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GUEST EDITORIAL - By
Pam Gossett For the children, not for the money I have been teaching in Cherokee County for 19 years. I was not even aware that teachers at the Career and Technology Center received an extra month's pay until the issue came up last year. Frankly, I was a little upset by that—not understanding the justification for those teachers receiving extra pay. I love my job and I love my students. I taught special education for my first eight years when Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were all handwritten. I taught three grade levels and wrote lesson plans for all six subjects for all of those grades. And believe me it wasn't all done between 7:20 a.m. and 3:20 p.m., Monday through Friday. I spent countless hours after school, nights at home and even weekend hours getting it “all done”. In addition, I was cheer sponsor for four of those years and I brought home $7 a month for those duties: practices, games, my own gas, etc. I actually lost money on that one. When I began teaching regular education, I took on the Scholars Bowl Team and the yearbook. As Scholars Bowl sponsor, I used my plan time to practice with students; then we would compete on weekends. Teachers do not receive pay for duties such as these. Twelve years ago I became the Beta Club sponsor, also a no-pay position. I spend untold hours preparing to take my Beta kids to the state convention, doing paperwork, fund raising, and spending three days and nights away from home for the trip. I have also been planning my school's annual Veterans Day program for the past decade. I spend a couple of hours at night setting up for it, shopping for the supplies and refreshments, and many of my planning hours working on the program. Then let me mention the many football, basketball, volleyball and baseball games, and dances, where I have taken up gate money and worked the concession stand. If I figured all those hours up over the last 19 years, I think we would all be shocked at the total. Again, teachers are not paid for performing these types of duties. Please understand this point: I do these things because I love kids and I want to be there to help them in all of their achievements. I did not recite all of this because I want to be a martyr or get a pat on the back. Guess what? It is part of my job, a job I chose because I want to make a difference in the lives of young people. And I am not alone. I know there are teachers all around Cherokee County who could write similar accounts of the many ways they go above and beyond for their students, never expecting a penny. I am not saying that the vocational teachers do not deserve extra pay, I am merely saying that there are hundreds of other teachers who deserve extra pay just as much. And again, we are in this to do what is best for our students, not what is best for us or our bank accounts. On a final note, I want to thank Superintendent Brian Johnson and the Board of Education members for their tireless work in keeping Cherokee County schools afloat during these last few years of economic turmoil. I feel like this school system would be bankrupt without their leadership. And due to their excellent financial management, every school in the county will get back a local teacher unit for the 2012-13 school year. That is awesome news. I pray that people
will dig deeper for the facts in these matters rather than rely on believing
what some people want them to believe. Board of Education meetings are and
always have been “clear and transparent” and have always been open to the
public—in good times and bad. |