Letters to the editor

SWEA should compromise

I want to start this letter by making it clear I have the greatest respect for teachers in the modern classrooms.  

It is not easy to try to teach children lessons that are tailored to tests that the government has mandated instead of teaching where the United States is located in relation to Europe or teaching them the proper way to spell. That said, I want to caution the teachers of the South-Western City Schools District that by taking the stand you are, in relation to money, will not help either your students or the district continue to provide the best education possible with the money available.   

In this age of rampant foreclosures, loss of tax income, and an unstable economy, the district can ill afford another split such as was caused by the last levy demand. Rest assured, if a compromise cannot be reached, if sacrifices cannot be made, there will be another levy on the ballot, if not in May of 2008 then certainly in November.  

I urge you to start talking compromise instead of strike for the same reason the OSU football player was chastised – you are the examples the children look up to for lessons on conduct. Please, don’t disappoint them.

Kathy Larzelere
Grove City

Teachers work hard, want to be appreciated

I am a teacher.

I smile at your children when I see them everyday.

I listen to your children when they need to unload.

I listen to your children when they are brimming with excitement to tell me about their weekend.

I grade papers on the couch in the evenings while my 4-year old works puzzles on the living room floor.

I loan your children lunch money when they forget theirs at home.

I supply endless Kleenex for runny noses.

I schedule make-up tests and extra help sessions before school and after school, and sometimes during my only lunch break.

I ask your children to exceed their own expectations.

I spend hours planning engaging lessons that keep heads from falling asleep on desktops.

I write my own tests and quizzes even though our textbook company sends us pre-written ones, because I feel theirs are substandard.

I have a homework completion raffle every week and I buy the prizes.

I buy my own materials if there’s not enough money left in the budget for them.

I call you at home if your child’s grades are slipping.

When the conversation sidetracks into what a wonderful child your teenager used to be, I listen and smile and don’t interrupt, even though it has nothing to do with the reason I’m calling.

I thank you for doing your best as a parent, because I know that we both want the best for your child.

None of this is in my contract.  

My paycheck would remain the same if I did not do these things.

The majority of teachers I work with have a list this long or longer.

We love this community and we care about your children.

Please reciprocate by encouraging the SWCS Board of Education to end the standoff.

We’re not looking to get rich. We just want to feel appreciated.

Cassandra Bosworth