I am a former high school teacher and have some questions about the Minneapolis teachers strike. I must ask for specific numbers whenever I hear about class size. It is easy to accept a class size of average. People often forget what “average” actually means. A friend of mine has an adult daughter who teaches, but not in the Minneapolis area. Her class size is 40 students. Some people are afraid to pass a group of five teenagers in the mall. Depending on how many classes are held in a middle school or high school each day (which could be anywhere from four to six per day), you can do the math and then be shocked at the number of students a teacher must teach. In some disciplines, 30 students are too many!
We need more details to understand what teachers want. The staff should have these numbers, not the administration.
While I am on the subject, let me address that letter writer who did some math calculations and calculated teachers’ hourly pay. This conclusion is false. I used to do homework every day while I was teaching English classes. I was thrilled to receive a key for the building so I could access my classroom. weekendsI was able to prep where my materials were. My husband said often that I should have taught something different so I didn’t have as many papers to grade and read. Teachers are on contracts. If the job requires more than 40 hours per week, they don’t get paid. Teaching is not a nine month job. Simply put, we pay rent/mortgages twelve months. We eat more than for nine months per annum and stretch our dollars as well. Although teaching is not a lucrative profession, it is one that has well-trained professionals who deserve more than a meager wage. It’s great to be able to spend time with amazing children, but we cannot deposit them in our checking accounts.
I chose to retire early due to the overwhelming homework load. I didn’t have to deal with the horrors that came with teaching during COVID-19. What will our education system look if we continue to view teachers as disposable? It’s not a healthy picture.
Wanda Jacobsen, St. Joseph, Minn.
Last week, the president of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers delivered a speech in which she thanked teachers for their support. “Our fight is against patriarchy and capitalism, our fight to save the city’s soul.” As a former teacher, I believe in higher salaries for support staff as they are essential to successful schools. These comments against capitalism are absurdly ignorant. Where does she get the tax revenue to support public programs and education? It comes largely from taxes on profits of businesses and income earned by individuals who work for them. Our system of democratic capitalism, which is the best in the entire world, is saddeningly not being understood by more people.
Nat Robbins Minneapolis
I am proud to be a Minneapolis Public Schools parent during these historic times. Even though I am an MPS alumnus, we have not always been an MPS family. Instead, we chose to enroll in a private Montessori school. After only six months of being in MPS, it became clear to me that opting out from the public schools meant that the district was not only missing out on our enrollment, but also that we were missing out on important conversations about equity. I now see that, as a school-age child, we are part a larger system that has real effects on perpetuating inequality and injustice. We have an important role to play when advocating for an education truly serving our community. AllNot just our children. All families with privilege who are enrolled in private schools should consider how they can contribute to the discussion to fund public education.
Lara Bergman, Minneapolis
ENVIRONMENT
Jacob Hanson’s March 14 comment regarding the disappearance and restoration of grasslands in America (“Our grasslands require protection now,” Opinion Exchange) is a great one. Hanson is spot-on when he points out the many benefits grasslands have for wildlife and carbon sequestration.
He didn’t mention the financial gain that South Dakotan hunters like me bring to the state. I have hunted South Dakota pheasants over the years and have seen bird numbers drop dramatically in recent years. Everything I’ve read indicates that habitat is essential for restoring pheasant population.
The grassland biome is dominated by cattail marshes. Cattails thrive in moist and wet soils, providing habitat. South Dakota is currently in drought. It’s been very disappointing to see the cattail marshes, which ring thousands of prairie potholes, being mowed down by ranchers seeking fodder for their cattle. The potholes have been mowed to their edges, destroying once-great pheasant habitat.
I understand that ranchers need food to feed their cattle and will take desperate measures to ensure their cattle survive the drought. This is right. My point: South Dakota needs to make money to protect grassland habitat, if it wants South Dakota to continue to claim that it is America’s pheasant capital. Why not pay farmers? NotHow many acres of cattail marsh should you mow? Pay farmers for their help in protecting pheasant habitat. This will allow farmers to purchase feed and habitat for pheasants, and it will also give them cash.
Michael Prouty, Shoreview
There are three state master plans for ATVs and off-road motorcycles that hang over public lands. It’s important to remember that citizens lost their appeal to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a simple environmental assessment worksheet. This was for the longest highway-licensed off-road vehicle route in Minnesota history, which is the border-to–border touring route. This process requires public comment.
We must pass the 2003 legislative auditor due to the rapid growth of motorized trails throughout the state and the millions that have been allocated to them. RecommendationMandatory review of off-highway vehicle projects. Auditors emphasized the potential for environmental damage and the need of transparency.
It is rare for state courts to rule against state agencies, as the old hands know. There is significant potential for impacts to some areas and waters of the state’s most pristine waters. Federal Forest Service staff stated that five cars would have a significant impact on some primitive roads that aren’t maintained, contrary to DNR testimony.
The route crosses 27 trout streams, 61 times in one county. Yet, the DNR stated in its final summary that the entire route crosses several trout streams. This is the challenge we face when protecting public lands.
If you care about public lands and their future and want to make sure they are protected, please write to your legislators or the DNR commissioner. Tell them that highway vehicle projects must fall under the mandatory environmental review category.
Bill Pollnow Shoreview
The writer is a member the Minnesota Public Lands Coalition.
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