In regard to your opinion about teachers:
New Mexico is ranked 47th in the country for teacher pay. In New Mexico, teachers exit jobs monthly to states with cheaper rents and higher pay.
Without teachers, students spend idle hours in split lists. Some of my students have gone through three years of middle school without ever having a certified math teacher. Of course their scores will be poor.
In regard to the tests:
Two years ago, a seventh grade test wanted the student to answer, “What would most likely be sold at a confectionery?” Tests created by a company out of England have no business judging New Mexico students.
In regard to the quality of the teachers:
Teachers who are not doing all the things you list, quit. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t stay in the job.
I have made more money baby-sitting, bar-tending and waitressing. There are a lot more lucrative positions we could take. A teacher I know who quit last year is making more money this year working in a gift shop. She loves teaching, is a great teacher, she couldn’t afford to teach. Her position remains open.
If education is going to improve in New Mexico, it is necessary to hire teachers. Without competitive pay, positions will remain unfilled. As you said “A vast majority of successful students leave the state and don’t return.” Of course they do. They can make more money in other states. They can make a lot more doing anything other than teaching.
Suzanne Birrell Jones
Chimayó