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This is in response to Nathan Deal's pre-kindergarten cuts, about cutting pre-K two hours a day and the comment about paying for them to sleep. In private centers, pre-K teachers work exceptionally hard. Nap time is often used for teachers for planning time.
Pre-K teachers do not get any lunch breaks or "official planning time" like public school teachers. After the children go home, we often have to clean our rooms and we do not get paid overtime for any work we do. We work all day without any break, we get no sick, personal time or any other benefits, such as retirement or tenure, and we do not get an increase in pay every year as public school teachers.
What about the teachers who have gotten their bachelor's degree to teach and now are faced with a pay cut? Like everyone else, we are trying to make ends meet and will have a difficult time doing so with this extreme pay cut. Pre-K teachers are not in this profession for the money, but when we can not afford living expenses for our families, it is a heart-wrenching decision to stay in this field.
I understand that something needs to be done with cutting the budget, but it seems to me pre-K teachers have already been making the sacrifice.
Brenda Johnson
Flowery Branch