So, why should the teachers be the ones who have to sacrifice? Why should the people making 50, 60, or 70,000 a year have to bear the burden of scarcity?
ending with a question followed by stating the implied opinion we are to have concluded is a way of guiding the reader to the end of the piece and into a possibly newly formed or strengthened perspective on this matter
That’s two brand new teachers. (At low salary in the current contract).
purpose
(I know half the restrooms at my kids’ high school are always locked)
personal insight, also strengthens credibility in why she cares about this topic
$330,000 of taxpayer money when a Supreme Court Justice gets $270,000
making an interesting comparison to strengthen the view that the high salary is absurd
If the difference between Gaudelupe Guerrero’s salary and the next highest paid person in the district was the same dollar difference as that between a high school principal and an area director, that would free up about $100,000.
a bit of difficult math to put into words but an offered improvement
But who has to sacrifice to account for Oregon and Portland’s generally abysmal public funding? Why does the scarcity model (borne of a complex array of poor policy choices and economic conditions) force the sacrifice onto teachers?
inviting us to ask these questions with her
What does make me cranky is the sleazy talking points about teachers’ salary position juxtaposed with vulnerable constituencies in PPS,
exigence
I have literally seen this talking point out there as the justification for PPS position:
responding directly to a critique of the issue she is now addressing
does not immediately make me squirm, although I do get curious about titles that seem too jargony and duplicative.
again distancing herself from hyper-critics, seeking to portray a level-headed perspective of curiosity
Visceral disdain for administrative competence and professional administration is childish and naive.
admonishing a portion of the audience, distances herself from this perspective
I’m close enough to a highly compensated bureaucrat myself
building credibility as not just a hyper-critical voice in the crowd
I am not s
speaking directly and casually, informs us of her perspective
This is roughly $110,000 more than the next highest paid executive at PPS
and then immediately slamming down context - informed right off the bat!
The
I couldn't add an annotation to the photo but I feel like starting the op-ed with a large piece of visual evidence is a rhetorical choice or, at the very least, it is very informative and intriguing - draws the reader in for more context