‘Let’s work together’

Once again I feel compelled to speak up, especially when it comes to our children and their education.

I don’t like to engage in these discussions but I feel I need to. All the commentaries I have been reading make me want to shout: “This is not a Warwick problem.”

I am a teacher, former corporate bond trader but changed my priorities and decided to do what I love: Teach. I do not teach in Warwick, I don’t think it is always in everyone’s best interest to teach in the district one lives.

However, that being said, this is a New York State and nationwide problem. Teachers are being asked to do more and more with less and less support from our state.

I always knew that teachers were special, but until I wore their shoes I cannot begin to tell you what school districts, teachers, and administrators face in today’s society.

Please, do not butt heads and pit people against each other. This is the state placing unreasonable demands on our educational system and therefore school districts have to somehow deal with this.

Administrators are put in a position to somehow make the changes forced upon them. I know deep in my heart that everyone always has the child’s best interest in their hearts.

But please understand we - schools - are being forced to make decisions that unfortunately we cannot help to make. Let’s work together as a community, as educators, as parents, as supporters to do what we must, given the extreme circumstances we have to face and make our schools the best they can be.

The administration is the messenger. And you know what they say: don’t shoot the messenger. I know that these decisions keep them up at night, break their hearts, make them angry, sad, hurt and question what happened to education as we knew it.

I know this because I live it. I am a parent and a teacher. Our children are our future and please let’s never ever forget this.

Heidi Carson
Warwick