Editorial: Selling lesson plans boosts limited budgets

From textbooks to concert tickets, the Internet is an open market where consumers can purchase virtually anything. Lesson plans, which can be found anywhere from Craiglist to eBay, have proven to be a hot commodity for teachers looking to make a dollar or improve their teaching curriculums.

According to The New York Times, thousands of teachers are profiting from selling their lessons plans online whether they are "exercises as simple as M&M sorting and as sophisticated as Shakespeare." While some teachers have opted to spend the money on classroom expenses like new books, others are using it for personal use such as dining out or vacations. Many teachers are receiving flack for placing a price on their resources, as some school officials are complaining that teachers should not be profiting from materials created for public school classrooms.

Lessons plans that are developed by teachers are their intellectual property and should be treated as such. A 2007 study conducted by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) shows that for the first time in 15 years, the national average salary for teachers reached over the $50,000 mark. But even with this salary increase, it is still not enough to cover mortgage payments and house renovations. Often, teachers end up using money out of their own pockets to contribute to classroom needs that are not covered by the school.

A teacher's job extends beyond the parameters of the classroom, though this fact often goes unrecognized. The money they make from selling the plans that they take the time to create should be utilized at their discretion. If it means using the profits to tile their kitchen floor, that should not be questioned, and if they wish to purchase new art supplies for their students, all the better.

The teachers who are developing the lesson plans should be commended for sharing them publicly online, as should the teachers who are buying them for making the effort to enhance the educational experience of their students. Teachers creating the exercises are receiving credit for their work, while allowing their colleagues to fill in gaps of knowledge and improve upon their own lessons plans.

It is a shame that in addition to holding the responsibility of being the educators of our generation, teachers have to resort to being entrepreneurs as well. Unfortunately, the salaries most teachers earn do not reflect the amount of preparation and effort they expend. The Internet has the power to improve the teaching of educators, therefore enriching the learning of their students.