Criticisms of teachers are hurtful
Mindy Weber, and her daughter Isabelle, 6, were among the hundreds of parents, students and teachers from all over Long Island who converged on Sachem High School East on Thursday night for a rally against proposed cuts in education. Credit: John Paraskevas
Yes, I am a teacher and proud to say that. I am also a taxpayer and contribute to my community, just like any private sector employee. Elected officials and others tend to forget that teachers pay all the taxes and fees that everyone else pays.
I resent and disagree with the attacks by elected officials and newspapers like yours, claiming that all that is wrong with New York State is the fault of teachers and other public employees. I believe that one sector of the community is being pitted against another, and that's despicable and self-serving.
This situation has been many years in the making. Countless elected officials, public and private corporations, banks as well as private and public sector employees have contributed to this debacle. Many of our esteemed elected officials were not fiscally prudent with our tax dollars and are now deflecting their bad practices by attacking others.
I am so upset by these attacks; my very soul feels attacked. My daughter is an education major who is excited about her student teaching. How can I encourage her in this atmosphere?
Maybe Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is jealous that I have the privilege of teaching young people day after day, while he is stuck in Albany.
Terri Cottell
Glen Head
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
