My name is alia, and I am a teacher.

I am a teacher of the last district in my state to settle this year’s salaries. I am a teacher of a district that is very conflicted right now about the state of those salaries.

I am a teacher who went to school for four years to get my bachelor’s degree, specifically so i could become a teacher.

I am a teacher who is still in school, trying to get my master’s degree in EDUCATION to make myself a better teacher.

I did not strike, even though we are not being paid for an extra four days that were added to our contract days.

I did not strike, even though my students were all up in arms about the situation on the day many teachers called in sick.

I work more than 40 hours a week, grading papers, making lesson plans, and job developing. I work on the weekends, in the early mornings, and late in the afternoons.

I counsel pregnant teenagers, I teach sex education on the side to girls who are too panicked to think clearly and who can’t go to their parents.

I help with homework, give detentions. I know science and math and language arts, even though I dont teach any of those classes.

I know the names of over two hundred students, and I know most of them on site. I know backgrounds, boyfriends, homework struggles, and parent’s names and phone numbers.

I monitor what students are wearing, what they are saying and their body language. I stop fights, hug students and offer tissues and a shoulder.

I spend more time with my students than I do with my husband.

So for someone to write in to the newspaper and tell me that I need to get out into the real world and get a real job and stop whining about what I dont know, means they have no idea what my real job is.

And thats fine.

But for you to write in to the editor of the newspaper, and proclaim this:

For the most part, teaching is kind of a real easy profession. A lot of teachers do not deserve more pay or anything. Basically, I think people become teachers when they drop out of the work force and don’t want to participate in working any more. They rely on just, hopefully, being able to pass on some of their meager knowledge on to students, instead of learning what it’s like to work in the real world.

is unfair and so ignorant that I am surprised you are able to write as well as you do.

Your grammer is fairly good, with the exception of using “a” instead of “an” before a vowel.

However, you have presented your opinions as facts, and have provided no supporting evidence.

Final grade: F

I got a note of encouragement from the guy who started nanowrimo today..week two’s mascot is a pack of angry weasels throwing themselves out of trees. cant say i doubt it either. im so far behind, it isnt even funny. alia’s procrastination side has come back out of hiding.

i currently have something over 2000 words. compared to those who have already hit 10 and 15 thousand, im going to die before the end of november.

gah.

today is also a Monday. i guessed i missed the memo, but evidently this monday is “ask alia stupid questions” day!

“Where’s the teacher?”
Right in front of you, dumbass.

“Miss, can I go?”
The bell has not rung. NO.

“Miss, I know we just had lunch five minutes ago, can I go to the vending machines?”
You JUST HAD LUNCH. NO.

“I hate that our network connection is down on this computer. HEY! Why cant i get into the grading program?”
Its on the network

“Now, I cant print! Is there something wrong with the printer in the library?”
A) im not in the library, i wouldnt know. B) printers are on the network.

“Why cant i save to my share folder?”
NETWORK! NETWORK!

all the network questions are from the teacher i share a room with. therefore, i cannot be nearly as rude as i would like to be with STUPID PAINFUL HEADBREAKING QUESTIONS.