Teachers

Question: Are children our most valuable resource?

Answer: Yes, they are.

If you think they aren’t, keep in mind that someday, you will be old and children, either your own or other people’s children, will be making decisions for you. Sort of like the saying that you should be nice to your children because they will be picking your nursing home someday.

What does this have to do with teachers? It was reported yesterday that many cities in this country cannot afford to pay their teachers so they will be cutting positions and increasing class sizes up to 40 or 50 students.  That is one adult in charge of 40 or 50 six year olds, or seven years old, or middle schoolers!  EGHADS!!  Can you imagine the mayhem?

It is not only the lack of discipline this will cause but the lack of attention and, thus, the lack of education our children will receive.  There are already so many children who make it all the way through high school without basic reading, writing or math skills.  This problem will just keep growing if we cut the number of teachers we have in this country.

I know, from personal experience, that it is easy to go through school without studying, without paying attention and to make it through high school without really good math skills.  I just coasted through algebra and geometry classes.  My teachers just wanted me to pass so I could be someone else’s problem.  Most of the answers were in the back of the book and they had no problems with letting me know this.  Almost everything I know about math I learned on my own, as an adult.  When I began working, if I came across a math problem that I couldn’t figure out, I would ask someone or look it up and then learn it.  I did this well enough that I was able to be treasurer at my church and even worked for a while as a bookkeeper.

The last thing this country needs is to cut our teachers.  The last thing this country needs is to make it more difficult for our children to learn.  We are already lagging behind so many other countries and, for that, we should be deeply ashamed.  How can we brag that we are the greatest country on the planet and we neglect our own children in this fashion?

All of our teachers should be held in the highest esteem. They should make HUGE salaries and be given all the materials they need to do their jobs.  We are entrusting them to educate our children.  Our most important resource.  Let’s help them do their jobs so that our children will be the best human beings they can be.