This is in response to Paul Guppy’s Aug. 1 guest commentary about education funding, “So where does all that money go?”:
First, I am a middle school teacher here in Washington, so my perspective is from the classroom.
In my mind, his assumption that a college professor will do a good job in the K-12 system is terribly incorrect. Each age level requires specific skills. Kindergartners are very different students than my 8th graders, who are different from seniors. Teaching is no longer standing in front of the classroom simply delivering knowledge.
His statement that only about 50 percent of the staff is directly involved in the classroom may or may not be true. The implication, however, that the staff not directly involved in the classroom is not needed, is very wrong. The cooks, custodians, counselors, building administrators, bus drivers, para-educators, classified staff, substitute teachers and district personnel are the support I need in order to teach. Without them, I would teach in one of two ways: with total chaos as those functions would not be done, or spending a great deal of my time doing those functions, which would take away from teaching. Neither of those solutions is acceptable for my students.
Guppy’s statement that we have enough money shows that he has not been in a classroom for a while. We teach to state and federal mandates that change and we also maintain best practices for each of the subjects that are taught. We are learning ways to reduce costs. However, we have reached a place where the cuts are beginning to affect the learning of our students.
I invite Guppy to ask teachers and parents their reactions to the budget costs. Also, I invite him into my classroom to see some of the hurdles that need to be negotiated.
Jan Phillips
Middle school teacher
Edmonds
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
