Todd R introduces himself

My name is Todd R and I am a recent graduate of Emporia State University in Kansas. I received my degree in Elementary Education. Entering the teaching profession, I knew the pay would not allow me to live in a big house, drive fancy cars, or have fine dining experiences every night.

What I did expect was to be able to make enough money to support my family. A first year teacher in Kansas will make approximately $27,000 on average. That is not the best average but it looks very small once you start adding in all of my college loans. After graduating in May 2008, I have accumulated over $13,000 in debt. I would be paying back nearly $400 a month on college loans alone. Then I would need money to afford a healthy life and buy food, get gas to drive to school, my electric bill, water bill, and of course a roof over my head.

Since I have so much debt currently, I have decided to continue my schooling. I will be working as a graduate assistant and getting a tuition break. This also allows me to slowly repay my loans, which I would not have been able to afford otherwise.
My newest concern with the skyrocketing cost of college tuition is if I will be able to afford putting my daughter through college. It will be another 18 years before that happens but it scares me, knowing that I may not be able to send her to college due to the high cost of schooling. As an educator it makes sense that college should be made accessible to any student who would like to pursue higher education. To me, it seems like a no brainier that something has to be done about the unreasonably rising cost of a college degree.

I want people to be able to enter the teaching field and other noble professions without having to make a decision about whether they need to put food on the table or pay off college loans. I am very concerned about the future of higher education. What are our elected officials going to do to help out with this problem?

Please, make your voice heard and do not allow your elected officials to pass this off as just another issue. This is an issue that has a major impact on everybody.