Norman VanSpronsen: Did teachers impress future voters when they had chance?

Re: “Why do politicians so dislike teachers?” (Letters, Aug. 23): If the writer feels teachers aren’t getting the pay or respect that they should, I would remind him the vast majority of voters, school board members and politicians are all products of our public-education system. Gee, didn’t they like how it worked? What did they experience while there? Do they value what they did in your class? Apparently not, if all they do is ignore you and cut your funding.

But there’s a ready solution. Today your classroom is filled with future voters, board members, news editors and other opinion shapers. Pay attention to them while they’re there. Will they vote to reinforce your efforts in the future? Will they appreciate the system at large so much that they will clamor for their representatives to fund it better?

Teachers, you have the voters before you at an impressionable age. Are you impressing them?

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 9:41 AM with the headline "Norman VanSpronsen: Did teachers impress future voters when they had chance?."