In response to the opinion ar- ticle titled "Raise is good, now district employees must go out and earn their pay," I believe I speak for all teachers when I state that teachers do indeed earn their pay.

The training, preparation and commitment to do our job suc- cessfully are never taken lightly. Teachers engage in endless hours of planning and endure many obstacles in their pursuit of teaching.

Educating the whole child re- quires the understanding of many factors, namely the emo- tional, social, physical, creative, cognitive development of chil- dren as individuals.

Standardized testing can not begin to summarize the efforts of individual teachers who work with a diverse set of students.

Lawmakers and community members must realized that edu- cation excellence is the respon- sibility of everyone: business partners, community volunteers, administrators, resource special- ists, teachers, the students, themselves and, most impor- tantly, the parents.

Parents and teachers are part- ners in educating children with all the necessary basic knowl- edge and skills expected of pro- ductive community members. When parents are effective, teachers are successful.

Children raised in families that practice cooperation, kind- ness, respectfulness and pa- tience are generally productive students that take flight on wings of creativity and aca- demic excellence. I salute teach- ers who expect the best from their students just as I salute par- ents who expect the best from their children.

Be a support system for your child's teacher and watch it hap- pen: your child will learn and succeed as an individual. Chris McCarty, teacher Simi Valley