Hello! Remember me? The classroom teacher who, on my own time, wrote that heartfelt letter of recommendation when your student applied to college or was trying to get a summer job? The person who revised and edited your child’s all-important college entrance essay? The one who came in early to help your student write an impeccable research paper or stayed late to tackle a challenging assignment so that when he graduated he would be well-prepared for what lies ahead?
Happily, the before- and after-school time I spend with students is well worth it; I see the results in their work, their test scores, and their confidence. I don’t get overtime pay or a bonus check for extra hours spent in the building, or for being the faculty adviser to your child’s club, or for helping out at student-centered after-school activities.
At home, I spend many more hours grading papers and creating challenging lesson plans and in-class materials. In all of the above, I am simply and gladly doing for your child what I would hope someone would do for my own kids.
No, I won’t get rich being a teacher. I am earning a middle class income, but truthfully, if it weren’t for the fact that my husband works in private industry, I would not be able to live in my home here in your community. I pay taxes and I pay plenty into my pension. If I finish up my years of service with the maximum 100 unused sick days, my “golden parachute” as a classroom teacher will be about $4,500. There is no “gravy train,” as far as I can see.
The public school in which I teach is absolutely the best place for your child to receive an education; it is safe, clean, well-run from the top down, and full of enthusiastic teachers and staff.
Our very talented and diverse student body is second to none. Walk in our halls and be amazed how well a building with over 2,200 students can function, how civil and friendly everyone is.
Our current graduating class includes multiple students who will be heading off to Ivy League schools this fall, as well as students who will continue their education at our fine local community college, and everywhere in between. That happens because everyone from our administration right through to our building support staff honestly cares about our kids. We work hard, we push and support our students every single day, and it pays off.
Like other education professionals and concerned parents, I am worried about September. Due to the failed budget and deep cuts from Trenton, many of my co-workers have recently gotten their pink slips — if those cuts hold, class sizes will have to rise. I currently teach 133 students a day, which is literally a seven-day-a-week job for me. What if my class numbers rise to, say, 150 students a day? How can I logistically keep up with that workload, maintain my high standards in the classroom, and continue all the “extras” I am currently doing for your child?
You forgot me, the average classroom teacher. That became painfully obvious the morning after the local school budget failed to pass. My co-workers and I are being outright disrespected and vilified by the governor and, I’m sorry to say, by some of the general public as well. Since when have I become “the enemy”? I am not an Enron executive, a common criminal, or a petty thief. I am a classroom teacher, the unglamorous backbone of your child’s education, and all along, I thought I had earned your support.
Jo Ann Price
Howell