other states' embarrassments

Alabama State Senator Wants to Keep Teachers Poor, for the Children

Shadrick McGill pretending to use a phone. Photo: Facebook

Some politicians oppose giving raises to teachers as a matter of budgetary reality; in These Times of Ours, there just isn’t enough money, they say. Some politicians oppose raises for teachers because they see them as a bunch of money-grubbing, unionized Democrats. But Alabama state senator Shadrick McGill has a different reason altogether: the children. 

If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach.

To go in and raise someone’s child for eight hours a day, or many people’s children for eight hours a day, requires a calling. It better be a calling in your life. I know I wouldn’t want to do it, OK?

And these teachers that are called to teach, regardless of the pay scale, they would teach. It’s just in them to do. It’s the ability that God give ‘em. And there are also some teachers, it wouldn’t matter how much you would pay them, they would still perform to the same capacity.

If you don’t keep that in balance, you’re going to attract people who are not called, who don’t need to be teaching our children. So, everything has a balance.

Maybe don’t pay teachers anything at all? Then Alabama’s schools would be amazing.

Seriously though, to be fair, McGill is also in favor of keeping the salaries of state senators nice and low, so that only those truly called to political office will serve. 

Nah, just kidding. He thinks the 62 percent pay raise the Alabama legislature gave itself in 2007 was totally justified.  

Alabama Politician Only Wants Poor Teachers