This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
What a difference a day makes. For teachers, what a difference a few years make. In the past, applicants outnumbered teaching jobs. Today, teachers might choose between multiple offers. The value of teachers has risen as the supply slowed to a trickle.
A Tribune editorial stated that besides a raise, teachers need flexibility. Flexibility is a result of something more fundamental — respect for the intelligence and professionalism of trained educators. Administrators must stop treating teachers like indentured servants. They have to muster the courage to hire teachers who are bright enough and brave enough to challenge the status quo.
A few years ago, a GEA officer told us our district's position was that it owned us, we were dispensable, and if we did not do what we were told, we would be replaced. One reason for our teacher shortage is that hundreds of our most innovative and beloved teachers resigned or retired early because they refused to be bullied into silence.
To aspiring teachers, I say: Refuse to work for people who think they own you. If your professional opinions are not welcome, leave.
And to administrators, listen to your teachers or lose them. They are no longer dispensable.
Ann Florence
Murray