May 6th is teachers appreciation day, all education staff should take this day off of work to show how important our concerns are. 

 I am an educator who believes deeply in our students' potential, but I also know firsthand how our current education system fails to truly nurture this potential. Our public education system has not undergone a transformation that has positively affected our students in recent years, and I'm calling for a change that focuses on two crucial issues. 

Firstly, we need to address the issue of students being passed onto the next grade without truly grasping the relevant content. Students should not be advanced based on minimal effort or leniency; instead, this should be a direct outcome of their understanding and mastery. To prepare our students adequately for the future, we must require a 65% grade to be earned, not given, as pushing students through the system without fulfilling this criterion negatively impacts both their future academic careers and personal development.

Secondly, our teachers need to be equitably compensated for their commitment and dedication. Currently, numerous educators are forced to juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet. This situation exacerbates their workload, as they continue to plan lessons and grade assignments outside of regular school hours, with inadequate pay for the time and effort they put into molding our students' futures.

These proposals are not just optional – they're vital. In the United States, teachers are paid 21% less than other professions that require a college degree (Economic Policy Institute, 2018). Simultaneously, the National Assessment of Educational Progress records a significant number of students each year who do not read proficiently at the grade level they are graduating to, exemplifying that the current system of advancing students irrespective of their understanding doesn't work.

For the sake of our future, the children, let's commit to investing our time and resources where they truly matter. Let's adopt an educational system that insists on a mastery of learning and advocates for the welfare of its teachers. Consequently, we implore you to sign this petition and join us in demanding essential reforms in public education.This is only the beginning! 
With that being said mark your calendars May 6,2025 .