NEWPORT-Gera Summerford, president of the Tennessee Education Association, said the teaching profession was "not an easy job" that a teacher must "have to believe in it" in order to survive the challenges.

Summerford addressed a luncheon crowd of the Newport Kiwanis Club at Fox and Hounds, on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Summerford, on leave as a high school teacher in Sevierville, is married to an educator, as well.

Summerford said public school teachers "can raise a family on two teacher salaries; I can testify to that." However, she added, "We know we won't make a fortune" in terms of salaries. For her personally, however, she stated, "I love seeing those sparks in the students' eyes when they comprehend what I'm teaching ... That's our biggest reward as teachers."

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