Teachers make sacrifices so all can learn
Letters to the EditorPublished November 13, 2005
Re: Educators not the only ones due for a raise, Nov. 9 letter to the editor:
William Holt's letter states, "If teachers want more money, they should be engineers or lawyers."
Surely, Mr. Holt must know that without teachers, there would be no lawyers or engineers!
I also have worked for 20 years, but chose a career that required I pay for and earn a college degree, not to mention the cost of continuing my education as required, enabling me to remain a teacher.
Summers off? Most of us either work or take courses during the summer, but many teachers also work part-time jobs during the school year. They have little vacation time. Teachers are not entitled to a military pension, as your wife likely is, but rather their salary determines their pension.
Save money for retirement, you wonder? Until a fair salary is paid to those of us who play an integral role in helping young people become lawyers and engineers, there is no extra money to save. It is an education that opens the doors to jobs that pay above the minimum wage. It is teachers who provide that education and the choice of anyone in this country to pursue it.
-- Carol Greig, Spring Hill
Know the facts about being a Hernando County teacher
Re: Educators not the only ones due for a raise, Nov. 9 letter to the editor:
As an experienced and highly qualified teacher in Hernando County, I must respond to the comment "If teachers want more money, they should be engineers or lawyers."
Nice thought. And, who would teach those people to become engineers and lawyers?
The facts are quite simple. Fact: Without those professionals who have decided to dedicate themselves to teaching, pay issue aside, no other occupation would be possible. Period.
Fact: Teachers in Hernando County are not asking to be given a $10,000 annual raise. It's actually closer to $1,000 (before taxes).
Fact: This is Hernando County and the last time I checked, the feds were in charge of setting minimum wage.
Fact: Teachers rarely take a "full summer off." Many of us are working toward renewal of certification, working on classes to maintain or advance degrees, or simply working.
Fact: A large number of Hernando County teachers hold second jobs to make ends meet and to pay off the college loans they needed to have in order to become teachers or to maintain their certificates.
Fact: Good teachers, and obviously Hernando County has some since the county ranks seventh in the state with regard to FCAT scores, spend much of their vacations and "off time" grading papers, planning lessons and getting things together for the next round of teaching.
Fact: The word "tradition" is defined as "a custom, belief or knowledge that is passed down from one generation to the next." Is underpaying teachers really a tradition worth passing down to future generations? It is this very tradition of long hours, high responsibility, accountability and low pay that has led to the shortage of teachers and the crisis in education in this country.
Fact is, many experienced and excellent Hernando County teachers leave this county for Pasco or Citrus counties because of the financial burdens teaching in this county place on their families.
If Mr. Holt's wife would like to make as much as a teacher, she should quit her current job and go back to school to gain the necessary certification to teach. On second thought, don't let her quit her job. You will need the extra money if she plans to teach in Hernando County.
-- AnnMarie Effinger, Inverness
Educators' noble cause still taken for granted
Re: Educators not the only ones due for a raise, Nov. 9 letter to the editor:
After reading the opinion of William Holt, I feel as though teachers have been undermined and underappreciated again.
It is true that minimum wage is relatively low, but I do not feel one can compare a minimum wage job to a profession such as teaching.
Before becoming a teacher, I worked several minimum wage jobs. I always preformed above and beyond my call of duty and never made the money I thought I should for my hard work and experience. But I realized that in order to get ahead in today's society, I would have to better educate myself, which I did, and I became a teacher.
Yes, many assume that teachers get loads of vacation time, but anyone in the teaching profession can tell you that that time is rarely spent sitting around doing nothing. Usually the time off is spent working on lesson plans, grading papers, attending workshops, etc. Teachers are always required to continue with their education, attending training courses and college classes, whereas working a minimum wage job may not require a person to gain any further education.
The average teacher's workday averages approximately 10 hours, of which we only get paid for 71/4 hours.
Before comparing oranges and apples, keep in mind that the future and well-being of America rests heavily on the shoulders of educators, who are responsible not only to educate the youth, but also be mentors, counselors, nurses, coaches and parents to hundreds of children.
Teachers know going into this profession it will not make them rich. Most often we need to take on second jobs to help support ourselves and our families, but a more noble and recognized cause is that teaching directly impacts the vitality of our great country.
-- Natalie Durrum, Spring Hill