DEADY LETTER: Suggested language in response

Two recent LTEs demonstrated how community members can be part of the problem and not part of the solution in supporting and improving public education in Kootenai County. Their letters were filled with insults and accusations: jobs for life; sick CRT; troubled anti-American initiative; COVID manipulations; unaccountable; mal-education; dismal results; and, disgraceful education debacle. These diatribes against public education and the education employees were filled with half-truths, outright falsehoods, and just plain meanness.

On the “jobs for life” putdown: Luckily for students and communities, many educators do commit to staying in their chosen professions for life. After all, teachers have invested years into higher education to become certified educators. This is a chosen profession, not unlike professions chosen by doctors, electricians, firefighters, lawyers, bus drivers, librarians, etc. They hope to work in their fields until retirement, and schools need their expertise. There is a process to remove education employees from their positions if poor performance demands removal. It’s called due process. School administrators and boards handle these personnel issues, adhering to state and local school district policy guidelines. Educators not suited to their profession require mentoring and support to improve or to seek alternate employment opportunities. The meanness these two men directed at teachers is one of the many reasons we have a difficult time recruiting and maintaining staff in Kootenai County.

Educating children is both a demanding and a rewarding profession. Education employees simply ask for a little support, encouragement and appreciation.

JAN STUDER

Coeur d’Alene