Why Teachers Teach
Marla: I became a teacher 29 years ago. In my family this was an astounding accomplishment because I was the first to go to college. My mother, who was a single mother my whole life, worked hard to keep food on the table and pay the bills. We lived with my grandmother for most of my life. School for me was a sanctuary, full of amazing role models, and a path for me to follow so that I would not have to struggle the way that my mother did. The fight to save public education is a personal fight for me. It is about giving opportunity to children, like me, who grew up with financial hardship. It is also about giving opportunity to children who are disabled, like my son. The fight for great public education for all children, is the fight for every child to have an opportunity to be what they want to be.
Melissa: I became a teacher thirteen years ago. This is my second career, one I chose as an adult, knowing completely in my heart that this was the career that I should have chosen for myself when I first left for college. In my family, for my generation, college was a requirement. My parents worked hard to give my brother and I the opportunity to continue our education after high school. My childhood was the typical example of the American Dream, the dream that entails you working hard so that you can give more to your children and they can have a better life than you had. I grew up believing in that dream, determined to give my future children an even better life. I went to a school that provided an educational plan that allowed me to get the most out of my education. I tested at an early age with a higher IQ. In elementary school I was placed in a gifted and talented classroom within my district and provided the type of curriculum that I needed to grow academically. The fight to save public education is a personal fight for me. It is about giving opportunity to children, opportunity like I had. It is about fighting for public schools to have the funding and the autonomy to provide children with what they need. It is about fighting for our responsibility to meet the the needs of all children.
Marla: Despite growing up in a home that didn’t have much, my schools were well-funded and had all the resources they needed to help children. The staff in my elementary school was plentiful. Anything a child needed we had: nurses, librarians, custodial staff, café staff, clubs, sports, and after-school programs. I remember walking to school one day in the pouring rain. My mother had to leave early for work each morning because she did not drive and had to walk to work. It was my job, at the young age of 7, to get my brother and I off to school. Our school was a block from our house and on this day we had to walk to school in the pouring rain. We ended up at school soaking wet. My teacher, Mrs. Carlson, sent me to the Café to get my clothes dry by the oven. When I went to the Café the staff, busy making lunch for the day, let me stand by the oven to dry my clothes. They gave me several of their world famous biscuits to eat while I dried. I was there for about 45 minutes, got dry, and returned back to class a very satisfied child. Now, I am not saying this would not happen in any school across America today, but my point in that story was the idea of Badass Teachers Association:
