Baltimore
Kristina Korona
As a high school English teacher, I know how valuable my planning time is in order to keep up with my ever-increasing workload. I often wonder how my elementary school counterparts are able to keep up as they plan for full days of instruction with multiple different subjects while meeting the individual needs of their young learners. In fact, many elementary teachers do this while only getting planning time during the student day just four days a week. This is why the Triple E program has been so important to them. Not only does Triple E give students a fifth elective during the week, allowing them access to a richer curricular experience, it also provides their primary classroom teacher with another day of planning. During this teacher vacancy crisis caused in part by teachers feeling that they can’t keep up with their workload demands, I am surprised that the Board of Education would consider a proposal to cut the expansion of this program to the Old Mill feeder system which will deny the elementary teachers in this cluster the additional planning time they need. I urge you to reject this amendment to Dr. Bedell’s budget. Not only will our students benefit from the additional educational offering that Triple E will give them, my elementary colleagues will benefit from the needed additional planning time they require to meet the needs of their students.
