Regarding the Aug. 21 letter, “Striking workers: they should be glad they have jobs”: Education is an investment we make in our system of government and our economic infrastructure. I guarantee that letter writer Richard Crull will get more value out of the graduates of his local schools than he will out of Safeco Field – his comparison of baseball players to educators is ridiculous.
While it is true that good teachers are called to the profession for reasons other than money, it is also true that 30 years ago a single teacher with two kids and a wife who stayed at home could buy a house. Now two teachers working in the same household have difficulty qualifying for a mortgage.
I don’t believe the message we should send prospective teachers is, “Teach and you will be poor and it’s your own fault.”
Teaching is worthy of its members being able to afford to wn their own homes. All have college degrees, post graduate education, many hold master’s degrees, and all must continue to invest in their own education to maintain their certificates. The pay gap between burger flippers and educators is not as wide as the gap in their relative qualifications by a long stretch.
The link between education and low crime is fact. I’d rather give teachers a raise than build more jails. The link between property value and the quality of local schools is fact. The link between the quality of local infrastructure and quality education is fact. Better educated people earn more money, pay more taxes and bring more jobs to the area.
It is in Mr. Crull’s interest to see that high quality applicants flock to the teaching profession, even if he can’t see it. It is in his best interest that teachers are able to remain teachers, able to afford housing and afford having their own children attending the schools in which they teach.
Everett
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