To the Editor:
I was having a conversation over dinner recently on a subject that was simply startling. The conversation consisted of some grumbling by a few individuals in our town over the school budget and the belief that our teachers are overpaid. Frankly I find the mere notion to be absurd. When I pull into our school every day I don’t see a line-up of Mercedes Benz, Audis and BMWs in the teacher parking lot.
What seriously is going to be gained by all this commotion? A few dollars difference on a tax bill? Is that what it is worth? Why not focus on the value of our local school? The state recently graded schools and Nobleboro Central School scored very well, earning a B, while other neighboring community schools received much lower grades.
We have a beautiful campus and a thriving school spirit and sports teams. We have a team of exceptionally talented educators. We have a very active PTO, which works hard to help out.
Teachers take on a calling and, with a passion, pour their lives into inspiring the young minds of our children. It is a fact that parents are the greatest single influence on their children. In my opinion, teachers are next in line as far as impact on the lives of our young people.
Teachers challenge our kids to work hard and learn more; to study and develop their skills and talents. Teachers encourage and nudge along, sometimes better than parents. They wipe away tears and clean up spills. They struggle to make life fair in their classroom world, even though life is not fair in the real world.
Our teachers work long hours to invest in our young people. In Nobleboro they bring a crystal clear message every morning into their classroom. It is a hope-filled message that their students have worth and that they can learn anything and accomplish anything if they work hard for it.
I think most teachers would say being able to shape a pupil’s life is reward enough. Well I think that work ethic is wonderful, however it is time that we balance the scales and change our perspective on school budgets. It’s time to do whatever we can to make sure that our teachers have, not just a fair exchange for their labor, but that they are given the support they need instead of a demoralizing challenge to their enormous and often unseen contribution to society.
In my opinion, it is time we provide generously for these educators with whom we entrust every single day the most valuable parts of our lives, our children.
I am enormously grateful for the high quality educators that my son has the privilege of being taught by at Nobleboro Central School. I feel the complaining over education budgets in general just needs to come to an end. Maybe if we focused more energy on finding ways to raise money for schools and less time complaining about it, things might change.
Until then when it comes to my son’s education, I’ll gladly pay to have the best.
