Yeah. Hm. Well, when I was studying to be a teacher at Syracuse U in 1956-58, NEA was a professional organization, there was no AFT, nor were there any teacher unions. State standards for teachers was very high, and the universal New York State Regents' Examinations for all 8th graders guaranteed minimum requirements to graduate into high school. Failure kept you back. No excuse. No misplaced compassion.
For the beginning teacher, a Bachelor's degree, with ongoing progress toward a Master's degree was necessary for a temporary license, with a permanent license upon completion within a maximum, under state law, of five years from initial employment. Failure to accomplish this goal resulted in permanent cancellation of the teaching license.
For this kind of teacher qualification we paid almost as high beginning salary as we did for a janitor or low-wage factory employee. There were no idiot teachers, and the PTAs weeded out poor performers in the first three years before tenure upon the fourth year's rehire cut in. After that, there was job security.
With this kind of pay, in an economy where most households did not have two paychecks, generally for a decent life a male teacher only had to moonlight on another job or two to make ends meet.
Also, in those days, THERE WERE NO COLLEGE LOANS. To get an education, you had to give up at least four years of your life's earning span, and pay for it. However, in New York State, the tuition at State operated teacher's college was zero! zip! nada! so entry there was open to students from low-income families who otherwise could not afford it.
Regarding the performance of primary and secondary students, Regents Examinations for each secondary school subject preparatory to college acceptance gave assurance for a college future with a Regents Diploma. Even for a non-Regents course, I saw low-skill students finally get a diploma at 19 or 20 years old after extra coaching. It was a prerequisite to meaningful employment almost anywhere.
At that time, home schooling was not thought of, nor was it needed. Parents were vitally involved in the operation of the local schools, and the teachers answered to the parents--not vice versa. Every school district had a truant officer and, up to one's 16th birthday, irregular attendance put the child into a reform school, with the parent being responsible for the child's attendance or else his incarceration.
Are you beginning to get the point of why unions got a foot in the door, and why we have poor teachers today? IT IS BECAUSE WHEN WE HAD GOOD PROFESSIONALLY PERFORMING TEACHERS, WE WOULD NOT PAY A LIVING WAGE FOR THEM! Now, we've got exactly what we deserve. What did we say then? "Them that can, do; them that can't, teach." What a brilliant estimate of the situation. (/sarc)
It is we who are at fault. We had no gratitude for professionals when we had them. Now we moan because we don't.