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Dear Randolph County Board of Education,
My name is Jessica Pennington. I have a 5-year-old daughter at Harman School. When I informed her that one of her teacher assistants might get RIF-fed, she was devastated and heartbroken.
She asked me, "I love Miss Melanie, why does she have to go?" That question I could not answer. I told her she has every right to ask questions and have an opinion because this affects her. Even though my daughter may be small, she has a right to voice her opinion.
I explained to her that her tiny voice can make ripples in the water that will be made into waves by more people speaking up for Miss Melanie to keep her current job at her current school.
And that's what teachers and teachers assistants do. Teachers and teachers assistants have the magic ability to make small ripples in children's lives when they are small. Those ripples turn into waves when they become grown. Teacher assistants, such as Miss Melanie, believe in our children and encourage their little minds to grow and dream bigger than they ever could on their own.
They inspire, they encourage. I don't know where I would be today without the inspiration of teachers and teachers assistants from Harman I had when I was in school.
One of those teachers is the retired Carol Teter. I had Mrs. Teter in first grade at Harman School. I don't remember very much from being that little. But I do remember this from 32 years ago. On the very last day of first grade, Mrs. Teter gave us all a hug on the last day of school and told each and everyone of us she would miss us that summer.
I never had a teacher the rest of my school years that hugged me and told me that they would miss me that summer they way Mrs. Teter did. That is one of my most cherished memories all throughout my school years.
The point of this story is my daughter is 5, I was 6. I want my daughter to have those special memories with the special people in her life like Miss Melanie. If you choose to take a special teachers assistant like Miss Melanie from Harman what message are you sending to these little ones?
Randolph County Schools' motto is, "Pride, purpose, and perspective." Where is the pride, purpose and perspective when it comes to Harman? Are you prideful you want to rip our teachers from our students? Is your purpose wanting to shorten our already small staff at Harman School? We think you should see things from our perspective.
The beginning of this school year you took pre-school from us and now you want to take another teachers assistant. How much more are you going to take from these kids?
Harman deserves to keep their teachers and teachers assistants. Our school in our small yet awesome corner or Randolph County deserves so much more than the little they get from the Board of Education.
Jessica Pennington
Harman