A Rough Start

Disclaimer: the thoughts I have expressed in this post are simply coming from the heart of a discouraged educator. If you don't choose to support educators or the public school system, then read no further.

The 2018-19 school year is in full force! I have officially had my kiddos with me for a full week. This year is especially different for me because it is my first time "looping" with my students. That means that all of the students I had last year in 2nd grade have continued with me up to 3rd grade! How cool is that!? There are so many benefits to this. Both my students, parents, and myself were able to start the year with a whole lot less stress... to some degree.

If you are in Washington State, and you follow anything related to public schools, then you would know the huge predicament that school districts across the state faced at the beginning of this year. As bargaining teams around Washington started to fight for fair and justified pay, problems quickly began to arise. Multiple schools districts in different areas voted to come together- united- to strike. This left many teachers heartbroken, frustrated, and disappointed (amongst many other feelings). I had far too many friends close to me on strike (and some still on strike at this very moment). While there was nothing I could do but show support, I am happy that some of my colleagues in other districts finally reached agreements are being compensated for the blood, sweat, tears, and LOVE for this occupation.

As of now, there are still many districts that have not reached an agreement, including my own. Although not all school districts are on strike, it is still unsettling and frustrating to not have reached a settlement, especially now that school has begun. It is a new level of stress trying to keep patient, and also keep the faith that a fair contract will eventually come our way.

What frustrates me even more is the negativity and scrutiny that we get as teachers, who want to be compensated for all that we do in our profession. I could make this blog post into a long compiled list of all of the things that I do in a typical day that wasn't listed in the job description. But 1.) no one wants to read that and 2.) providing a simple description of the difficult scenarios we face each day wouldn't even begin to scratch the surface of how difficult, exhausting, and overwhelming they are. So I won't waste anyone's time with that list that I could forever keep adding to!

However, when I hear people saying that teachers are GREEDY by asking for more money, I don't know whether to laugh at how silly that thought is, or to cry because it breaks my heart that people could truly think that of educators. Parents pay more for a BABYSITTER to sit on a couch and watch a movie with their child than the government pays a teacher to TEACH a child how to read, write, and prepare them to become functioning, successful citizens in our world. Imagine how it feels to know you worked your buns off in a 4 year program, spending tens of thousands of dollars to get a teaching degree, to know that you are being paid less than someone who isn't in student loan debt up to their eyeballs, spending far less time and energy at their job.

*Please note, this is not a post to complain about how much effort it takes to be a teacher. We knew going into the profession that it takes a lot of time, energy, resilience, love, compassion, and more. Most teachers I know often go above and beyond the contracts anyways. We just want to be compensated fairly for all that work we do.

Moreover, being called "greedy" is unthinkable when you truly step back and think about how much teachers give, versus how much we receive. If you go to just about any elementary classroom, in any district, in any state, you will find bright colors, posters, decorations, and things that make it feel like an inviting, safe, and warm environment. Our classrooms are not given to us that way. I don't know a single teacher who has not spent a good chunk of change on their classroom in some way or another. Just in the last month alone, I have spent some of my last pennies on student gifts, classroom headphones, decorations, games, and rewards/incentives. When I think about other professions, I can't find many other careers where the employee spends their personal, hard-earned money on a client, simply for the pure benefit of their client.

If only this wasn't accurate...

On another note, last year I worked 7 days a week. I worked my 50+ hours Monday through Friday at school, and on Saturdays and Sundays I worked as a barista at a local coffee shop. Don't get me wrong- I love coffee and I loved making coffee. However, spending an entire school year working 7 days a week became tiring. Even with my second job, working 7 days a week, I still made less money that entire year, than my friend in a different school district, with the same level of experience as me. I made less than some of my friends who don't have a college degree. I made less than the Comcast man who came to my house to help me plug in a cable box to my wall. I could go on and on.

I'm so tired of feeling like I am giving 150% of my effort and 100% of my life and time, when I am not feeling compensated for that. Of course if it was all about money, we could find ourselves a job in a different field where we could make bookoo bucks... but doing something we don't LOVE. But if we did that, then what will happen to the school system? To the kids who need skills to learn to survive in the world? What would happen to those relationships? To the kids who only feel safe at school? What then?

How can we put our kids first, if we put teachers last ?! I know I'm not the only one who feels this way...

If this doesn't speak to you about the level of priority we put on education in the US....

Whether you read this and rolled your eyes, read this and felt a sense of disheartening, or read this and didn't feel some type of way at all, the bottom line is YOU READ THIS. That's because a teacher somewhere, at some point, taught you how to read and taught you how to understand the words you were reading. I would be willing to bet that that teacher also showed you love, compassion, and support. The least you can do, is do the same for them.