Want Education Reform? Support Teachers.

This weekend I attended a gathering of recent UNC Chapel Hill graduates. The conversation naturally meandered towards what each of us was doing professionally. One member of the group offered that she was a high school teacher. When asked if she enjoyed teaching her reply was telling, “Yes, but it gets tougher every single year.”

Why has it become more difficult?

Teaching has not become more difficult for her because of students or lesson planning as skeptics might suggest. It is a lack of support from the North Carolina government and from other leaders that has contributed to a lack of morale throughout her school. When the General Assembly eliminates Teaching Fellows, fails to increase wages against inflation, and leads us to 48th in the country in teacher pay is it any wonder? Our conversation reminded me of the teacher’s resignation letter featured in the Washington Post I had...