IN an earlier column, I mentioned that I always wanted to be a teacher. As we all know, being a teacher is not going to make you rich. I'm not saying that being a teacher is a bad thing, or that I'm being greedy. It's just that the cost of living in Hawaii is so high that on a teacher's salary it's difficult to survive. Being able to pay rent and to buy food is as important as the personal rewards that come from teaching. Teachers get ‘A’ for
effort and selflessnessRight now, teachers are working without a contract, since the last extension expired last October, and this is unfair. Teachers give so much of themselves to their schools and their students. This dedication is not a typical contract requirement.
I know teachers who work more than 20 hours a week outside of school hours with no overtime pay or other compensation. Their evenings and weekends are spent on lesson plans, correcting papers, attending PTA meetings, open houses and other school-related activities.
In addition, many teachers spend money out of their pockets to purchase supplies for their classrooms. This helps to keep our education materials up-to-date, and it's becoming more of a necessity since it seems as if education receives a smaller portion of the state budget every year.
Since teachers don't get a lot of gratitude, I wanted to thank those who made a difference in my life.
I remember all of my teachers. The first was Mrs. Hanamoto. She was like a second mom and not only taught me ABC's in kindergarten, but also how to adjust to school and its routines. She taught me how to get along with others my age.
In fourth grade, my granddad died. He was very close to me and I had a hard time sharing my feelings. My teacher then was Mrs. Arakaki and she helped me through my sadness.
Math was always my favorite subject, but in the sixth grade it suddenly became confusing. My teacher, Ms. Haida, had an interesting way of teaching us about integers. She would walk along the floor and say that one tile on the floor represented a point and it would be negative on the left and positive on the right. It was fun watching her hop around.
During elementary school, I didn't think there were any male teachers. When I went to intermediate school, there were several of them. I was afraid of them because I thought they would be mean. As it turned out, they were strict but simultaneously funny.
I was still having a hard time with algebra's variables, integers and word problems. Mr. Yamanouchi, or "Mr. Y" as we called him, was never to busy to help. Even when I moved on to eighth grade, Mr. Y was a big help and a good listener. I felt comfortable enough to let him know about my personal problems and peer pressures. It was valuable to have another grown-up to talk to besides my parents.
I was a "band geek" for about four years and had four different band teachers. all of them were very supportive of the band. They encouraged us to put our best effort into playing our instruments, even if you sucked, like me. I'll always appreciate those extra hours they gave me. And let's not forget all the time they put in for concerts, parades and trips.
All my teachers have tried their best to prepare their students for the future. Their caring will stay with us forever as a gift money can't buy.
Of course there is always that teacher I didn't like, or the one that didn't like me, but there will always be people in your life who are difficult to get along with. Just sticking it out and getting through the year was a lesson.
Someday I hope to have children and I hope their teachers will be as great as mine were. But I'm afraid that if teachers don't get a better contract, no one will want the job anymore. No one will be able to afford it unless they are independently wealthy. What kind of future does education have in our state?
Liane Kaneko is a junior at Castle High School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives. Speak up by fax at 523-8509; by answering machine at 525-8666; snail mail at P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802; or e-mail, features@starbulletin.com