The benefits of tea...

are supposed to be that it relaxes you. Having a great deal of trouble relaxing. I could go through life with blinders on and completely ignorant. But that is not me. Troubled by a recent conversation with a fellow school employee who has no idea of the scope of what is going on in New Jersey right now regarding education cuts and obviously has given no thought as to what can really happen beyond people losing their jobs. I know that the loss of a job is bad - I have been laid off due to employers going out of business and the hubby was fired a month and a half after we bought our house - but there is so much more that will happen.

• large class sizes- this is so bad for such a hands on area such as art; if the students get aggravated with me b/c I can't get to them soon enough right now, just wait until next year with 10 more kids in each period.
• cut courses- yes, not every person grows and succeeds in a class based on the three r's; the arts are necessary for a well-rounded education; don't want to bore people with stats here, but suffice to say the research supports me; if you don't believe that, go to Europe and talk to them; they are more well-rounded, intelligent, knowledgeable, and it is a result of an appreciation for all subjects.
• less attention to the students as people- like it or not, we are surrogate parents in many cases; we are the eyes and ears of the community and we are relied upon to pick up on warning signs that most people miss; most teachers care about the well-being of the students more than you know and having huge class sizes beyond what we can handle makes this part of our jobs near impossible. Trust me, I have taught with classes over 30. IT DOES NOT WORK.
• lower property value- hit them where it hurts: their pockets. Why do colleges and universities flaunt low teacher student ratios? Because it results in better instruction and learning. So, what do you think happens in a school where that ratio is high? Lower educational quality. And, like it or not, property values are tied to school performance and quality.

I am second in seniority in the art department as far as how long I have been at PV, so I am not at risk of losing my job, so this talk is not self-serving. But I do know that what I have worked extremely hard at building up from ashes - the Photography program - could be weakened by what lies ahead. I would like this state and this country to view educators at qualified professionals, not just baby-sitters. Perhaps then the cuts would be made elsewhere.

Now on to see how little my yearbook staff has done regarding their homework and give myself some more aggravation...