Actor Matt Damon Speaks Out on Teacher Tenure

Matt Damon gave a keynote address Saturday, July 30th, at the Save Our Schools Rally in Washington DC, which he attended with his mother, a Boston child development specialist.  He attained instant folk hero status with American educators as a result not only of his speech, but also because he excoriated a journalist from Reason.TV.   She theorized that teachers lack incentive to work hard under a tenure system.  She continued, "In acting, there isn't job security, right? There's incentive to work hard and be a better actor because you want to have a job, so why isn't it like that for teachers?"

With no hesitation, Damon responded as quoted in ThirdAge.com, "So you think job insecurity is what makes me work hard? I want to be an actor. That’s not an incentive. That’s the thing. See, you take this MBA-style thinking, right? It’s the problem with ed policy right now, this intrinsically paternalistic view of problems that are much more complex than that. It’s like saying a teacher is going to get lazy when they have tenure. A teacher wants to teach. I mean, why else would you take a sh***y salary and really long hours and do that job unless you really love to do it?"  Right on, Matt!  Ham on Wry also notes that teacher incentives, if ever offered, would only amount to a fraction of the incentive offered in major businesses.

Ham on Wry enthusiastically supports Damon's response.  Its author worked in public education for several years and can attest to the fact that one must love teaching to choose that profession.  People seem to think that because they attended a public school, they understand all there is to know about American education.  Wrong!  The US is the only country in the world that guarantees a free public school education that comprises 12 or 13 years, depending on whether kindergarten is offered at no charge.  Ham on Wry believes that every naysayer should visit a classroom in a public school for a month and then see how they feel about the workload. 

Teachers may have contractual hours and a two-and-half-month summer vacation, but they earn that several times over.  Teachers pay taxes, some of which are earmarked for teacher salaries.  Not many professionals actually contribute to their own salaries.  The journalist from Reason.TV came across as smug in her questioning, so Ham on Wry would order her into the classroom for a semester, if it had the power.  When taxes dictate the amount a school district can pay teachers, the only way to add attractive incentive pay is to raise taxes.  That has little chance of ever bringing significant money to the table.  Further, does the American public actually want people in the classroom who value money over motivating students to learn?  Reason.TV erred in choosing that reporter to attend the march.  She has much to learn about the value.of positively affecting the lives of students.  Admit it, executives of Reason.TV!  That journalist's leading question is unforgivable in reporting the news.