THE VALUE OF TEACHERS

BY NICHOLAS KRISTOF

Published: January 11, 2012; NYT Opinion; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/opinion/kristof-the-value-of-teachers.html

Level of difficulty: *

BEFORE YOU READ

1. What are the most important factors that determine success in school?
2. How important is the role of the teacher in your view? Explain.
3. Read the hypothetical situation at the beginning of the text. If you were the parent of this child, what would your reaction be?

NOW WATCH THE POWTOONS VIDEOS

·         Teacher role model  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK9GTCYO25w

·         Who I am as a teacher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YmldQt3Lqk

·         Philosophy of teaching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-lWRxOyUPU

QUESTIONS

1. According to the text, is it right to panic in the hypothetical situation you discussed above?
2. What conclusion can be drawn from the information concerning the relationship between the future earnings of students and teachers?
3. What does “that” refer to in the phrase “Sure that’s implausible”?
4. A student who misses roughly half of the school year suffers just as much as ........................
5. What does “the issue” refer to in the phrase “It is frustrating that the presidential campaign is mostly ignoring the issue”?
6. Considering that good teachers are worth their weight in gold, what is the best way to improve the educational system?
7. Are good teachers the only solution? If not, what other problems need to be adressed?
8. Read the information concerning the study described on page two down to the bottom of the page.  Now explain in your own words what the following phrase means: “What shone through in the study was the variation among teachers”.
9. Which of the factors discussed so far seems to have the greatest effect on student success both in the present and in the future?
10. How does the writer refute the Republican view concerning a government role in education?
11. What reforms should be implemented to raise standards in education according to the text?

WRITING TASK: PROBLEM / SOLUTION ESSAY OR PARAGRAPH

Discuss the ways in which standards can be raised in education. Use the following points from the text and any others you wish. Remember to organize the points first and write a thesis statement and/ or topic sentence. Your teacher will discuss the plan with you.

POINTS

*Teacher evaluations based on student performance

*Higher pay and prestige for good teachers

*Dismissals for bad teachers

*Anti poverty measures such as boarding schools and early childhood programs.

THE VALUE OF TEACHERS / KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This text out of The New York Times is relatively simple despite being an original text, and can be done with intermediate classes at the start of the year and with pre intermediate classes about a month later. Beginner classes could tackle it later in the first term or use it as a simple pre writing activity later in the year. The content of the text is guaranteed to have teachers purring.

KEY

1. Not completely
2. A great teacher is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to each year’s students, just in the extra income they will earn.
3. Collectively offering the teacher as much as a 100.000 dollar bonus to stay for an extra year.
4. A student with a poor teacher
5. Our faltering education system.
6. More pay for good teachers, more dismissals for weak teachers.
7. The home, an array of anti poverty measures specially early childhood programs.
8. What was most obvious.
9. The quality of the teacher ( you may need to explain this)
10. Schools represent a tough minded business investment in our economic future.
11. Teacher evaluations based on student performance, higher pay and prestige for good teahers, dismissals for weak teachers.