評(píng)論
打印
Teacher recruitment
教師招募
Those who can
能者勝任
How to turn teaching into a job that attracts high-flyers
怎樣使得教學(xué)變成了吸引成功人士的工作
IMAGINE a job where excellence does nothing to improve your pay or chances of promotion, and failure carries little risk of being sacked. Your pay is low for your qualifications—but at least the holidays are long, and the pension is gold-plated.
想象一下，一個(gè)工作卓越人士無須做什么事情即可提高你的工資或晉升的機(jī)會(huì)，出現(xiàn)故障被解雇的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)很小。你的工資低于你的資歷，但至少假期長(zhǎng)，養(yǎng)老金是“鍍金”般有保障的。
Teaching ought to be a profession for hard-working altruists who want to improve children's life prospects. But all too often school systems seem designed to attract mediocre timeservers. Many Mexican teachers have inherited their jobs; Brazilian ones earn less than other public servants, and retire much earlier. Each school-day a quarter of Indian teachers play truant. In New York it is so hard to sack teachers that even those accused of theft or assault may be parked away from pupils, doing “administrative tasks” on full pay, sometimes for years.
教學(xué)應(yīng)該是一個(gè)為想要改善兒童的生活前景勤勞的利他主義者的專業(yè)。但很多時(shí)候?qū)W校系統(tǒng)似乎旨在吸引平庸的趨炎附勢(shì)之人。許多墨西哥教師繼承了他們的工作;巴西那些教師收入低于其他公務(wù)人員，并提前退休了。每所學(xué)校一天四分之一的印度教師罷工。在紐約很難解雇教師，即使是那些被指控偷竊或侵犯遠(yuǎn)離學(xué)生的教師，有時(shí)多年全薪做“管理任務(wù)”。
You can find outstanding individuals in the worst school systems. But, as lazy and incompetent teachers get away with slacking, the committed ones often lose motivation. In America and Britain surveys find plummeting morale. Jaded British teachers on online forums remind each other that it is just a few months till the long summer break—and just a few years till retirement. No wonder so many children struggle to learn: no school can be better than those who work in it.
您可以在最惡劣的學(xué)校系統(tǒng)找到先進(jìn)個(gè)人。但是，由于懶惰和無能的教師逃脫松弛，負(fù)責(zé)的教師往往失去動(dòng)力。在美國(guó)和英國(guó)的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)士氣一落千丈。在網(wǎng)上論壇疲倦不堪的的英國(guó)老師提醒對(duì)方，堅(jiān)持到漫長(zhǎng)的暑假僅僅只有短短數(shù)月，并且直到退休只有短短幾年。難怪這么多孩子努力學(xué)習(xí)：沒有學(xué)校可以比那些孩子在這工作得更好。
Yet it is possible to persuade the hardworking and ambitious to teach. Finland pays teachers modestly but manages them well; ten graduates apply for each training place. South Korea recruits teachers from the top 5% of school-leavers and promises them fat pay cheques. In both countries teachers are revered—and results are among the world's best.
然而，有可能說服勤奮和雄心勃勃的教導(dǎo)者。芬蘭支付教師的薪酬不多，但他們善于管理; 10名畢業(yè)生申請(qǐng)每次實(shí)習(xí)的地方。韓國(guó)從高中畢業(yè)生中排名前5％里抽取學(xué)生進(jìn)行教師招聘，并承諾他們充沛的工資。在這兩個(gè)國(guó)家的教師受到崇敬——其結(jié)果是世界上最好的。
Even where the profession is in disrepute, high-flyers can be lured into the classroom. Teach for America, which sends star graduates from elite universities for two-year stints in rough schools, is being copied around the globe. Private employers snap up its alumni—but many stay in teaching. Teach First, Britain's version, has helped raise standards in London and is one of the country's most prestigious graduate employers. Such schemes are small, but show that when teaching is recast as tough and rewarding, the right sort clamour to join.
即使在專業(yè)是聲名狼藉，成功人士可以被引誘成為教師。為美國(guó)而教，使得精英大學(xué)的星級(jí)畢業(yè)生兩年都就職于水平較差的學(xué)校，這種情況在全球各地都在效仿出現(xiàn)。人雇主搶購(gòu)校友，但很多都停留在教學(xué)。教育首先，英國(guó)方面，有助于提高在倫敦標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，倫敦是全國(guó)最負(fù)盛名的畢業(yè)生的雇主之一。這些計(jì)劃雖小，但是顯示當(dāng)教育被改寫為堅(jiān)韌和獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)，學(xué)校將會(huì)進(jìn)行正確排序。
Spreading the revolution to the entire profession will mean dumping the perks cherished by slackers and setting terms that appeal to the hardworking. That may well mean higher pay—but also less generous pensions and holidays. Why not encourage teachers to use the long vacation for catch-up classes for pupils who have fallen behind? Stiffer entry requirements would raise the job's status and attract better applicants. Pay rises should reward excellence, not long service. Underperformers should be shown the door.
傳播革命理念給整個(gè)行業(yè)將意味著被逃避工作之人和頭腦清醒者所珍視并吸引勤勞者珍惜的額外津貼。這可能意味著更高的薪水——也不太豐厚的退休金和節(jié)假日。為什么不鼓勵(lì)教師利用長(zhǎng)假對(duì)已經(jīng)落后的學(xué)生進(jìn)行補(bǔ)課教育？更嚴(yán)厲的入學(xué)要求會(huì)提高工作的地位和吸引更好的申請(qǐng)人。加薪應(yīng)獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)優(yōu)秀者，而非長(zhǎng)期的工作服務(wù)。表現(xiàn)不佳應(yīng)該被掃地出門。
Standing in the way, almost everywhere, are the unions. Their willingness to back shirkers over strivers should not be underestimated: in Washington, DC, when the schools boss (a Teach for America alumna) offered teachers much higher pay in return for less job security, their union balked.
路上，幾乎無處不在是工會(huì)組織。他們卸責(zé)于奮斗者之上的意愿不容小覷：在華盛頓，當(dāng)學(xué)校的老板（一個(gè)做教師，校友）提供教師高得多的薪酬以換取較少的工作保障，他們的工會(huì)猶豫不決。
Class action
集體訴訟
But against the unions is a growing coalition: the leaders in public administration and private enterprise who have been through Teach for America and its ilk. They know what it takes to succeed in difficult schools, and what it would take for success to become the norm. They know that what good teachers want most of all is good colleagues. As they become more numerous and influential, they need to argue for a new deal for teachers. The good ones deserve it—and pupils do, too.
但對(duì)工會(huì)是一個(gè)不斷增長(zhǎng)的聯(lián)盟：在公共管理和民營(yíng)企業(yè)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者經(jīng)歷過為美國(guó)和其同類而教授。他們知道如何才能在困難的學(xué)校成功，怎樣做才能成功成為常態(tài)。他們知道，好教師最希望的還是不錯(cuò)的同事。當(dāng)他們變得越來越多，具有影響力，他們需要爭(zhēng)取教師的新協(xié)議。好人應(yīng)該得到它，學(xué)生們也同樣如此。譯者：肖登怡
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