Teacher layoffs affect the future

By Tatiana Sanchez

In March of this year, thousands of educators throughout California received an infamous pink slip, a notification of their potential layoff before the end of the year.

It is estimated that over 20,000 teachers have received this pink slip, leaving their jobs and their futures in great uncertainty.

Even more unfortunate -- or perhaps outraging -- is the fact that the people behind these layoffs did not take into consideration the ability or performance of the teachers in the classroom, but simply judged them based on seniority.

Not surprisingly, these drastic teacher layoffs are by-products of our plummeting economy and the state's severe financial crisis.

In response to these issues, California has had to decrease its state budget, and this includes money spent to pay teachers. In January, California's proposed budget cut education funds by a whopping $4.8 billion.

Scott Plotkin, president of the California School Boards Association, recently told the Christian Science Monitor that "by fall, the state may have changed its mind about those teachers it just gave pink slips to, but by then it could be too late."

At this point, we must ask ourselves this: In the midst of both an economic recession and a state crisis, is it really the right decision for California to say goodbye to thousands of hardworking teachers?

As a young woman who would not be at Santa Clara if it were not for the influence of strong and dedicated teachers, I, along with thousands of California educators, parents and children, say, absolutely not.

Teachers wake up every morning with the desire to make the world a better place through the children they teach. They are willing to do the work that is too often underpaid, overlooked and unappreciated.

Our teachers are the basis for our society's progress, yet our society constantly fails to acknowledge the value of their job. Perhaps our government is caught up with what it deems to be more important priorities, such as the war on Iraq. Taxpayers in California have paid $83.1 billion to date for the war, which is the equivalent of the yearly salary of 1,193,726 elementary school teachers.

The teachers I have had throughout my life have helped shaped me into the individual I am today. I remember each and every teacher I have had since Kindergarten -- their names, their mannerisms and their unique styles, and I will never forget what they have done for me. Many of my teachers have been like parents, and their words and dedication is what brought me to Santa Clara.

In an article published by the Center for Development and Learning, President-elect of the American Psychological Association Robert Sternberg stated that a teacher can many times be a "transformational mentor; he or she inspires one â?¦ and motivates one to transcend who one is to become â?¦ he or she literally transforms one's mental world, and sometimes one's physical world as well."

We cannot continue to pretend as if teachers are simply unimportant individuals to be easily disposed of. Our teachers are shaping future leaders, and their work in our society is invaluable.

It's time the government realizes this, and it is time we realize it as well.

As long as teacher layoffs continue to occur in our communities and education continues to be put on the back burner, California can kiss the possibility of a strong and successful future goodbye.

The quality of education will continue to plummet, and we can expect the opportunities and dreams of our younger generation to plummet right along with it.

As the future of California's teachers hangs in the balance, we must ask ourselves if this is the future that we envision for our society.

President Barack Obama has expressed plans toward enacting this, saying on Nov. 20, 2007, "I don't want to just talk about how great teachers are, I want to reward them for their greatness."

In the midst of this damaging wave of teacher layoffs, it is difficult to understand how this "greatness" is being acknowledged.

In a society that places value on a good education, are we willing to accept the absence of teachers in classrooms and in the lives of children who so desperately need adults to look up to?

As an extremely fortunate student attending Santa Clara, I can genuinely say that I am worried. I am worried for our children, our teachers and our parents.

I am worried for this state, the government's ability to make proper and wise decisions and our future way of life.

But more than anything, I am worried that every single pink slip issued this year signifies the disappearance of another child's dream, as they see their chances for a suitable education vanish.

Tatiana Sanchez is a junior English major.