Another real problem with helping professors and teachers increase their abilities is that a great teacher is often paid the same amount as a poor one. Thus, where is the incentive? I have trained over 300 professors for the Los Angeles College District, and it is gratifying to hear from them that I helped them with their ability to enhance learning with their students. However, just as importantly, I surveyed these professors anonymously, and they indicated the average amount of time saved by employing my strategies was 34%. I do not tell you this to “toot my own horn” but to encourage you to enhance your skills, not only for your students, but for yourself. Ineffective professors spend a great deal of time dealing with complaints, with students turning in assignments late, with students missing class, and with an array of other time sapping tasks. Effective professors deal with such problems far less. How, you ask? Keep reading and you will see.
First, allow me to encourage you just a bit further. Evidence indicates that even experienced professors and educators benefit greatly from training. BMC Public Health (2013) reported that trained professors were far more comfortable with teaching new material. In this comprehensive study, teacher training was investigated involving 22 universities in 8 countries. The resulted found that student evaluations significantly increased for trained teachers verses untrained ones. Further, this training program only lasted 60 hours. As you are aware, student evaluations are highly considered when it comes to promotions and tenure. However, professors and teachers are hopefully more concerned about student achievement. Why else would they choose that career? The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (2007) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education conducted a meta-analysis reviewing over 1,300 studies and found that faculty development increased student achievement by two letter grades. Professors who engage in instructional improvement practices can increase “F” students to “C” students or “C” students to “A” students.
In examining what motivates educators, I cannot imagine that too many are in the field for the money. Educators’ salaries do not produce billionaires, but don’t despair. In a study by Princeton University, it was demonstrated that happiness did not increase after a salary of $75,000 per year. Other factors found to be more important in terms of happiness included family, enjoying work, and giving to others. Incidentally, one of the authors of this study, Daniel Kahneman, is a Nobel Prize winner in economics not psychology. He was looking at the research from a very mathematical standpoint and, perhaps, a bias toward higher salaries equating happiness. However, even he, a world-renowned economist admitted that money cannot buy happiness.
What the research reveals is that helping others gives us contentment. Multiple studies have shown that if individuals are provided with money, and spend the money on themselves, their happiness pales in comparison to the happiness individuals experience when giving this money to others (MacMillan, 2017). Therefore, it follows that teaching someone and giving others knowledge and thinking skills not only changes those individuals for the better but also increases the happiness of the teacher. This type of happiness has no price tag. How lucky we are to be a difference maker.
