To every person who has written so passionately about the strike, I challenge you to continue to focus your energy on our schools. I am a guest teacher for the Kent School District, and I also volunteer my time once a week in a fourth grade classroom.
I hope the following anecdote will motivate you to take action. On Tuesday the teacher I work with asked her students to take out their notebooks for their first writing assignment. Many of these children had arrived at school hungry and without their supplies, so the teacher began handing out notebooks she had purchased with her own money. When the students thanked her, she cheerfully told them, “Now go learn something… that’s how you’ll pay me back.”
Our community is full of people like this amazing teacher who want to help, but how many of us will act? Our schools need us. These children we’ve been arguing about have names and stories. Some face unbelievable hardships and I think it’s a miracle they can get out of bed every day let alone show up at school and be ready to learn. Even if you only have a few dollars to share, find a local school and ask if they need supplies. If you can’t donate your money, donate your time and mentor a student. We’ve all given our opinion about how our schools should be run; now it’s time to ask how we can help.
Mary Schiechl
Auburn
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