Teachers are expected to do much more than teach under the current school structure. They have to act as social workers, counselors, health care providers, agents of the court, even fund-raisers and benefactors. HSTA President Karen Ginoza tells the story of a student of hers who kept coming to school with ' ukus. After repeated attempts to contact the child's parents, Ginoza finally had to wash and cut the girl's hair herself. And that's just ' ukus.
Teachers are on the frontline of abuse cases, child custody battles, neglect, poverty, violence.
There are stories of teachers having to find shelter for homeless children, standing in the way of a noncustodial parent trying to abduct a child, or buying a jacket for a kid who has nothing to wear to school on rainy days. There is great joy in such small and wondrous acts of heroism, but not if it's expected. Not if it's demanded by the system that will not in turn take care of the caregivers. The teachers deserve to be paid like the professionals they are. They need to know they are appreciated.