Every weekday, my wife is responsible for educating more than 100 sixth-graders in an Alachua County public middle school.
For about $30,000 a year, she spends her days
teaching kids — many of whom have medical or behavioral problems or live in government subsidized housing — and her evenings and weekends drafting her lesson plans. She purchases her own school supplies, which often includes notebooks and pencils for students who cannot afford their own, and buys into a health care package which takes a substantial chunk of cash out of her biweekly paycheck.
Imagine my surprise when Zack Smith indicted her in the pages of the Alligator simply because she is a dues-paying member of the local teachers union.
Rather than criticize disinterested parents or clueless legislators, Smith heaps the blame on those individuals who choose to serve the public by educating our country’s children and at the same time want to have some kind of power over their employment and the work environment.
It baffles me why anyone would criticize workers before turning a critical eye to their bosses, but it is particularly appalling to see Smith’s broad condemnation of some of our society’s most underpaid and under-appreciated civil servants.
Editor's note: This letter refers to this column.
