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Karnes County's community newspaper
(published on February 7, 2007)
Teachers
Folks here I am again getting up on my soapbox on behalf of teachers.
In my opinion there is no more important profession in the world than teaching our young! If this is true then why don’t we pay them accordingly? I am not dismissing the value of any day laborer. They play their part and I admire their many skills. However it is difficult for me to understand why teachers are not paid a salary to match their importance. How important? Who will be managing the government, businesses, etc before too many years? Therefore they should have the best preparation possible. That means getting the best teachers possible. What makes a good teacher? Many things! First of all they should be good people who love children! It is my belief that a big part of education is just being around good people. Somehow it rubs off. Of course they should know their subjects and have the ability to share this with their students. Being sensitive to each child’s need is vital!
Teaching is not an easy job. It takes a lot of time and effort to become a good teacher.
However there are compensations other than money. So perhaps that is why we have so many good teachers. They teach because they love children and want to help them. A big part of their pay is having a student come up to them and say, "Thank you for caring and making a difference in my life."
So perhaps, just perhaps I am wrong in saying that their pay should be raised. However does one seriously believe that if we raise teacher’s salaries they would stop loving and teaching their students? I think not!
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