Contract needs to show teachers are appreciated

A teacher who works down from the hall from me in the La Conner school district recently said, “Honestly, I am invested, and I love what I do, but I am run down and exhausted. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I don’t know if I can continue teaching at La Conner, when I can go 15 miles to another school district and make at least five figures more than I am making now. (My colleague would make $12,000 more a year teaching in Stanwood.) I buy so many supplies for my students out of my own pocket. It simply isn’t fair to my own family.”

This comment made me stop and pause and try to remember how we got to this place. How did we get to the place where La Conner teachers are one of the lowest paid teachers in the region? How did we get to the place where teachers are buying so many basic supplies for their classrooms out of their pockets? My colleague then turned to me and asked me what I was feeling since I had worked in the district for such a long time.

The question has been haunting me.

Obviously, teachers in the La Conner school district are not the only workers who feel underappreciated and underpaid.

We are not the only ones who look around and realize that people just like them are making 15 percent more in a nearby location.

It is not just teachers, it’s also garbage collectors, farm workers and CPS (child and protective services) counselors.

Many people feel like they have been taken advantage of.

The bottom line for me is that at the end of day I care deeply about this district.

It’s where my daughters went for all 12 years, it’s where I’ve made some of my best friends.

It’s where I’ve invested so much of life … my heart and my soul.

My bottom line is that I don’t like angry words.

I don’t like aggressive stances or protests.

I truly believe that a decent society shouldn’t need them, but every day I talk with my students about the importance of standing up for what they believe in.

We talk about the importance about waking up every day and saying, “I matter and what I believe in matters.” So, my response to my colleague is to say proudly and publicly that teachers are skilled professionals who combine knowledge of brain science with communication skills, data analysis, public relations and performance art. We are professionals with the job of shaping minds and are loving parent-figures with the job of nurturing hearts.

And to my friend who teaches down the hall.

I understand your frustration and I truly pray that our school district wakes up and realizes your true value.