Value of a Good Teacher

I stumbled across an interesting article today on the New York Times Web site. The article, New York Times Article - The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers, speaks about the possible value of having a good kindergarten teacher. The study found that by the age of 27, participants in the study made an average of $100 more for every percentile they had moved up during their kindergarten year. Based on their mathematical calculations, these economists calculated a *highly effective* kindergarten teacher could be worth over $300,000 a year!

Being that I am going to be a kindergarten teacher this year, I thought this article was nifty. Do I think I should get paid that ridiculous amount of money? Um, no. I mean I'd love a raise as much as the next person, but I'm just grateful to be employed! I just thought it was pretty cool to think that EVERY teacher who encounters a child has the opportunity to shape their future. I hear about it all the time with middle and high school teachers, but I often wonder, since kids can hardly even remember kindergarten by the time they move on to college, how much of a difference can primary teachers really make? This article supports what I have always believed - A BIG DIFFERENCE. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)