A PROPOSAL to give a $5,000 cash prize to the CNMI teacher of the year is not a good idea. As a voter and a taxpayer, I am opposed to spending government funds on a cash prize to an individual teacher when so many schools and classrooms are lacking textbooks and other basic supplies. The idea, although well intentioned, is not useful during a time of financial constraints in our public schools.
Because I am a science teacher at a local public school, I am very well aware of what $5,000 could do to improve the quality of science education. That amount of money could purchase nearly 20 microscopes that our students do not now have for learning biology in a practical way. When students cannot be issued their own textbooks, but must share a class set, money should not be used as an incentive for a teacher to strive to be teacher of the year.
The teacher of the year designation is a great honor, and there are already awards for the competent and dedicated individuals who are chosen to be teacher of the year. The recognition given the teacher of the year and the opportunity to travel to educational conferences are already awards that a deserving teacher of the year receives. A lucrative cash award to an individual will only bring greed and politics into what should be peer recognition of a deserving individual teacher, a deserving teacher who can be a role model for all teachers in the commonwealth.ROGER L. CHURCH
Chalan Piao, Saipan
