TO THE EDITOR:
If I were a public school teacher in North Carolina come Nov. 4, I sure as hell wouldn’t be walking out, I’d be running for the hills.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve always considered dedicating your life to help further someone else’s as a pretty noble job description.
I wonder if any North Carolinian would consider a career in education if they knew their average salary would be $10,000 less than the national average.
If the fact that North Carolina ranks 46th in teachers’ salaries (meaning 45 other states pay teachers better than we do) isn’t cause enough for concern, then the fact that a state recently made famous for its crisply tanned and freshly laundered crew of rowdy 20-somethings outperforms us in teachers’ pay by almost $20,000 should be downright embarrassing. And I’m not trying to rag on New Jersey; they’re obviously doing something right down by the shore.
Isn’t it human nature that we can’t appreciate what we have until we don’t have it anymore? I agree that teachers walking out is punishing the children for something they can’t control. It’s a lose-lose situation, because we all want the best in regards to education.
But in the grand scheme of things, the walkout is the lesser of two evils. And I cringe at saying this, but the loss of one day of education is collateral damage.
A point needs to be made, and if this is what it takes, then so be it.
Cason Whitcomb ’17
Undecided
