The state of education
In 1966 when I finished my bachelor's degree I began to look for teaching jobs; I had been night dish room supervisor in the Student Union Building at Northern Illinois University for two years ($64 a week plus dinner which included a slice of cherry pie). The work was hard but sometimes I got to do more interesting stuff, like pressure wash 2,000 molded plastic chairs with another gent who was taking a teaching degree in German. I landed my job teaching English at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Ill.
It took 16 interviews to get hired. I met with teachers, department chairs, principals and the superintendent of the district along with 200 applicants vying for three mid-year openings; one was being vacated by a young woman who knew a lot more English than I did but was unable to maintain discipline. That was one thing I could do at age 24 with a mediocre grade point average and two hand-me-down suits.
Lyons paid more than any other public school district in the nation. The previous year the faculty had produced 37 National Merit Finalists, a record. When asked to adopt the highest salary schedule in the nation, the school board took 20 minutes to deliberate, 15 of those consumed by the superintendent arguing that the best teachers in the country should make the most money. I made the princely salary of $5,900 but no cherry pie.
Unlike Idaho, education budgets in Illinois are determined mainly by local property values. Since LaGrange was near the top of the nation in that area they could afford to hire the best teachers; but for the taxpayers it was more a matter of values and pride than of affordability. The good people of LaGrange wanted the finest teachers they could attract and the highest salary schedule was one way
to accomplish that. They also wanted their teachers to be able to afford to live in their neighborhoods. Wonderful working conditions and employee benefits were also attractive parts of the employment package
The English faculty members were remarkable. For one thing they helped each other, particularly the newcomers. Mr. Bacon, the assistant chair and a gentleman in all regard, invited me to watch him teach Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." His technique was to read the entire play aloud; his students were spellbound and so was I. I have encountered only one other teacher who could read as well as he could.
I once saw a heated argument between two younger teachers, one formerly a starting guard for the Chicago Bears; the other had been a district manager for Fuller Brush where he made 10 times his teaching salary. They were arguing about remedial English. I assumed neither wanted to teach the slower kids so I did not pay much attention until I realized they were fighting to teach remedial English not to avoid it. Neither was satisfied with his own performance that year. Each wanted a chance to improve but the number of remedial sections was limited. They were truly teaching students rather than English, as the old saying goes.
I taught four sections of English limited to 25 students each. Those limits enabled us to require each student to write a 500-word essay every week; we would grade them and the chair would review our grading. He made many helpful suggestions to me about how to approach an essay. Lyons Township is in the same conference as my own alma mater, Maine Township. I have not kept up with my former students but have with my former classmates; they are incredibly successful and have been presidents, CEOs, Secretary of State (Mrs. Clinton), actors (Harrison Ford and Karen Black) and college professors. I tossed that in because I don't get paid for this column.
The faculty sat for many hours after school in curriculum planning during which teachers would argue for this or that novel or play for next year's students. The discussions often grew heated because every teacher had ideas about what was best for the students. I never once witnessed a discussion in which a teacher sought anything for him or herself. One male teacher had six kids and a wife dying of cancer; he taught two extra classes for extra money and no one complained about the special treatment he received. Virtually all faculty members took summer classes at nearby universities because they were reimbursed for them and also advanced on the salary schedule.
It is unlikely that such conditions are possible for public education in this day and age but I really do not like what I see happening in Wisconsin and Idaho. The teachers at Lyons Township High School and Junior College were, person for person, the finest staff I have seen anywhere, including nearly 40 years I spent in higher education. I do wish, however, someone somewhere would say, "We want the finest teachers available rather than the ones who will work for our Idaho salaries and benefits no matter how low we set them." Presumably we want the best doctors, dentists, veterinarians and lawyers; why are we content with less than the best in the classroom? If we treated teachers like Lyons Township did back in 1967, our education system would likely become the best in the nation almost overnight. We could then have fine Wisconsin beers, cheeses and teachers in our midst.
Tim Hunt, the son of a linotype operator, is a retired college professor and nonprofit administrator who lives in Hayden with his wife and three cats. He can be reached at linotype.hunt785@gmail.com.