Dear school boards, supers, ‘pals, parents, students, and families, and by golly, everyone:

My name is Robert H. Niemi Jr. (Bobby Niemi, to most), B.S./M.A., earth/space/life science and art educator, former instructor of anatomy, physiology and biology at Davenport University and Delta College. I am writing this letter to express one of several concerns I have about some local school districts. It relates to teacher assignments. Doesn’t sound flashy enough? Read on.

It seems to me that “specials” teachers (those who happen to, by the way, ‘special’ize in art, music, health education,) get relegated into roles which, on a daily basis, snuff out their prep time as experts in their professions. They get asked to watch the lunch room, study hall or some other mindless task. And it drains their energy. Ask ’em.

For example, an orchestra teacher has to babysit study hall two or more times a day, sometimes in different buildings in winter (teaching one hour of what he/she really loves at the high school, get dressed again, scrape the ice off, etc., go back to the other building, do bull bunk, then scrape off again, end at the high school for music once more — ahhh.). What hell that must be! Repeat daily.

Art teachers, who, after teaching four hours of successful art to young men and women, have to leave their studio, sometimes with ‘wet’ ‘undone’ artwork, kids that need extra time, even lunch or that 7th hour, hot kilns that cost thousands of dollars if unsupervised, but can’t. Gotta go to the middle school — just when we get goin! — to try to keep little tykes typing. Not great. Waste of resources. He/she should be prepping for his high school art adults. Tomorrow, oh yeah…tomorrow, six preps!

Let music teachers do music. Let art teachers do art. It’s way more prep than you all think. Our learners suffer. That one did. That one does.

Regards,