Matt Damon tears into ‘MBA-style’ logic used to deny teachers better pay
'It's like saying a teacher is going to get lazy when they have tenure,' Damon retorted.
Teaching is far from easy but is often underestimated. Matt Damon, raised by his mom, a teacher, acknowledges it like no one else. In fact, he believes that teachers do what they love, and their passion for teaching isn't driven by money or anything other than a genuine desire to shape young minds. In 2011, the actor showed up at an event with Nancy Carlsson-Paige, his mom, where a reporter tried to contrast the actor’s career with that of a teacher. The actor responded by dismantling the 'MBA-style' argument often used to play down teacher pay.
The reporter from Reason asked him if actors have job security and incentives, then why don't teachers? In response, Damon questioned her about whether she genuinely thought job insecurity was what made him work hard. The "Good Will Hunting" actor explained that nothing other than his desire to be relevant as an actor drives him to do better. "You take this 'MBA-style' thinking, right? It's the problem with [education] policy right now. It's 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," he said. Damon explained that a teacher wants to teach; otherwise, why would someone put in long hours of work for a minimal salary unless they love their job? Interestingly, when the cameraman interrupted, saying, "10% of teachers are bad," the actor was quick enough to take a dig at him. "Well, OK. But maybe you're a sh**ty cameraman, I don't know," he said.
What Damon said seems on point because a survey by We are Teachers across the U.S found that a majority of teachers (75%) entered the profession because they love teaching, and only a quarter of those surveyed say they entered the field because of factors like job stability and benefits. In fact, it was revealed that teachers value their relationship with students more than any external factors.
Meanwhile, people loved how Damon defended teachers, and they lashed out at the interviewer for being so ignorant of the issue. For instance, u/karma_shark44 commented, "His mom will be very proud to raise such a great and principled man. Of course, some of you will say that his mom is a teacher, so that's why he is doing so, but he could also have ignored it and simply kept moving on in his life." u/careless-love99 wrote, "The interviewer is an idiot who probably didn’t do well in school and is trying to celebrate her stupid viewpoint. Your questions were so dumb and biased. Good job at being bad at your job! Do research, get actual facts, and then interview people."
On the other hand, u/deanobambino90 said, "Some of that is true. But it can't be denied that if there were greater incentives, there would be more great teachers. It's true in every field. And let's not forget that Matt Damon makes a lot of money to be as good as he is. I have found personally that financial incentive keeps me at a job I don't like and motivates me to do more and be better and to continually improve. If you work in an environment where you get paid just enough no matter what you do, then you'll only work just hard enough not to get fired."
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