MEA Votes

A letter in this morning's Detroit News says it better than I ever could...

To those who think teacher benefits are too generous, I beg you to please come walk a day in my shoes ("Teachers' generous benefits under fire," June 2). As for our health benefits, I don't think there is another profession, aside from health care providers, that has the high exposure rate to every disease on the planet. When was the last time someone in your office threw up at your feet or coughed all over you while reading an article? We also have a huge population of children who travel internationally and are exposed to a number of diseases.

Many parents send their children to school on Motrin to get them through the day, exposing teachers and the whole classroom to whatever illness they have.

Did you know that teachers who had not attained their master's degree by the early 1990s are required to take graduate courses for the duration of their career? Last time I checked classes were about $1,000 apiece. The average teacher also is sinking about $1,000 a year of personal money into his or her classrooms and students.

Teachers are not the problem in school funding. Lansing is the problem. Cutting the people students depend on defeats the goal of educating students for our future and impacts students in a negative manner. School funding is a state problem and cannot be solved on the backs of employees.

I am a 22-year veteran of the Troy School District. I have my master's degree. Please compare my salary with a similar professional with an equal degree. I have no car allowance. I have no end-of-the-year bonus except for the smiles on the faces of my children and parents. I have no stock options except for the time and energy I have invested in my students. I am a proud educator and am tired of being thrown under the bus.

Susan C. Zemmer, second-grade teacher, Troy Union Elementary, Troy