For the past 13 years I have taught summer school each summer. I always hoped that someday I would not have to… that I would be in a financial situation allowing me to enjoy the summer with my family traveling or otherwise enjoying my time off. That’s not the way it went.
Elk Grove School District did not offer summer school this year because of budget cuts. Teachers’ salaries have been cut and furlough days are mandated. We have lost all of our pre-service days and we will have an additional number of days that we are being forced to take instruction away from students.
Apparently the President believes throwing more money at it will solve the problem. Another bail-out plan to “save jobs” will send money to school districts to hire back laid off teachers. It’s yet to be seen if this is a long-term fix or a band-aid, but it should be noted that none of the other bail-out plans have had the desired effect.
I spent my summer trying to sell granite http://capstonebrazilianimports.com and designing web pages http://www.belachifoods.com and I have no intention of spending more than a few hours at school getting ready for the new year. It’s a feeble effort, but, truth be told, I know that the expectation is that teachers will do what they do to help students because we care and we will do it without being paid. We will teach the same with less prep time and less instructional time. I hate being taken advantage of.
