Rich, Greedy, and Lazy

Recently it has been popular to criminalize teachers and who they are not only as professionals but as people also. I have started this blog to fight against this and to use this as a place to vent over the frustration that I feel about being looked down upon for trying to help the future of America. I will try to give people an honest glimpse into the life of a teacher so that everyone will know what it is really like to be a teacher day in and day out. I only wish I had started this before all of our standardized tests had finished.

First I want to start by looking at the word rich. I am very far from rich, in fact my husband and I are struggling to be able to purchase our first home. We have looked and looked and honestly can't afford anything over around $190,000. In the area of the country we live in an inhabitable house at this price is simply unheard of. With our 2 year old daughter growing bigger everyday our need for a larger space is increasing but we are not sure this will happen anytime soon. Rich I am not, unless you count love then I am richer than most.

Greedy is the next word. Am I greedy? I don't think so, I'll loan whatever I have in my pocket (if I have anything!) to someone who needs it. Do I want to be compensated for the time I work yes but so does every other working American in the country. Who wants to put their heart and soul on the line daily without getting paid for it? Do I want my pension to be secure, yes. Do I still pay into a 403b to supplement, you better believe it. I am under no illusions that we are in rough economic times but we cannot continue to take out of the pockets of teachers to line the pockets of others. 

Lazy is the last word I will address in my first blog tonight. We are called lazy because we have summers off and still want better pay. While I know there are many stressful jobs in the world I challenge every nay sayer in  the world to come and do what I do for just one week. Shadow a local teacher and try their job for one week and then come back and tell me what you think. It is unfair for you to judge us without knowing what we do day in and day out. To further my point with this I will try to provide daily examples in my life as a teacher and the lives of other teachers I know to illustrate what really go through. For example everyday I hear of students facing major things in their personal lives. I struggle with being able to teach them and be sensitive to their other needs, knowing they can't focus with such major issues looming in their faces. If you think you could than maybe you should be the teacher and not me.

I leave you tonight with a challenge to find a teacher and really ask them what their daily life is like!