Reader Tired of Teacher Bashing

To The Editor:
While addressing the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 7, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno had this to say, “I don’t mind coming in this room at all; teachers, ummm, another story.”
The diatribe against teachers and teachers unions by Gov. Chris Christie and his administration is getting old and very offensive. Christie made his point clearly, but apparently, he and Guadagno still feel that teachers deserve to be singled out as the cause of all of New Jersey’s financial woes.
What Guadagno probably failed to understand is that in the room of business people at that chamber meeting were probably children of teachers, parents of teachers and teachers themselves.
Teachers are perhaps the most important people that our children deal with on a daily basis…other than parents, of course. And, sadly, in all too many cases, parents…not so much.
Teachers don’t have cushy jobs…it’s difficult teaching children, disciplining children, making a difference. Teachers bring their work home with them, so the myth of 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. is indeed a myth. School nights, grading papers, talking to parents, after school activities…all are part of a teacher’s life.
My daughter Amy, a fourth grade teacher in New Jersey, rarely has a weekend without school work. She manages her three boys’ activities as well, as a single Mom, so the mom-mobile is rarely sitting in the driveway. Amy loves her job…loves her 25 children at school and this is what one parent recently wrote to her online”
“I mentioned to the principal on Back To School Night what a great teacher you are and how I have seen such a difference in my child’s attitude already this school year. She actually looks forward to going to school every day and speaks very highly of you. You have a certain way with kids that makes a difference which makes my job as a parent much easier.”
Amy was thrilled to get this letter from one of her parents, not because it acknowledged her, but because it showed a parents dedication to her own child. In all too many cases, in our schools, children do not have the support of parents as this child has. That makes the job of teacher all that much more difficult.
Amy and her colleagues are tired of the continual teacher bashing in our state. And so am I, a retired educator who remembers well the joy and accomplishments and difficulties of doing a job that I loved. Granted there are some who need to be “retired,” but more often than not, our teachers, like my daughter are dedicated professionals who make a difference every day.
Hopefully, Christie and Guadagno will soon “give it a rest.”
MICKI GOLDBERG
Swainton