To see and experience is to have your eyes opened to the reality...

I’m taking a mental & physical health day today. If you know me, you know I avoid politics. However, I feel like I can no longer be silent. I am so disheartened by how things have turned here in Wisconsin. Please take the time to read this note from a local Wisconsin “Welfare Queen” (quoting New Jersey Governor Chris Christie). AKA a former Milwuakee Public School Teacher and a current substitute teacher in Madison.


“A great many people, including Ghandi & the Bible, said that the greatness of a country can be measured by how we treat the most vulnerable among us. By that measure the USA sucks. As long as we see nothing wrong or immoral about paying obscene salaries to people who can throw a ball or sing a song or act in a movie or run a corporation that produces nothing of real value or worth, while people who educate our children, care for the elderly and disabled, provide childcare for our small children, guard our cities and towns, fight fires are presented to us as the “enemy” and the source of all of what ails us, we descend into a deeper and deeper pit. If people in this country expended half as much energy protesting the fact that multi-millionaires got extended tax breaks, that the gap between the incredibly wealthy and the rest of us continues to widen as they do worrying that teachers and schools, for example, might get a few extra dollars, maybe we’d live in a better, fairer, more just world. I’m not holding my breath for that to happen.” (This by the way is a quote from my beloved Mother-In-Law.)

When I went into teaching years ago, it was because I wanted to make a difference in public education—specifically with children from low-income and poverty situations. I wanted to show them that THEY CAN DO BETTER FOR THEMSELVES. They are NOT stuck in the situation that they were born in. EDUCATION was their way out. And who should know this better than me—afterall, this was my background and where I came from. However, being white, and having middle class families that supported my family gave me an advantage to what many of these inner city kids face.

However, I was not mentally prepared for my first day at a public school in Milwaukee. Instead of taking the time to decorate my classroom, I spent my time duct taping together the students’ books. There was not enough money in the budget to afford to buy new books and these books had to last at LEAST another 2 years. This is really when the reality of the situation hit me. How do I let these kids know that they can do BETTER for themselves, when I can’t even hand them nice books? Is this really showing them the value of an education, or THEIR VALUE?

Day after day of teaching, I would come home weeping for my students. My husband became my confidant. I could tell him about the 14 year old that told me she was pregnant and scared. I could tell him about the student whose mom died and was not sure where he was going to live. I could tell him about the Hmong student that was being forced into an arranged marriage at 14. And I could tell him how guilty I felt for not having enough room for the 38 students in my class. Afterall—budget cuts=increased class size (and that is just one consequence).

The first couple of weeks at school I was lucky. I had 36 desks and only 36 students coming to class. (Of course I asked for more desks—but there was the issue that there were no more desks AND my classroom didn’t have room for anymore desks.) I had to *hope* --yes HOPE that 2 of my students would not come, because I did not have enough seats in my class for them all. I still remember the one day that one of my two “surplus” students actually came to class. It was a student that had been assumed to have dropped out. He showed up late, but he showed up. NOW, more than ever, I NEEDED to show all the compassion I had for this student and try to get him to come back again and stay off the streets.

I had no alternative but to sit this student at my desk in front of the class (facing the class). I didn’t know what else to do. How do you think this student felt? Do you think he wanted to come back being “on display” for the other students? As much as I tried to encourage him throughout that class and afterwards, I never saw him again. I LOST my chance, my opportunity--due to my inexperience, sure, but more importantly due to an overcrowded classroom and lack of taxpayer dollars. And this is a memory that still haunts me today. Where is that boy now? I imagine there is a good chance he is in jail—a place that your tax dollars also pay for. Luckily the jails aren’t getting significant budget cuts, so there should be plenty of money available to jail him. (Personally, I think I would have preferred to invest my tax dollars in his education...)

Currently, I am a substitute teacher in the Madison Public School District. I teach once a week and stay at home with my 2 little ones the other days. I am BLESSED to have this opportunity to afford to stay at home while many cannot and there is not a moment I don’t THANK God that he has provided our family with such a wonderful opportunity.

As a substitute, I have been to most schools in the Madison District. And while the Madison Schools are MUCH nicer than the public schools in Milwaukee, many are rundown buildings with dark lighting and dingy walls. In the past 2 months of teaching, I have been in one class where the window would not close (on a 10 degree day), a middle school where only one sink worked in the restroom, and many schools with broken toilets, stall doors, and sinks, not to mention classrooms with torn and stained carpet or tiles that are missing. (AND yes—in elementary schools the kids sit on this carpet—carpet I would NEVER allow in my home!) And yet we want these children to see how VALUABLE they are and their education is, when we as taxpayers and politicians CLEARLY don’t care about it ourselves.

Taking a step back—why do Madison schools get to be nicer than Milwaukee’s??? Oh that’s right—tax base. Because Madison has a higher taxpayer income the kids get nicer schools. And Milwaukee—well—why do those kids matter anyway. At least that is the visual impression I get as well as any student that attends. Why do you matter?

Teachers are told that we have it easy. Hey- we have 3 months off a year and Christmas & Spring Break. What a breeze of a job! I can tell you of all the private sector jobs I had, teaching was by far the most stressful and I have put MANY more hours into teaching than any other job. I would go into work at 6:30 and leave around 5 PM. Much of my before and after school time was spent working one on one with kids who were struggling as well as contacting parents. I would then come home at night and spend 1-2 more hours working on lesson plans and grading papers. The weekends were an additional 5 hours or so of work. But thank goodness I had my summers off! I mean—how else was I going to take the MANDATORY continuing education classes to keep my certification. Of course teachers have to pay for these courses. That is why you see many teachers working summer jobs at parks and local community centers.

So where do I stand on what has been going on? I am appalled that middle class has been turned against middle class. Our focus should not be on ourselves, but on the most vulnerable. The children in EVERY school district—especially the poorest! The unions have given in to the pay cuts—many of which will DRASTICALLY hurt them and their families. However, they are willing to sacrifice as am I. Our schools CANNOT take anymore budget cuts. Teachers already spend hundreds of their own dollars to supplement their school supplies (YES THEY PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR WHAT OUR TAX DOLLARS FALL SHORT OF!) and now we are looking at not only cutting teacher salaries but school budgets as well. Where does that leave our children?

I am willing to pay for the deficit—out of my own pocket, but not at the expense of public education and public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. These are the people that need this money more than ANY of us AND thus need to be PROTECTED more than any of us! One man in fact already did the math for us. If each adult pays $32 the deficit would be taken care of. I am willing to pay my share as well as the shares of others who cannot afford to do so (i.e. those who collect Medicare and Medicaid.) Please help protect the most vulnerable of our nation. This is not about who has the most money—it is about who NEEDS the money to survive and know that they ARE somebody.

My pastor often tells us that the truth of our heart lies in our pocket books. I think we ALL need to take the time to examine where our money goes. What does the money we spend say about our priorities? And who is really most important? I will NEVER look into the eyes of an impoverished child, or an elderly veteran and tell them, “You are NOT worth the expense.” It is time for us to unite and get our priorities straight. Let’s protect our children NOW and in the future. Please join my family in praying for a resolution that will protect ALL because EVERYONE is WORTH it!

For more info on paying off the deficit--$32/adult visit this site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfsIW6RY8Q