Dear Public School Teachers of Oklahoma:

From a mom named Shelly in Oklahoma

"Dear Public School Teachers of Oklahoma,

I am sorry. I am sorry for my lack of concern for the state of the Oklahoma Public schools until this past week when it affected my child directly. I have always been “pro-teacher” and been firmly on the side of funding education above special interests, but until this week I didn’t know the rage that you must feel at the lack of control you have in educating your own students.

I am sorry that we gauge a child’s value, and your worth based on a test score that is taken from a test that cannot be administered properly because the technology needed to support an entire district during testing time is underfunded and therefore , unavailable.

I am sorry that the solution to this problem is more tests and more training for these tests that will become useless once the powers-that-be decide that we need a different test, and you have to lose days and months and years of your time in training for tests that will be deemed “invalid” because of factors beyond your control.

I’m sorry that phrases like “merit pay” even factor into discussions involving your profession when you are wiping my child’s tears away or spending your own money on classroom materials.

Most of all I am sorry that it has taken me this long to get angry. Angry that my child is viewed as a statistic during an election year, and angry that your ability to do your job is secondary to test results.

I hope my apology isn’t too late and you will continue to believe in your value to our state and in the impact that you have on every student’s life.

Thank you,

2nd Grade Mom"