Letter to the Editor: Teachers Working To Make Ends Meet

Neighbors,

Last night, our family took our 7-year-old son out to dinner to celebrate the fact that he'd won a behavior award at school. While at the restaurant, a 50-something waitress saw his Woodland Hills Academy shirt, and commented that she recognized his school because she teaches in that district.

"Wait a minute," I said. "You get up at five in the morning, teach school all day with a class size of 30 kids, then leave school, come home, change clothes, and then wait tables all night?"

She wistfully nodded and replied, "Five days a week." She proceeded to be an attentive, pleasant server who made a special point to congratulate our son for his accomplishment at school.

It's the only time in my life I've left a 50 percent tip. I will not say which restaurant she waits at or which school she teaches at, because I don't want her to get in trouble. She didn't volunteer to be the subject of our outrage.

What I WILL point out is how sad it is that any teacher in the Woodland Hills School District (where teachers are currently working without a contract) has to live such an exhausting life to make ends meet.

Our society pays athletes, movie stars, incompetent executives millions, but this woman who TEACHES OUR CHILDREN has to have two jobs, at her age, to survive. That is beyond messed up. I don't begin to know how we fix this. But we need to fix this.

Sincerely,

Heidi McDonald

Edgewood