Chi Teachers president Karen Lewis and other teacher unionists in yesterday’s Sun-Times, “Cash upfront the way to get teachers to rack up better student test scores, study finds”:

* Karen L: Economists don’t understand us. 

(Teachers are different from you and me: they don’t care about money.  But they are like you and me: they prefer not to be held to account, would rather have a sure thing.  Hence their aversion to being measured.)

* Chicago Heights teacher, one of 150 studied by U. of Chi economists and discovered to be motivated by early bonus payout which they have to pay back if scores are not up to snuff: We were snookered (by U of Chi economists, who didn’t say they were economists — point mildly contested by experimenters’ spokesperson.)  It was a bad test.

How so?  Teacher: We thought they were education professors.  Ed profs would have asked us what works.  (But Econ profs study them, not what they say.)  They don’t understand us.  (We’re different.)

* Karen L: “Nothing is better [for a teacher] than seeing the light bulb turn on” in student head.  (Not even higher pay?  Then why fight City Hall on contract money?)