Monday, April 30, 2018

Another Teacher's Perspective On Striking Teachers

A great article.
From Ajalonjoi:I'm an educator with a different perspective from what you’re hearing. I worked in public schools for 12 years, as an afterschool provider, teacher, administrator and more. I’ve taught in three states and now stay home to raise my kids. I don’t claim to be an expert in everything education, but I have my experiences, and don’t agree with what's happening. Let me explain.
1. WE CHOSE TO BE TEACHERS and knew it didn't pay much. Most of us don't pick this field for the money, but we are accountable for our choices. You can easily research pay scales, benefits, etc. for districts and states. We do our searching, make our choice and sign the contract. I had a professor spend an entire class explaining how he supported his family on a meager teacher’s salary, with sacrifices, but he made it work, and encouraged us to really ponder this before moving on in the program.
“But,” some argue, “the hours, all the hours and little pay don’t balance out”. I know the hours dedicated teachers put into their jobs, I've been there. We do what’s expected, then more because we care. I cried when I got my first paycheck, after deductions it wasn’t much more than what I made in college. In time though, I came to appreciate the other benefits of my job, like healthcare, retirement plan and days off....

YOU’RE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US in the fight to fund education.

Really??........So either I completely agree with your movement....or I hate teachers and kids? What if I am a teacher, what if I have kids, in the public schools? Why do things have to be so polarized, this is neither fair or realistic as life is not so black and white. I know many people who appreciate teachers and don’t’ like to see schools struggle, they simply don’t want to get taxed more. They’re struggling too, your parents, the voters, they want to keep money in their paychecks like you want to see more. Both are fair. I know small business owners who, between The Recession, Obamacare, and minimum wage spikes, are strapped. You can’t nickel and dime people because you think you have the moral high ground.
“Then tax the big corporations!” Remember things are not just black and white. Take my home state, Arizona. Many businesses have been relocating to AZ because of low corporate taxes, https://www.paysa.com/blog/2017/06/01/tech-companies-abandon-silicon-valley-head-to-phoenix/ especially from their highly taxed neighbor to the West. Businesses bring jobs, growth and money, do you want that to leave?

And the list goes on.
Great article

No comments:

Post a Comment