Must read: 25yo teacher's open letter to the state of NC
Kelly Andrew Thomas
In reference to the NC Budget:
To Anyone Who Will Listen:
I've been very hesitant and have tried, with great effort, to guard and hone my temperament concerning the dire and malicious attacks towards North Carolina educators.
I am a 25 year old English teacher. I am entering my second year of teaching. I have received my undergraduate degree in English Literature and immediately pursued my Masters in Education to better myself with the instruction of secondary English. I am “highly qualified” and I will say with reasonable confidence that I am a damn good educator...or in the least, have the makings of one.
What I have witnessed in the past few weeks--breaks my heart.
Allow me your time to explain this in detail. I will be open and candid about my situation in order to allow (what I feel is required) empathy to be used.
I love what I do. Teaching was not an immediate calling for me. It kind of snuck up on me by surprise, but I am glad it did. When within those four walls of my classroom, I feel like I am doing good work. I know that I am doing good work.
I know that what I do is important.
However, I know that this is not the majority view of the population.
And I don’t quite know why this is the case. Parents trust us, educators, counselors, nurses, administration... with safeguarding and protecting their children for the majority of the year. More often than not, we see their kids more than they do.
And while we have their most beloved possessions within our possession, we strive to enrich them with the tools and knowledge that we best feel will prepare and equip them for the rest of their lives.
We bring to the table, a plethora of skills, of ideas, and for most of us, a heart that is so big, that we willingly accept everything that is thrown our way.
This is important to note.
Good teachers come to a school, every morning, with a heart that truly beats for 100 kids. For some, it’s more. However, it’s not always good that we take in. We take in the struggles of low-income households, the persecution of race, the distastes of temperament, the hesitance of confidence and self-worth, the absence of hope.
Sure, we also receive kindness and enrichment and a fortitude to better one’s self. But our hearts are vast and we actively seek to fill the voids of others by swapping their trials with our compassion.
Why my heart is breaking:
I am young.
I am broke.
I am not respected by my elected leaders.
I feel alone.
I feel my own hope dwindling each day.
I have read on multiple postings and PSAs and statistics that the average teacher salary in this country is around $49,000.
With a master’s degree, and being single (on my tax forms), I take home an annual net income of about $21,000.
Each check (12 month), I have over a third of my check taken out for taxes. Last year, I received a federal refund check of $1,500. My state refund check was $264.00
My rent will amount to $12,500 this coming year.
I am in this profession because I believe it is my duty to be an educator. I honestly feel that it is my God-given ability to teach. And teach well. And I do the best I can.
In North Carolina, a first year teacher makes about $2.15 more than a person on Welfare. (This is based on the average number of hours/week - 60. I worked an average of 77 hours/week last year).
With the cut of pay increases for NC teachers and a requirement eligibility for a $500 substitute “bonus” that will be distributed 5 years from now, it makes things look and feel very despairing. Yes, we must “rank” within the top 25% of effective teachers, but no criteria has been outlined or perhaps, been created yet. This compensation is provided either every 2 or 4 years, I can’t really remember the specifics--it was buried in the bill.
I have sought to pursue a doctorate in education, but it honestly seems meaningless now. Not that I would be deprived of a great education, but rather, it would not be asked of me.
Quality teachers are not wanted in North Carolina.
We are required to teach to a test that is an abomination in regards to assessment. Data is the new dictation of progress. Administrators are required to visit classrooms even less...because numbers can replace observation and judgement.
I chose to become a teacher because I feel that I have the unique ability to recognize and encourage the potential of my students. I taught in a very rural school during my student-teaching and my first year--and many of my kids had never believed they had the “umph” to make something significant happen in their lives. No one took the time to tell them that they were special.
I get to do this. As a job.
And that’s why Teachers have the best job in this country.
But unlike the Middle East and East Asia, where teachers are treated like royalty (because parents trust them with the educational and emotional upbringing of their kids), we get a bad rep in the United States.
And maybe I’m still too young, but I do not understand why this is so. If you are a teacher in Saudi Arabia, go out to dinner, your meal is covered by the restaurant. It's appreciation.
I don’t feel appreciated, minus my students and their parents.
I don’t feel appreciated by this country, but especially, by this state I was raised in for 21 years of my life.
I’m scared.
I’m scared because I one day want to get married. But that may have to wait longer than we want.
My biggest goal in my life is to be the best father I can be. But this also may have to wait.
And money has never been a forefront concern to me because I have replaced my need for it with the appreciation of friends, family, and what I do.
However, NC, how can I afford to be a supportive husband and father? How can I live a life that is beneficial to my children? I fear, I truly fear what is happening to my profession in this state and the longevity of consequences that will befall on young teachers like myself.
I fear for my future family and whether or not I will live above the line of poverty. They’ll have love. Absolutely. They’ll have a smart head on their shoulders. They’ll be appreciative.
However, their father will still be a teacher...doing what he feels is his greatest contribution to society...and fighting the inevitable pressure of breaking down in despair. I don’t want the bitterness of politics and educational reform to threaten my passion for teaching. I don’t want it to cause me to change into a harder person.
But with the new NC Budget... it is hard to feel optimistic, it’s hard to feel appreciated.
I’ll end this letter with a quote from a conversation I had with a custodian from my school last year:
[Him: You hear that? (Our choir was warming up outside my room in the hallway for their spring concert)
Me: Yea. It sounds pretty incredible.
Him: It’s beautiful. You know...what you do...it’s important. Because the world is just waiting to see what these kids can do.]
It's all about the kids. Why hurt us even more, NC, when this is our mission statement?
https://www.facebook.com/kellyandrewthomas?fref=ts
Please share this, DU.
= new reply since forum marked as read
This one?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BadAssTeachers/
Awesome! Me too!
We're at almost 24,000 already! I don't post much; it's an effort to keep up with that many conversations. There are other DUers there, as well.
the American capitalistsdo not want an educated proletariat. They want stupid people that will blindly listen to what our 'leaders' tell us without questioning them.
Our 'leaders' are afraid of teachers. 
It's a miracle we have any competent teachers at all.
