Comments on: Column: Saying Thanks to Teachers

By: Al Newman

Al Newman — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:52:15 +0000

Having retired in June after teaching for 36 years, I am looking to Latin America to live, for the cost of living makes living in the US on my teacher’s pension, shall we say, “difficult.” I have endured years of lip service: “Your’s (the teaching profession)is the most important job in the world.” True. But the cold, hard reality is that my salary never exceeded $60,000. Obviously, the market sees otherwise, and that speaks volumes about how much we value education. When students occasionally ask me how I “got into teaching,” I tell them that I suffer from a serious allergy: I am allergic to money. Gallows humor. Now, I search for a place where I can retire in semi-comfort. I do not believe that place is in the USA. So, to paraphrase the exit motto of Czech doctors, “Thanks. I am leaving.”

By: Lisa Brower

Lisa Brower — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:33:21 +0000

This made my day! Thank you…I only wish the right people would read this! I always say I’d love for anyone who bashes us to trade places with me for a week.

By: Maria Huffman

Maria Huffman — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:53:16 +0000

Thank you for the expressing so well what we should all remember.

By: LaidOffTeacherPatti

LaidOffTeacherPatti — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:45:03 +0000

Thank you. I do teach (middle school, special ed) in SW Detroit (well, they laid us all off but we should be called back). I am scared about what will happen now that the EM laws are in place and the union is all but busted (10% pay cut at least, and we are already paid worse than 96% of other teachers in SE MI). I have kids on my caseload who are blind, dyslexic, were born addicted, are living in foster care, don’t know their biological parents (not in and of itself a bad thing, btw), where English is not spoken in the home, who get their primary nutrition at school and the list goes on. Nevertheless, I absolutely love my job! The kids are awesome, they are usually happy, and it’s a blast to be able to teach them. I’m at the point in summer where I am starting to really miss the little buggers :) I hope they are all safe and happy and staying cool!

PS: I have my law degree, too :)