/slamnation ), the pioneering film about slam poetry. It comes from the Finals of the National Poetry Slam in Providence, Rhode Island. http://bit.ly/dsTh4R

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[mightypanda54]

That's your problem right there...thinking that teachers "work only nine months a year" there is an unfathomable amount of work being done after hours. Planning, organizing, etc. I went into teaching knowing I wasn't going to be making a lot of money, and I also am not one that complains about it. Until you're in a classroom with 20-25 children, some who have special needs, some who don't speak your language, some that fall behind, and others that need to be challenged. You just don't get it.

[historydean507]

Also, this notion of only working nine months is a fallacy that needs to come to an end. You are right, teachers only have a TEN month contract. However, during the year I am working on average 80 hours a week between planning, grading, and teaching. Also, during the summer I spend my time reading new books on the material that I teach so that I can stay current. I assure you, the average teacher (let alone the good ones) work more hours per year than any 9-5 job.

[KnomicGaming]

Teacher showed us this today. Loved it :)

[billhicks8]

I would defer to a teacher over a student merely because one benefits my interest over the other. In adult working life we are all jumping through hoops to satisfy some set standards of legislature that should secure our claims to being professionally recognised. For some, this work merely sharpens their hoop jumping skills.

[billhicks8]

In my life I have given of my energy to many vocations and areas of employment; perhaps even spreading myself too thin. However in most cases I have worked and managed to attain positions of moderate authority over others in working life, and having exerted myself alongside others, I have always been surprised at both the quality of some of my peers, and the astonishing incompetence of others. You are right; students have not a claim to make, it is in exactly this that they can be overlooked.

[Stuart Hamilton]

I could believe that if I weren't aware of all the hoops in the career of a would-be public school teacher. You don't just put in a resume along with a cover letter and get a job as a teacher. You need a degree and the proper certification, both of which are extremely expensive to obtain.

Meanwhile, students are in fact thrown into class and required to be there by law. Ergo, in the teacher-student relationship I defer to the adult professional before the student.

[billhicks8]

I agree with most of what you've said, but be careful not to make unwarranted generalisations about students either. Sometimes there are simply incompetent teachers; people who are not really cut out for the job that do indeed make it difficult for students to learn the subjects they profess to know a lot about. Whether we are talking about students, parents or teachers it is important to evaluate people on their individual merits as often as possible. This should really be a rule for life.

[mrbradpainter]

God DAMN this man can deliver a speech!

[dragoncrystal24]

Ironic. The second he said 'I make kids work in absolute si---,' my video went silent to buffer

[konchannnn]

Soooo basically you're trying to say that not only do teachers deserve the low pay that they get, but if they don't want to get paid this little, they should find jobs elsewhere? Education in America is already bad enough due to low funding. You know who gets the best education? Children in countries like Norway where teachers are paid about as much as doctors and lawyers. Higher teacher salaries would do far more good for this country than bad.

[chalicechiq]

Yep. I have teacher friends. They put in a shit ton of work "after hours" and during the summer. On their own time. 

[Turbolinux999]

Because most other jobs that require that level of education and commitment pay mid to high six figures, don't come with moronic parents, petulant children, or the social stigma of being layabouts, asshole.

Also, lets go with the understanding here that 'work week(WEEK not weak)' for a teacher is 7 days, not 5. It's asinine to believe that teachers get all their shit done for the week during the week and then do jack shit on the weekends.

'You signed up for it!' That makes it OK? This country...