Teachers share personal struggles at 'Rally for Respect'
As teachers marched in downtown Raleigh to urge lawmakers to increase state funding for education, many from across the state spoke about what they hope to achieve.
Bicentennial Mall was packed with teachers from all over the state, braving frequent downpours to hear speakers outside the legislature.
First to speak was Mark Jewell, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, followed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
“We trust our teachers and we need to put our money where our trust is,” he said. “The veteran teachers have been left out by this legislature and we know veteran teachers are crucial.”
The teachers in the crowd came not only with signs in hand, but with very personal stories.
“My husband said, ‘Did you tell them that you have a master’s degree?’ And I said ‘yeah.’ It was still $10,000 less than what I was making in St. Louis, Missouri,” teacher Raquel Rouse said of her salary.
“Without my second job, I would not be able to afford to come here to protest,” teacher Joy Watson said. “I would not be able to fund many things in my classroom.”
Like thousands of her colleagues, leaning on each other shoulder to shoulder at Bicentennial Plaza, Watson says she leans on the support of loved ones to get by.
"I rely on my mom and my boyfriend. They buy a lot of things for my classroom, because I teach at a Title I school and there are a lot of things that my kids need that they cannot afford," she said.
Watson blended into the sea of red, which surrounded the legislative building, calling for more per-pupil spending and compensation for longevity and advanced degrees.
"I feel like our tax dollars are being funneled into more charter schools and opportunity scholarships is a direct attack on public education and that disheartens me," one teacher said.
Many teachers spoke about struggling with a lack of basic supplies, like glue and scissors, as well as a lack of textbooks.
Amanda Garrison, an elementary school teacher from Burke County, noted that some classrooms have just one textbook for students to share and, in many cases, the textbooks are more than a decade old.
“We’re teaching our students from textbooks that are no longer valid,” she said. “The General Assembly should be ashamed that they’re making our students learn from one textbook in a classroom.”
The NCAE estimated the crowd at about 20,000 people, but that number could not be confirmed. The teachers had a list of five demands, including higher teacher pay.
Still, the teachers say being ranked 37th in the nation in teacher pay – and 39th in per-pupil spending -- isn’t good enough and the students suffer for it.
