CBS ... Teachers are Professionals, What a Concept!

 Here is a newsclip from the CBS morning news regarding a teacher that made a million dollars on a wonderful site called teacherspayteachers.com.


For those who have never been in a classroom, the state/federal department of education gives each grade level specific concepts to teach, but how the material is delivered is completely up to the district, school, and, ultimately, the teacher.

For years, teachers have been finding ways to teach that speak to their student population. What works in rural Kentucky may not work in inner city Chicago, and so finding a one-size-fits-all activity is flat ridiculous. Teacherspayteachers, as well as Pinterest, is changing the way educators find new ways of presenting concepts to their classrooms. Both are extremely successful because they come from master teachers across the country.

And so, when halfway through this interview, the anchor asks if teachers who purchase units from this site are "being lazy," I about hit the roof.

Really?!
 
I love the fact that teacherspayteachers is bypassing the publishing industry and allowing the teachers to share units that get real results. I've spent way too many years purchasing materials, only to wade through pages and pages of junk hoping to find something relevant to my content. The lesson plans on this site are tried and true, easy to follow, hone in on specific content, and allow teachers the opportunity to branch out. It's a win, win. Teachers help one another, allowing more time for the children. And the children win by having new and innovative ideas created by master teachers across the country.  

As for the anchor's ignorant comment about "being lazy", I'll try to be respectful. We as teachers learned a long time ago that cooperation and collaboration go a lot farther than trying to go it alone. We understand the concept of working as a team to try and find a better way. Now, more than ever, we feel the importance of reaching each child. We've all seen the statistics; this isn't about finding an easy way out. It's about taking the resources we have and doing the best job we can.

I grow weary of the media's need to try and create drama for the sake of ratings. This piece was about a teacher who worked for seventeen years, spent thousands of hours trying and preparing creative ways to help children learn. She should get paid to share her knowledge. She should be able to help other teachers become better at their job. If a doctor spent his entire career developing a better way to do a surgical procedure and then made millions sharing his work online, no one would consider the other doctors benefiting from his expertise as "lazy."

Professionalism. Maybe CBS should try it sometime.