Teachers in Arizona deserve a raise

Recent articles in Arizona Periodicals lambast Governor Ducey for proposing giving teachers raises that amount to a little over $2.00 a week. Whether that is accurate or not (The Governor had said in earlier reports that the average raise would average $900 a year).

Either way, the number is too low.

People think teachers have it easy because they have all holidays, a fall break, a two-week winter break, a spring break and almost three months a year off for summer vacation.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Even with Prop 123 passing last year, teacher salaries are still not where they should be.

More often than not, instructors either teach summer school or take other jobs to help pay the bills.

During the holidays, teachers are playing catch up by either planning lessons or grading papers.

If they are not working in summer school or another summer job, they are planning or revising their scopes and sequences for their classes for the new year.

Teachers deserve respect and appreciation from all walks of society because the great majority of them, day in and day out, are looking for ways to successively shape children's minds and steer them in the right direction.

They are the agents for our children's future. They should be compensated as such.