I am one teacher. I cannot change the situation in Sacramento. I cannot erase the federal deficit. I cannot change the California Education Code. I can, however, put a face on the problem that affects thousands of teachers, their families and their students every year.

For the past five years, I have been laid off and yet somehow, I keep coming back. It breaks my heart to think that this year, I will not be so lucky.

I became a teacher late in life, after retiring from a successful career in telecommunications. To make the point that I teach because I love it, I used to tell people I didn't have to teach, I want to teach. But lately, I have realized that is wrong. I do have to teach. I am passionate about teaching. It's what I was meant to do. Like many teachers, I give myself mentally, physically, emotionally and financially to my students and my school.

One reads in the paper about the difficulties in retaining new teachers. The Washington Post reported that half of teachers quit the profession in the first five years. I would be happy to be able to teach a fifth year!

Why do so many new teachers leave teaching? Many say it is because the lack of support, large class sizes and lack of appreciation or pay. Speaking for myself, I have had wonderful support from my administration, my