Some of the employees at my job are teachers and some of them have children. One of my coworkers is a new mom and a teacher. Talking to her, I have learned that summer camp costs for her older children take a big hit to her finances. It is insightful for me to learn about the community that a lot of teachers are forced to take summer positions in order to supplement their salary, as teacher’s in Florida are not paid adequately for their work. I also have learned that the cost for an entire summer of camp at my job is around three thousand, even as it is only a day camp with few field trips. I can only imagine how expensive other camps are in Tallahassee. This is upsetting to me, as I know that a lot of people in this community are facing financial struggles, and have to worry about keeping their children occupied over the summer when school is out. If local teachers are hardly getting paid enough to only have one job, how can this community be expected to have a healthy and functional economy that everyone can participate in? I’m not sure whether the pandemic has affected teacher’s salaries, but I do know that the pandemic has created financial strain for many people who are trying to protect their health. This can limit job opportunities and force people to look for remote work, which is often not feasible for people with jobs like mine.
The subject I am considering pursuing for my project is the conditions under which the children in my kindergarten and 1st grade class are best able to behave in order to get ten sprinkles by the end of the week. Interestingly, some weeks only few sprinkles are produced. Class size is not so much of an issue as much as counselors present and the behavior of specific individuals in the class.
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