This was written by Jennifer Marcotte. It is an open letter to the Alberta Government. This post first appeared here.
by Jennifer Marcotte
Dear Government of Alberta,
Every single day, I drop my children off at school, and put them in the hands of someone else for the next seven hours of their days. Truth be told, these people spend more time with my children in waking hours than I do. These people have chosen to spend their days educating our future leaders. They have devoted their lives to the betterment of knowledge, of learning, and of teaching. These people give their time as mentors, as coaches, and as friends. These people go to work early, they come home late. They work weekends. They put expense out of their own pockets in the best interest of other people's children. Their days are never their own, their thoughts are always with a child in some form.
These are the people that stand infront of ill mannered children, failing in their up bringing and reach out instead of drawing back. These people take back talk, they take abuse. They take heckling and taunting, and dig deep within themselves to love instead, and make better people.
These people wrap themselves around children, coaxing them to grow, to move forward, to excel, to achieve, and to be.
Everyday.
My child.
Your child.
Their children.
These people are our teachers. They are teachers by choice. They are parents by heart.
I have heard many times, "you get what you pay for". When it comes to our teachers, dear Government, I ask you to tread lightly. Who else will teach our children in what we have failed to? Ask every parent what their appreciation for a teacher is in monetary value, and you will see it is popular opinion they are grossly underpaid for their amount of work. Do your homework, government, and ask the common working folk to work the hours a teacher does for the same pay. Ask of the general blue collar Joe what you expect of our teachers. When you are laughed at, look again to to our teachers who shrug and say "okay, as long as it's for the kids".
My kid.
Your kid.
Their kids.
These people are our teachers. Where would you be without them? Where would your child be without them?
Respect. You learned it. A teacher, most likely, taught you how to spell it, what it meant, and how to have some.
My regards, in all disgust to parliament,
Dear Government of Alberta,
Every single day, I drop my children off at school, and put them in the hands of someone else for the next seven hours of their days. Truth be told, these people spend more time with my children in waking hours than I do. These people have chosen to spend their days educating our future leaders. They have devoted their lives to the betterment of knowledge, of learning, and of teaching. These people give their time as mentors, as coaches, and as friends. These people go to work early, they come home late. They work weekends. They put expense out of their own pockets in the best interest of other people's children. Their days are never their own, their thoughts are always with a child in some form.
These are the people that stand infront of ill mannered children, failing in their up bringing and reach out instead of drawing back. These people take back talk, they take abuse. They take heckling and taunting, and dig deep within themselves to love instead, and make better people.
These people wrap themselves around children, coaxing them to grow, to move forward, to excel, to achieve, and to be.
Everyday.
My child.
Your child.
Their children.
These people are our teachers. They are teachers by choice. They are parents by heart.
I have heard many times, "you get what you pay for". When it comes to our teachers, dear Government, I ask you to tread lightly. Who else will teach our children in what we have failed to? Ask every parent what their appreciation for a teacher is in monetary value, and you will see it is popular opinion they are grossly underpaid for their amount of work. Do your homework, government, and ask the common working folk to work the hours a teacher does for the same pay. Ask of the general blue collar Joe what you expect of our teachers. When you are laughed at, look again to to our teachers who shrug and say "okay, as long as it's for the kids".
My kid.
Your kid.
Their kids.
These people are our teachers. Where would you be without them? Where would your child be without them?
Respect. You learned it. A teacher, most likely, taught you how to spell it, what it meant, and how to have some.
My regards, in all disgust to parliament,
A tax paying citizen of Alberta.
We need a shift in thinking; a seismic shift for that matter. The failed leadership and policies at all levels of educational governance and bureaucracy is problematic. Money will not solve the problems, because, if it could, it would have by now with all the money we have thrown at all our public institutions. What might work is building real and healthy relationships which include deep listening. Presently, we are involved in rhetoric and increased polarization and heading down a Wisconsin like path.
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