David Lyell
David Lyell is a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He lives in Playa Del Rey. Click here to follow David on Twitter.
Why I March:
I can think of no other area of life that is as politicized as public education. The vast majority of teachers and students face misunderstanding or worse due to the sensationalized actions of a few, and teachers are continually told what to do by people who do everything humanly possible to avoid actually having to set foot in a classroom. This would be comedic if it weren't so true.
We substitute teachers are often overlooked as well. Yet, we maintain the cohesive atmosphere of learning established by the regular teacher, and contribute to that foundation so he or she has a solid place to stand upon his or her return. Yet we have fewer professional protections than classroom aides. I would like to see the creation of a credentialing program to professionalize our contributions.
Education is the foundation of every successful society. I only wish our elected leaders recognized that 'fixing' education begins with adequately funding it, and we start celebrating educators instead of demonizing them.