Let's get political

There are certain things that light up my "we have to do something about this right now" light.  One of hem is providing exceptional education for children.  The rewards of teaching continue to sustain me into my dotage.  The contact with former students is a blessing and a constant source of pride.  But I fear we are digging ourselves a hole out of which we will not be able to climb!  As I understand it, a majority of our legislature does not believe we are being impacted by a dearth of qualified educators.  They seemingly don't believe being last in the nation in teacher salaries has an Impact on keeping/enticing the best and brightest in our state.  We South Dakotans are an amazing people!  We work hard.  We endure extreme temperatures.  We embody grace under pressure.  We deserve to have our children educated by a qualified field of instructors.  It ain't gonna happen if we don't immediately recognize the lack as a problem and then do something about it!  The exceptional men and women who teach here now will not be here forever.  We need to find a way to continue our strong belief in education.  And it is economic, which makes it political.  But let's prioritize.  What could be more important than teaching our children?  Hence, the early nature of this post!  Cath and I will board a bus to Pierre today to attend lobby days--a chance for us to contact our legislators and attempt to convince them to identify the shortage as a problem and encourage them to see the need to address it.  Wish us luck.  And hey, while you're at it, why not contact them yourself?  Tell 'me bz said so!  Wish us luck, and know that you are loved!