As a senior at Bromfield and the daughter of a third-grade teacher at Harvard Elementary School, I find myself in a unique situation. After reading this new paper’s surprisingly oversimplified stance on the teachers’ contract issue, I believe you have failed to properly educate yourselves in several ways.
No matter what stance you take, respect for the issue and for those fighting it should be the priority. To say that teachers in this town are under less pressure than those in a more diverse school system is simply untrue. I have watched new staff members crumble under the high-pressure atmosphere. The unprecedented standards pushed upward by this community create ancillary and very tangible pressure.
As a daughter, I’m the one who should be telling stories of high school drama, but most nights I find myself trying to reckon with the nasty actions directed towards teachers like my mom. The drama instigated by dissenting town members is seriously disconcerting.
As a senior, I have watched the metamorphosis of Bromfield over the past six years. These teachers provide so many valuable lessons, are so well versed in their subjects, and give so fully of themselves. Using your choice words, “what kind of lesson will we be sending to our children” when they see their parents disrespecting beloved teachers?
I find it ironic that the construction of such a beautiful library is flanked by the waning public school system. We’ll certainly need the books; with an upcoming teacher shortage, I wonder how appealing this town will look to the prospective teacher.
Readers should not be misled by the title “Reporter’s Notebook”; this too is an opinionated piece. Your charts do not take into account the length of years served nor the amount of graduate credits a teacher would need to be at the shown level. The greater conclusion to make is that Harvard teachers are well educated and loyal.
Many people quickly label the teachers as greedy or overpaid. In last week’s editorial, you cited the yearly pay raise for the first thirteen years as “unheard of in other industries.” By the same token, the starting pay for an entry-level teacher is incomparably lower than said “other industries.”
Over the past weeks, I have excitedly read the Press because it reminds me of the “good old days” of the Post. However, just as the “good old days” of Bromfield have disappeared, I am left disappointed by last week’s edition. To oversimplify an issue discredits the passionate work on both sides. It merely mirrors the ignorance of those who hastily point their fingers, all the while lacking the education to make such claims.
Maybe you’ve forgotten just how important education really is.
Elizabeth Tuttle
Still River Road
