We need to March Together
We need your help.
I write two days after a viral video has emerged showing teenage boys, wearing MAGA hats, showing off their extreme disrespect and inhumanity. Multiple sources tweeted and posted: “where were their teachers?” Because teachers, in good times and in bad, are counted on to do superhero work. A good teacher could have intervened. A good teacher could have made a difference in the lives of these boys. But where were the teachers? Although these children were not public school students, this incident has proved (again)the essential need for educators. A good educator can use her talents to introduce students to empathy and to give children cultural capital so that their fear of the unknown does not lead to hate. But what if their are no educators to lead? What if nobody intervenes? It might happen…our best educators are quitting their jobs.
I write because I am angry and frustrated. I am one of the majority of educators who thinks that constant under-compensated work and the little support that we receive from those in power have become too much to bear. Watching children try to learn in unfunded classrooms with too few resources and very little hope from our state leaders is devastating for us. We teach students experiencing more and more trauma, needing more and more support, but we lack the means to help them thrive. We are breaking our pencils in half so that students can all have enough to write with. We are lacking so much and we cannot fathom why our children are never priorities for the adults that have been asked to lead the state of Virginia.
I write one week before Virginia teachers march to our state capital, demanding more funding for our public schools. Teacher are striking in Los Angeles, teachers are planning a strike in Denver, and this means teachers are FINALLY organizing our strong, creative, and empathetic voices to speak up for our students.
I write because I need my community to understand why I am marching; I need my husband to understand why I spent 14 dollars on a red hat to wear to the march even though we have to watch every penny that we spend. I need my students to understand why I am asking for funding in their name. I need my state government to understand that to attract quality teachers, it needs to fund our schools.
I write as a distinguished professional educator. I have taught public school for 17 years. I have a degree from a prestigious college, and have earned a master’s degree, writing my thesis while nursing my 3-month-old daughter. I have won multiple awards, mentored multiple pre-service teachers, and I have taught over 2,000 students. I have lost students to suicide, cancer, and car accidents. I have attended funerals, hugged countless crying teenagers, and celebrated graduates that in my darkest hours, I never thought would graduate. I am not unique; most educators have stories like I do. Most educators have endured days in which they bring home their grief and cannot turn it off to focus on their own families. Most teachers worry about how they will support their children at home, while still doing work that is meaningful and joyful.
I write because the myth that we “don’t teach for the income, we teach for the outcome” is just not true. I am overjoyed when my students succeed. There is a reason why I call them “my kids”. I laugh every day and most days I love all the time that I spend in the classroom. I adore hearing from former students who write to thank me for their experiences in my classroom. My heart grows fuller and it fuels my constant push to be better at my job. However, this “outcome” does not pay my credit card bills. This type of “outcome” has prevented me from giving my own children the resources that they need. Like other professionals who dedicate a good part of their lives to their careers, I want to be paid what I am worth.
I write because my job is essential to every public school family in Virginia. If you have a child in public schools, and your child’s future success depends on the teacher who teaches your child, you NEED to march with us to demand teacher salary increases. If you have witnessed the effects of an amazing teacher and an incredible school in the life of your children, you NEED to march with us for smaller class sizes, more school nurses and counselors. If you have worried about the safety of your children as you send them off to school, you NEED to march with us to fight for more funding to make our schools safe from harm. If you were a Virginia high school graduate you NEED to march to give thanks for your success and to demand the same for every child. If you were MY student, you NEED to march in order to hold my hand, use what you learned, and pay it forward. There is a grave teacher and school support staff shortage in Virginia and across the country. It will not get better until public schools are fully funded, and teachers are treated as the brilliant, essential professionals that we are. You need to partner with us so that state leaders cannot ignore the need for public schools to remain a vehicle for success for the future of the commonwealth.
I write one last time to convince you that marching with teachers on January 28th will help you and your community. March for your child, and march because free and quality education is a civil right. March for the teacher who made all the difference for a child that you love. Full funding for public school is a social justice issue. We are in this together to fight for the future of our state. Use your strong voice to enact a better school system for ALL of Virginia’s students and teachers. Join us by visiting the link below.
