Michael Perara
The way we have to get things done is through unity. I’ve only been teaching for 3 years, but all these other teachers have put in their time and the district has continued inch by inch to increase workload or make people change tests they have to teach to and put in all this extra time. They’ve continued to push teachers to the side and make it a more and more difficult job to stay in. Over 50% of people quit their job in Seattle’s Title 1 schools after 5 years.

Do I choose a career that I can make more money and live in Seattle and own a home while supporting a family or do I stay in a profession that the pay isn’t progressing and the workload is increasing? Right now I love it and this is where I want to be.

I feel like there’s this idea that we strike for ourselves but really it’s for our community, our students, our city and the people at this school are so passionate about what they do or else they wouldn’t be here. I think that’s true for the vast majority of teachers. An experienced teacher told me once that after 5 years you realize how much more you can improve and she’s still learning more and more and has been teaching for 20 years. I hope that some day I can get to that point as well to have this hunger to be the best teacher I can be and that I’m supported though my district, my staff, and my union to do that to educate kids the best that I can. Right now it doesn’t feel that way.