TRR photo by David Hulse Sweet hearts. (Click for full story).

A teacher’s view

By DAVID HULSE

GLEN SPEY — The lawyers and the bureaucrats have created a mess, the students have become more sophisticated and people have come to expect schools to play a big part in parenting, but Marion Swope still sees public education on a positive track.

Swope, a veteran teacher who retired from Eldred Central School last summer has seen a lot of changes in the last 31 years, but seldom had a chance to talk about it. The teacher’s eye view of the situation is one not often publicly aired, since teachers do most of their communicating with students and parents on one side and administrators on the other. Teachers’ opinions usually stay in-house. “Faculty meetings are the place our concerns should be addressed,” she said.

Swope said the job and people have changed during her career, and teaching today is a challenge. “You have to roll with the punches, but if you don’t maintain your original standards and values, you might as well get out,” she said.