This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I love being an elementary school teacher and I do my best to make learning meaningful and exciting for children.
I feel appreciated by my students and their parents and enjoy the collegiality at school.
I've accepted in stride the financial blows from the Utah Legislature — everyone knows Utah spends less than any other state educating kids, by a great margin.
Pay cuts and budget shortfalls have made teachers tighten our belts at home and work, just as many of our non-educator neighbors have had to do. Fair enough.
What saddens me is the disrespect and hostility that many legislators seem to feel toward teachers and our professional association.
Taking another 11 percent cut — almost $300 per student — seems unreasonable ("Lawmakers can't agree on education funding," Tribune, Feb. 15).
We're forced to fight to keep reading specialists and all-day kindergarten.
Legislators want yet another school-grading system that will be absolutely meaningless, and they are trying to tell districts when they can and cannot pay teachers to work on issues outside of the classroom.
They want to make firing teachers easier.
With all of the challenges we teachers face, instead of rapping our knuckles, how about a little help, please?
Judy Mahoskey
Murray