Teachers Overworked
Marilla Stephenson could be doing more to serve the needs of our children than worrying about one storm day in the school year. How petty your complaint is. This teacher has seen countless professionals go that extra mile, or as education critic Jim Gunn puts it, "best serve the needs of an increasingly complex and fully mainstreamed student population." You're preaching to the choir, sir. Last year when I wanted to organize my classroom and prepare my lessons, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the spring, I was amazed that four or five other teachers were there doing the same thing. Did any of us complain? Nope. Working at school late into the evening or arriving early? Been there and done that. And it doesn't end there. There is the preparation at home, the marking, the professional development plans, the formal and informal professional learning communities, the breakfast programs, extra-curricular activities, extra help sessions, the organizing of educational trips, coaching sports teams, and on and on and on. Truth is: so many teachers and administrators spend their hard earned time and money on society's children and youth while, sadly, a few in our society can do nothing better than point out something as trivial as this. But if you really want to serve the needs of our children first, I suggest volunteering some of your time or some of your extra funds the way teachers do. Or if you can't do that, the least you could do is say "thank you" the next time you see a teacher. Our goals are quite clear, thank you very much.
