So, when I started teaching in 1993, things were much different. I was ready to change the world in the first semester and had more answers than questions. Things are so much different now. The wisdom of the “sometimes frowned upon bitter veterans” rings a bit more true. I can remember one story centering around a teacher who used to paint in the evenings and in the summer, just to make ends meet for his family. As the story goes, his family was running on such a tight budget that they needed to borrow a camera to go on vacation because they could not afford one. At the time, I just could not fathom that a teacher could not afford their own family camera.
That got me started thinking that today, as in the past, to make ends meet and pursue the American dream, it’s tough to just be a teacher. One has to be a teacher and _________________ (well you can fill in the blank). That was not the case for maybe about a 10 years span in my career when things were better and one could count on a little raise every year (in good times and bad). You may not be living large but things always got a little better financially, every year. However, that has not been the case for a long time for teachers. That’s why teachers are having to do so many other things and that takes away from the sole focus of students in the classroom. Could this be by design or maybe the public at large just does not know the benefits and opportunities that come with allowing teachers to, just be teachers!
When I was speaking to a financial advisor recently, I asked her if she would want her children to be taught by a teacher and _____________. Without hesitating, the answer was no! So, I’m curious? Are you working an extra job to make ends meet? If you could just teach, would that be your preference? Would love to hear your thoughts and see a few comments:-)
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Have a great week!
Mike Ward