As the school year draws to an end, I would like to reflect on the work of the teacher.
I became a teacher in 1969. I was an English teacher at Smith Vocational High School, a tenured professor of education at Westfield State University, and this year a substitute teacher at William Norris Elementary School.
Over this varied and lengthy career, there has been one constant. The work of the teacher is the most important work anyone can decide to do. The teachers who have passed through my professional life have been dedicated to the students’ academic and social growth.
We hear often that students are different today. I would beg to differ. The students who enter the classroom are hopeful that their needs will be met. What is different is that these needs are so much more complicated.
The teacher has become not only the scholar but also the social worker, the moral coach, and the advocate for the students.
The work of the teacher has always been labor intensive. In today’s society, the work of the teacher is so complex that teachers are our unsung heroes and the true caregivers to our next generation.
What continues to amaze me is that these teachers are still fighting for a salary that reflects their professional responsibilities. In affluent communities, like Northampton, teachers are forced to fight for financial advancement.
In Southampton, where I taught this year, I watched teachers give 110 percent to their students even as a salary battle played out in their community. Teachers teach because they believe in the power of effective teaching to change the world one student at a time. It is sad that this work has never received the financial support that reflects the importance of the work.
Jane P. Nagle
Northampton