Teachers are not ‘lesser’

As a public school educator of 27 years, I took offense to your choice of words in the June 4 article “Peñasco superintendent reassigns high school principal.”

The article stated the principal was “offered a lesser position … as a fourth-grade teacher” and the boys’ high school basketball coach and athletic director was “offered a lesser position as a teacher.”

Your choice of words (“lesser position”) insinuates the role of a classroom teacher is not as important as other, often higher paying positions, within the educational system.

I have held many roles during my tenure as an educator, including classroom teacher, instructional coach and professional developer at a district level. As I am coming to the end of my career in public education, I chose to take a “lesser position” and return to the classroom.

This “lesser position” is by far the most demanding work I have ever done and at the same time, it is absolutely the most rewarding. Of all of my roles, this “lesser position” is where I have the greatest impact on another person’s life.

Teachers today do not have the respect and honor they deserve. Please be aware of the language you use and refrain from referring to teachers as “lesser.” Your words have an enormous influence in how others perceive educators. I am proud of my role as a classroom teacher and I take my role seriously.

Please honor and respect me and my fellow educators by not referring to us as “lesser.”

Melinda Krause

Taos