Letters to the Editor: The pandemic harmed students. Obsessing over test scores will harm them more than ever, our country, and our children.
As public school students face increasing stress, financial pressures, and the specter of a teacher with no education, it is important to remember that we are the “educators.”
I have been involved with education since my first four years at the high school level. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985, with a B.A. in English, with a minor in history. I have taught high school English classes for the past 10 years, including several English I classes at Pflugerville High.
I have two granddaughters, ages 8 and 10, and I have known them since they were born.
I have also known that my children have known me since they were small. When they were young, my daughter, Amanda, worked with her grandparents for a summer and they became my family. I have known and worked with my granddaughter, Kate, for the past seven years. I was her principal three years before she was nominated as secretary of the board of education.
I have known my children’s friends for most of my adult life. I have had summer jobs with them throughout their lives. Amanda has worked as a substitute teacher for most of her young life, and she taught children in our community. My husband, John, and I worked as teachers in Austin schools for nearly 32 years.
I have also known and worked with my son, John, since he was a teenager. In fact, I got my teaching credential in a summer camp before he graduated from high school.
My oldest daughter was at the high school when one of the three students who jumped from the roof of the school building was killed. My son and his friends were at the school to celebrate the graduation of his friend, Andrew, who did not attend the ceremony.
I think back to those days when I was in the classroom. We had to be so careful when we were in the classroom. There were no cell phones, no email, no texting, and we had to write essays and letters
