I’m going to be honest friends, I’m torn, confused, and discouraged.
I want to be excited about HB1010xx. I know hours of work went into preparing the
bill. I appreciate the fact that
Republicans and Democrats came together to pass legislation to fund public
education. Maybe if I was just looking for was a pay raise I could be happy…BUT
folks what I really want is a solution to the teacher shortage, and I don’t
believe $5,000 is going to cut it. Some say it’s a start, and I could get on
board with that kind of thinking, but I’m not so sure it’s being viewed as a
start…it seems like it’s supposed to be the fix.
Last year I had 29 first graders in my class. It wasn’t because the district wouldn’t hire
another teacher, it was because there were no qualified applicants. This scenario is common across our state…TEACHERS
ARE LEAVING! If they’re not leaving the
state they’re leaving the profession. Our
Education grads are being recruited by other states, and they’re gladly
going. Many 1st year teachers
in Texas make more than I do after 8 years. Fewer and fewer young people are choosing to become
teachers and who can blame them?
I don’t claim to be the best teacher out there, but I get
the job done. I love my students and am
committed to working to meet their individual needs…however that was hard to do
with 29 first graders. I went home most
days feeling defeated because I didn’t feel like I had done enough. Studies show that small group instruction is
most effective…but imagine trying to see 29 students in small groups for math
and reading, providing hands on learning opportunities, centers/stations and still
making time for science, and social studies. It’s no easy task. Not to mention
the space issue…most classrooms are not designed to hold 29 students. Our kids
deserve better!!!
I don’t know what needs to happen for our communities and
government to value children. We can say
we value them, but if we won’t fund education making sure they have highly
qualified teachers, small class sizes, and quality learning environments…where
is the evidence that they’re valued.
Please understand education today isn’t what it was 20 or
even 10 years ago. I’ve seen posts
saying things like “Teachers need to stop complaining, they knew what they were
getting into”. My response to that is yes, I did, I knew what I was getting
into 20 years ago…but it was nothing like teaching today. Yes, teacher pay was low but I assumed there
would be more pay increase over the years. As far as academics go, my first
teaching job was teaching kindergarten a little over 20 years ago. My students learned to tie their shoes, say their
address, phone number, write their name, recognize letters and sounds, recognize
numbers, count, etc. Fast forward to
2018 and I’m teaching kindergarteners to write their name, numbers, add,
subtracts, read, read 61+ sight words, write sentences etc. And kindergarten is
not the exception…if you haven’t been in a classroom for a while you might be surprised
by the amount of material being taught. Top all of that off with the pressures of
standardized testing…Nope I Didn’t Know What I Was Getting Into. College students today have the option to
study Education. I know there are many who have a heart for service and some
may even want to become teachers, but they see what they would be getting into,
they see the lack of respect, the pressure, the pay…and they’re choosing another
path.
I have such respect for the young teachers who have chosen
to teach despite it all. Thank you for
choosing to teach…and thank you for choosing to stay!!!
I don’t have the answers…I don’t know how we pull ourselves out
of this ditch…it may take time…but we have to find a way.
