Letter: Teachers don’t get the respect they deserve

Monday, Dec. 10, 2001 | 8:52 a.m.

It is bad enough that the teachers in this state are not honored and given the respect they deserve. But what bothers me is the attitude of parents of children who do not do their homework or ignore the teacher's help and direction, but instead lie to their parents and blame the teacher because they are failures. The real failures are the parents.

I am a mother of a teacher who has twice been in the "Who's Who" of the 5 percent of the best teachers in America, put there by honor students she has taught. She loves teaching and preparing her classes for their future welfare. But some self-centered parents believe the lies of their children and find relief because of their neglect as good parents to blame the teacher for their child's inadequacy.

In my day, thank goodness, we were taught to respect our teachers and admire them for their dedication. Today parents blame teachers for the fact their children were not brought up properly.

Teachers in this state are not even paid properly. They make less money than some common day laborers in other states and have to pay many of their own insurance costs. All because Nevada has failed to honor a profession that is dedicated to putting children on the path to a better future than many of them dreamed they could ever achieve.

I can understand why many dedicated teachers get disillusioned and leave the teaching profession for other fields. These are the good teachers who can no longer put up with the garbage.

SYLVIA LAMPE GROSS