Teaching is what I was meant to do. It is my way of giving back. Disappointingly, I find that while so many of the teachers feel the way that I do, our government, fails to find value in education. Oh, they find value in rhetoric, but education? not really. If they did, our children wouldn't be falling so far behind other nations, our schools would not be falling apart, programs would not be on the chopping block on a regular basis, and teachers, aids, and all school staff would be appreciated for the amount of time, effort of love they bring to their jobs. Teachers are thought of as people who have easy hours, great pay, (considering that they have their summers off) and ease with which to do their job. What the real world doesn't see are the teachers who come in early, stay late in order to help their students, take work home with them so that they can be prepared for each day, (creating new lessons to fit the varying type of students that they have each year), educating themselves both in service and outside of service, work through summers supporting failing  and struggling students, creating new lesson plans, ordering supplies on their own dollars, working to better the coming year. Summers off? Not really. This is a job that requires passion and commitment. It would be nice to leave at the end of the day and forget the job until tomorrow, however, many teachers take their students lives, problems and struggles home with them, (mentally) trying to find solutions to help those students see a better day. We work in environments where students are homeless, transient, malnourished, under-loved, go home to under-educated parents, have little respect for the teachers or the educational system, see violence as an answer rather than a problem, can't read, can't speak, have physical and mental issues, need I go on? These are not the classrooms of the 1950's. Our schools are trying without success to educate children without the support that they really need. At what point does education become a "true priority" in this country? I believe that the time has come for the United States to stand up for studies, put its money forward at the beginning of a child's years instead of the end, when those children are filling up our prisons, our welfare systems and lacking the skills to be a contributing part of this wonderful society. You can't put a price on self worth. Calculators and computers are not the answer!! Good Teachers, their hearts and skills are! Let's rethink our priorities, shall we?