To the editor: Kristina Rizga writes about the wisdom of Mission High School in San Francisco giving its teachers time to plan for and reflect on student achievement. She noticed, “As teacher morale and retention rates went up, student achievement rates did too.” Is this really surprising? ("Why so many teachers quit, and how to fix that," Op-Ed, Aug. 23)
There is a reason the airline safety videos instruct parents to affix their own oxygen masks before they help their children. A teacher's oxygen mask is composed of adequate time to plan, read, grade, think and reflect; enough money to live decently; and the respect a well-educated professional deserves.