6 January CARTOONSScott Stantis

Mr. Stantis,

Are you kidding? I just watched your editorial on the news and am on fire.

Why does the media pick on teachers? Most teachers I know work hard and do their best to ensure learning. Adding 90 minutes to the school day is not going to make students perform better, nor is it going to improve the high school drop out rate. Sad to say, it will not decrease the crime rate either. The crimes will just happen later in the day. These things have little to do with the teachers....It has everything to do with parenting. In this city there is a tremendous lack of it! Why don't politicians and media point that out? Why doesn't the mayor get on television and tell parents to do their jobs?

I am a kindergarten teacher. There are 32 children in my class this year....so far. Another teacher has 33 in hers. I'd like to see those who tear us down do our job for a day. I'd like to see you teach while there are 32 five year old children crying, crawling around the room, spinning in circles, etc. I have students who can't even hold a pencil, let alone focus for 90 more minutes a day. Some come to school without enough sleep, some are filthy, some are hungry. On top of educating students, a teacher must deal with parents, do tremendous amounts of paperwork, confer with colleagues, and attend professional development among a list of other things.

How much money do you make a year Mr. Stantis? I do not really expect an answer to that question. I envision you sitting in your quiet, air conditioned office, focusing on the next group of people you'd like to attack with your editorial. I imagine you make a substantial amount of money. You would not work for nothing...neither would I. I do not live to work. I work to live. I've earned my raise, which I am not getting. Teachers are underpaid...that is a fact. Now the mayor wants to underpay us more by adding 90 more minutes to the school day and giving us a whopping 2% raise. He gets on television and preaches how teachers must not care about the children because our union does not agree with his plan. The facts are....This is our job, not our life. Those are our students, not our children. I am not a volunteer...I am a professional. I should be treated like one, and be paid like one.

J. Buscemi