Jessi blog

First Person: I'm a Teacher, and the Recession is Not My Fault

m a high-school math teacher. What I usually hear next relates to how the person I'm talking with hated math, was never good at math, or wishes they had had a good math teacher who made it interesting or applicable.

I've had this conversation hundreds of times with hundreds of different people. Yet somehow, in all those conversations, no one has ever said, "I hated math in high school, and you get paid too much, so why don't you give us all a break and give up some of your pay and benefits."

No one has said that, until now. Wis. Gov.recently went against a court order and put into action his restrictions on collective bargaining for state public employees. Walker, who did not complete college, has stated that he will cut $9 billion from public education in Wisconsin. Walker, who started the year with a , and spent it, now is seeking to fill the hole he dug, and thinks that public employees are the problem. But that's in Wisconsin. I live in Illinois.

Nearby in Ohio, though, Gov. John Kasich is set to sign alimiting the collective bargaining rights of teachers, police, firefighters and all public employees, effectively taking away their voice in the discussion of retirement, health, and job security. But that's in Ohio. I live in Illinois.

Illinois is a Democratic state. Illinois has Barack Obama. Illinois has a budget problem, too. My collective bargaining rights haven't been attacked yet, and I don't expect them to any time soon. Illinois just makesand passes votes in closed sessions when no one is looking. But every day my friends and Facebook acquaintances rip into public employees, as if I'm not one of them. They jump on the bandwagon and use me and my colleagues a scapegoat for the recession. Then when I tell them the facts, like that I pay 9.5 percent of my salary to my pension fund, that the state hasn't paid into that fund in 40 years, and that our fund is sound and not dipping into state reserves. They back off of me, but blame my colleagues who are retiring now and making a wealthy $70,000 per year in retirement.

I've just reached a point of being tired of the punches, the low blows, and the comments. Please consider viewing me the way I view your child when he's in my classroom -- as a person with value, personality, and gifts who's worthy of my time and respect. Treat me differently, and education will surely change.

I'm a high-school math teacher in Illinois. This means that I understand at least two things well -- math and teaching. I'm disheartened, however, by the lack of understanding of those two subjects among leaders in many states surrounding mine. PBS reported on its show "Need to Know" about the issue in a clear, non-partisan way, which I appreciate. Here it is:

Watch the . See more

Denis Sheeran has been teaching mathematics in Lake County, Ill., since 1999. He has taught Algebra I through Calculus, and AP Statistics, as well as other Topics Courses.