Born and raised in Dayton, I became a teacher after working two years in the business world, feeling like my work didn’t make a difference. I entered the teaching professional to contribute to my community and inspire children—just as my teachers had done for me.
Like most teachers, I have educators in my family. This background has allowed me to see positive the effects teachers can have on their students’ lives. I chose to teach special education because I know the difference it makes for students to have at least one person believe in them. My students know that I care because of my actions and my words.
Issue 2 will make it illegal for teachers to bargain for class sizes, and that could lead to student overcrowding, which would hurt many of my students, who benefit from small group instruction and reduced distractions. Issue 2 also could hurt the effectiveness of well-written individualized education plans, if teachers are not given adequate release time to compile data and write them.
The buzz words being used by those attacking teachers are intended to distract us from their real aim—to silence the voices of teachers and all public school employees by gutting their collective bargaining rights. Issue 2 ultimately will hurt my students, and it’s why I am voting NO.
— Dorian Glover, intervention specialist, Dayton