Dusting Off My Word Processor

I took a brief hiatus and hung my word processor on the hook for a few months regarding articles to The Voice for a few reasons. One of them was because I had received anonymous letters from people I consider cowards. They want their opinions known, but they are too cowardly to put their name to what they believe.

The other reason was because I felt I had made several points repeatedly regarding teachers, and felt I was not able to convince the constant "critics of education" by restating my points. However, I had to dust off my word processor in response to Mr. Joseph Harnett's recent article, "Compensation for Teachers and Others" [February 8].

When I started reading this extremely long article, I almost didn't get to the section where I was supposedly "put in my place." All I need to say about this is that I am indeed honored that Mr. Harnett has held me in such high esteem that he saved so many of my articles from the past from which to refer.

The most interesting point in his writing is the beginning, where he compares two employees working in 1992 at ITT, his source for this being the Wall Street Journal. One employee earned $350,000, the other $110,000. Let's compare that to the top salary for Torrington teachers in 1992, which was $51,403. Oh, how nice it would be for teachers to earn even close to the lowest salary at ITT.

Around the middle of his article, Mr. Harnett states that because "teachers ‘have a calling,’ they've always been underpaid," and cites an example from frontier days of teachers working for pocket money and room and board. I seem to recall reading that many doctors in the frontier days bartered their trade for groceries, and I believe doctors had a similar "calling." Why then do doctors earn well over six figures today, while the top teacher in Connecticut (Greenwich) is paid $72,000? And let’s not forget who trained these doctors!

I've taught for 27 years, and I'm still waiting for teacher salaries to come even within 25% of what others earn with similar degrees. I personally have eight years until retirement, and I don't believe salaries will ever be equalized, and that is frustrating. Taxpayers say they want the best education possible for the children of the town; they just are not willing to fund education properly by paying teachers what they deserve. This has created the teacher shortage.

Yes, it might seem my writing is laced with "bitterness, envy, self-pity and spite," according to Mr. Harnett. He may also feel I write "vehement, vituperative and viciously partisan articles." He may even think I "whine," "take cheap shots" and "digs and snipes directed at persons, students, parents, and professions"; that I "respond with angry arrogance, and make sneering comparisons to people (I) believe are overpaid."

At least I'm willing to attach my name to what I believe.

Matthew P. Valenti is President of the Torrington Education Association.