Beyond the Pink Slip - Essay Example

The country boasts of technological breakthroughs and research in the field of genetic engineering, space exploration, and almost every field of science. Our country has led the world into new inventions and incomparable advancement, never seen in human history. Thanks to the persevering grade school teachers to university professors who have guided scientists, physicists, economists, military tacticians, and artists that have steered this country’s prowess in the economic politico-military, and socio-cultural life of the world. This is what America owes to its excellent educational system. Teachers are at the heart of our country’s excellent educational system. But where are we pushing our teachers now? Where are we pushing our whole educational system?

At the moment, the recent distribution of nearly 3,000 pink slips in the Bay Area alone is generating great stress not just for public school teachers, but for the whole academic community. Along with looming joblessness comes the loss of morale and deep anxiety for the teachers which eventually will lead them to poor teaching performance,(unconsciously).
Job insecurity hounding their way it’s like executing the soul and pillar of our educational system.

Pink slip snatches away the nobleness of the teaching profession. It strips our teachers of their self-worth and sense of dignity. In the long run, it will be stripping off our society with talented and devoted individuals who are committed to passing on knowledge to current and generations to come.
A pink slip is not just a pink slip. It’s a manifestation of a declining state budget for education. At a glance, a budget cut is equivalent only to a massive layoff of public school teachers along with other non-teaching staff. But at the end of the day, who suffers from the impeding new round of budget cuts to education? Parents have to brace themselves for additional expenses in sending their children to school. Students have to contend with overcrowded classrooms. Teachers that luckily did not receive pink slips this year are left anxious about who’s next on the pink slip list in the coming school year. Unconsciously, this vicious cycle has pitted teachers against one another in the race called survival of the fittest which can become very stressful. Moreover, teachers are burdened with more workload and cheap salaries.

Pink slips reflect the current values of our state. They can afford to send bombs to Libya and Iraq through the UN Security Council. There is a budget for so-called “peacekeeping” measures and “national security”. There is a budget for war while we have a budget cut for education. Are we not in effect? Not securing our society with the declining quality of education and ultimately crashing one of our society’s pillars which are -- accessible education to all?
Are we not crashing the great American dream of prosperous life along with the pink slip? With every pink slip comes a shattered and unstable life of a public school teacher, of a student clinging to the idea that an educated worker gets a stable and rewarding job.
In the end, it's our society that is at stake with the continued decline of the budget for education. Leaders are putting our society’s future in jeopardy. Now, is a great time to let our united voices be heard. Enough of the public school teacher’s annual layoff. Let us say “NO” to the education budget cut.