Walking around these days, my back pocket feels much lighter than it did at the end of December. The reason for this feeling is because after student teaching, there isn’t much in my wallet or bank account. Few people remember student teachers do not get any financial assistance during their professional semester — we can’t even have part time jobs while we are student teaching.

Student teacher not only have to pay for gas to get to their school, the food they eat for lunch and some supplies for their students, but we are also forced to write a check to North Carolina State University for tuition.

Student teachers have to pay twice for the same thing — a college degree. Other majors that include professional semesters, such as engineering co-op programs, are paid by their employers or have a way at replenishing their wallets as they begin to dry up from the cost of gas and other living expenses.

With education budgets as slim as they are, school systems can’t afford — and aren’t allowed — to pay student teachers, so the University should step up and help the future educators. The University has the resources to give a boost to the empty wallets of student teachers. To help the teachers-to-be, the University should waive the tuition for those students who are entering their professional semester of student teaching.

Over the last four months, I have added more than 6,000 miles to my odometer, most of which was making the daily 55 mile roundtrip to and from Wake Forest. Driving this much has made paying for gas a burden, having to fill up once every five or six days.

Now is the time for our University to give assistance to student teachers. The University can and should help take that burden off the shoulders of student teachers so that they give all their attention and focus to what’s important — working on becoming a good teacher.