A Penny Out of Your Dollar

I have always been a positive person, I think. Some will tell you that I am negative and critical, but those people were usually students or athletes I coached or their parents. They will tell you that I rarely had a good thing to say to their kids. I may have criticized and I may have spoken harshly at times, but I always had the interests of the kids and the team at heart.

It is hard to be a coach or a teacher and not be critical. Sometimes that is all that people remember. And quite often, as a teacher and a coach, you never get to hear the positive. How many times has anyone said, "good job, coach" or "Thanks for beating my kid over the head with Shakespeare." Not many. So how is a coach and teacher to remain positive when their life is bombarded by people telling them that they are responsible for the problems of society and that their profession is not worth much? Let's face it, according to many parents, teachers are always wrong, and they could do a better job. But could they do more with less?

Let's take the accountant. I have a couple accountant friends and some other friends who deal with numbers on a regular basis as part of their jobs. They are good at what they do, and they get paid well for it. I don't think I can do their job, God knows I have trouble with a calculator.
And understanding tax laws? Hardly. So what makes them think they can teach Shakespeare, or even get their kid to read it and understand it? In most cases, these same accountants have trouble motivating their child to take out the garbage. But it is my job to help them become well rounded, to understand life, and its intricacies; to see the beauty of the spoken and written word and to maybe be able to string to thoughts together and raise their social awareness at the same time.

What if, I said to that accountant, " You are going to do my taxes this year, but you are not going to get paid anymore, you have to use only a pencil and paper, and I expect you to get me more money back. If you don't, then you get no more money." Or better yet, "I am going to cut what I pay you by one percent regardless of what you get me back." Would that person work hard for me? I doubt it, he or she might even tell me to take my business elsewhere.

But that is what we are asking teachers to do. We want them to get us more, but with less. Fewer money for books, poor facilities, outdated technology and, on top of this, we cut their pay and tell them that they have to take days off without pay.

But, you say, the test results are not good, we are not getting our money's worth. And as you say this, I want you to look and see if your garbage is getting taken out, if your lawn is mowed by your kids, if the car is washed, their rooms cleaned. You can't even get them to do simple tasks even with all the technology and incentives you can give them.

And teachers and public education are the problem with society?

I often praise the days gone by. Why? Because kids did not rule the world, parents did. Until parents get back into control and offer guidance to their kids and SUPPORT to teachers, education in America is going to continue its downward spiral.

Pass Proposition 100. Surely education is worth a penny out of your dollar.

Doughnut