With economy at its low, many people are losing their jobs. In January alone, 598,000 jobs were lost and raising the number to 5.1 million workers total by May. Now it has come to pass that they are getting a hold of our teachers’ jobs. This has affected all of Pitman High, including the students themselves.
Many teachers received pink slips and even though many people are worried about keeping their jobs, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be losing their jobs; there is just a threatening possibility that they will. In terms that most students understand, imagine you’re sitting in class and one of the campus supervisors comes in and give you a slip to go to the Dean’s office. That student is going to the Dean’s!
They probably aren’t in trouble, but chances are high that they are in trouble. But imagine that the Dean is the Board of Education and our beloved teachers aren’t getting a few hours after school or a few days off of school, they are losing their jobs and support for their families. For eight hours a day, they are in teacher mode, but after that bell rings, they have lives outside of this campus. They may have a wife/husband and kids or they may be living by themselves and this job is the only money coming in to pay for food and bills! This is summed up perfectly by Katie Jeans, an English teacher, when she said, “It‘s very scary. This is affecting not only the teachers, but their families too.”
As under aged students, many people think of us as spoiled and assume that we don’t care about anyone besides ourselves (clearly they have not seen how closely knit we are, one of the many reasons why we are distinguished). When the news turned to reality at Pitman, many students were affected. Some expressed themselves on the internet while others made shirts and signs to protest to cars passing by. A bunch of students participated in a petition to save our teachers hoping to get enough signatures to show that the students at Pitman will fight for their teachers.
Luis Medina and his friend Manuel started a petition to save a teacher here at Pitman. When asked why he had started the petition, Luis said, “Manuel and I wanted to show that our perspective did matter and to show the students here that our voice can influence what happens around us. We wanted to stand up for a cause we knew was right.”
The Board of Education had many meeting with the teachers debating on the future of many teachers and families. If the pink slips get recalled, the teachers who weren’t pink slipped will have to take a pay cut. If the rest of the teachers don’t take the pay cut, many teachers will be losing their income. So the tug-of-war game starts, making many teachers nervous.
When asked about the pink slips possibly getting recalled, Graham Thomas, a history/government teacher, said he was, “Obviously relieved. I‘m glad in the end the district and teachers came to an agreement that helped everybody. I really appreciate the sacrifice the other teachers, who didn‘t get pink slips, made so everyone could keep their jobs.”
To see other teachers reach out and help fellow coworkers showed unity, but to see the students reaching out with concern and compassion, it can only be described in one word: distinguished. This heartfelt reaction by the students and staff at Pitman has touched the hearts of many around the campus.