This is not just about my pension. This is not just about my future. If public education fails or falls, the students will not succeed - and they are the future of our nation. If legislatures make teaching unattractive to those already in the profession, or to the college students who are currently pursuing their passion of educating young minds, then there won’t be any teachers left. This would be devastating for the kids. This whole issue is more than pension: it’s about the survival of public education. If we were, however, to discuss the matter of money, let me say this: I, personally, am living paycheck to paycheck. I have bills, student loans, a wedding to pay for, food to buy, cats to take care of, etc. I am living my life, not “comfortably,” but I have what I need. Now, people in government want to change my benefits, my income, and my future. They also still dictate that I need to start attaining my master degree within my first five years of teaching. The money for that degree will come out of my own pocket. If I’m having trouble making ends meet already, how am I going to pay for graduate courses? Not only that, but how is that going to be feasible when I’m going to potentially be making even less than I am now? In class, we are about to prepare for state testing. That wonderful time of year where we as teachers cram knowledge into our students’ brains for a test that reflects our school and my teaching more than it does the students themselves. My kids have been asking about the “sick out” two Fridays ago, and they support me. They support me because they know I support them. Without good, dedicated teachers, public education will fail, and by stocking the Kentucky legislature with people who are convinced teachers are “throwing tantrums” and “selfish,” we may have already failed public education as a state. #FindFundingFirst #ThrowingATantrum #KEA #MCEA #Teacher #KentuckyTeacher (at Lebanon, Kentucky)
