Who are you working for?

January 7, 2016

Day 192 as an Oklahoma Teacher

     To Whom It May Concern:

     My husband and I have six children, four boys and two girls; we have two of kids left in the house. When we had all six in the house, it could be total chaos. We had to buy three gallons of milk each week and go to separate school functions because the kids went to different schools. When shopping for groceries at Walmart, we would load up two carts with groceries. A Walmart trip for groceries usually cost about two-hundred dollars. Today, a trip to Walmart costs the same amount of money using one cart. My husband budgets the money down to the last penny. He knows the average amount of money spent each month for all the bills and subs out the money. He is proactive and not reactive with our money. We know what we have and what we can spend each month.
     As an Oklahoma citizen, I am ashamed of the budget crisis. This problem has been building the last few years, and nothing was done about it. I graduated from Big Pasture Public School, a small, rural school in Southern Oklahoma. At that school, I received quality education, I received individual help because the classes were small, and I was part of a community that rallied around the school. The school is the heart of a small town, and when the school is eliminated, then the town usually falls apart.  For as long as I can remember, there has always been talk about consolidating the small schools, but the idea has always been ignored. However, I always felt that if people at the Capitol wanted to make it happen, they would find a way to manipulate something to get their way. This budget crisis is a catastrophe with no end in sight. As an Oklahoma parent, I am ashamed that, again, schools will feel the brunt of this mismanagement of money. If my husband had mismanaged our money, we would both be in trouble. Where is the accountability? Why is it other people get blamed by the ones who works for us? What about my tax money? Finally, as an Oklahoma teacher, I am tired of schools and teachers receiving the blame for not is working. In my opinion, if teachers, administrators, and community leaders came together to solve some of the problems, then something would get done. Eliminate some of the mandates that are not necessary, quit demeaning the teaching profession so that an agenda can be put into place, and don't treat us like we are the problem. We do have college degrees, and some of us have multiple degrees. Aren't we pushing students to be career and college ready? It's time to work together, not just mandate what should be required at the high school level. What we are doing is not helping every student. Students have different paths and different ways to get there. The education of our students should come first.

     Sincerely,

     Shanna Mellott
     An Oklahoma citizen, parent, and teacher