U.S. teachers start new school year in hot seat

Fifth-grade teachers Mary Callahan, left, and Sam Morris consider themselves under fire this political season as education becomes a high priority

In this story: 'You feel like a political football' 'It's a great job' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From CNN Boston Bureau Chief Bill Delaney

WATERTOWN, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Although public opinion polls place education high on the list of voters' concerns this election year, teachers consider themselves under fire -- from parents, politicians and, in Sam Morris' case, from her mother.

VIDEO CNN's Bill Delaney talks with teachers Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     INTERACTIVE: Related Sites: Online homework advice Related Stories: Education in news Help Wanted: Launch the interactive map to see which U.S. regions report the greatest teacher demand, and in which fields     RELATED RESOURCE: 1999 National Teacher of the Year: Read Andy Baumgartner's e-journal, 'The Unsung Heroes'     MESSAGE BOARD Teacher strikes

"My mother even bashes me," says Morris, who teaches fifth-graders in Watertown, Massachusetts. "I mean, my mother loves me, but she says, 'Oh, the teachers are the fault of this and the teachers are to blame for that.'"

"She says, 'I know you're a teacher, but ... It's not you, it's the other teachers.'"  106K/9 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Morris and her public school colleagues at Cunniff Elementary welcome this political season's emphasis on education and teacher performance as long as it doesn't turn into open season on their profession.

"We're certainly not in this for the money or the glamour," says Mary Callahan, another fifth-grade teacher at Cunniff. "And to be spoken of so negatively ... you feel like a political football."

"It does, in this climate, give people sort of carte blanche to let us have it, basically," she told CNN.  157K/13 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Along with the verbal criticism that may come their way, teachers also face the prospect of school violence, leading them to argue that their critics don't fully comprehend all the responsibilities that come with the job.

"The kids aren't thinking about the three R's," says Mary Kate Fitzgerald, a kindergarten teacher at Cunniff. "(They're thinking), 'Am I safe? Are my brothers and sisters safe?' We also have to be aware of that as teachers."

Such new responsibilities come with an average salary that is $23,655 less than what similarly educated workers make.

Many teachers say the emphasis on education and teacher performance is welcome as long as it doesn't turn into open season on their profession

"It's incredibly demoralizing," says Susan Moore Johnson, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. "It absolutely undermines the quality of work that can be done, and it certainly keeps people out of teaching who might well enter teaching."  117K/11 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

So -- why teach?

"It's a great job because it's so dynamic," Callahan answers. "If you're excited about what you're teaching, the kids get excited about it, and it's wonderful."  69K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

"Wonderful" -- but also demanding, as those who give grades find themselves graded as never before.

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Cunniff Elementary School
Harvard Graduate School of Education
U.S. Department of Education
National Education Association

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