Teachers: The new pariahs
by Eric Jude Cortes
I am an experienced public school teacher and I am a pariah. You may have seen me talked about on major 24-hour news networks. Your governor may claim that I am part of the privileged elite. Your mayor claims that I am the reason why your city is broke. Talking head after talking head claims that my pension, bargaining power, and job security should be stripped and I should be replaced with a lower-paid, easier-to-fire rookie. In spite of this, a recent international study shows that American teachers deserve more pay and more respect. As a dedicated teacher in a New York City high school, I couldn’t agree more.
In my line of duty, even before pay, what is sorely lacking is a level of respect. President Barack Obamadeclared that in South Korea, teachers are considered “nation builders.” I can only imagine how politicians would react if my colleagues and I started calling ourselves by that term. There is truth to the term, though. After all, my colleagues and I are responsible for a large degree of the literacy, acculturation, world view, and career skills of our charges. There is no way our country would thrive without experienced educators. In addition, personally, I