Educational keynote speakers are a vital element of our educational process. Teachers go into the profession with high ideals. Within 5 years, many have left. They site low pay as a reason for the departure, but I think it is because the reality of teaching is so much different than the idea of teaching. Starry-eyed students know that teacher pay lags behind many other fields that they could chose, yet they choose education anyway. So what changes in five years? Could it be that the daily grind of actually having to put up with students who don’t always want to learn and parents who are either not involved or too involved becomes frustrating? Does the environment and bureaucracy take an eventual toll? Could it be that once that happens, teachers start to think “I’m not getting paid enough for all these headaches?” The answer in my opinion is a resounding yes. Once educators feel used or unappreciated or ineffective, the money starts to matter more.
Right now, states are facing budget crunches of significant proportions. Even educators with the best attitudes and the most success need some reassurance, motivation and direction to weather this storm.
In the midst of the financial crisis, will the educational keynote speaker budget fall victim to the red-ink ax? It will be a very big temptation to make the short-term cut when dollars are tight. As a speakers bureau, FIVE STAR is certainly not an unbiased party, but I do believe that if at all possible, the speaker should be brought in for the sake of the teachers and education leaders. Maybe some creative financing is in order — can educators partner with sponsors from the local community, for example?
The bottom line is that educators are being asked to give up a lot when they become teachers. Give them the motivation they need to tap into some of those ideals they had in the beginning. Give them the content they need to reach students and produce more with less. Give them the opportunity to meet with their colleagues and professionally grow.
