To the Editor:Re “What Will Teacher Raises Buy Students?,” by Matthew Kraft (Op-Ed, nytimes.com, June 13):I deserted my students. I left them when my mind wandered during class to my medical bills. Given this experience, I question Mr. Kraft’s assertion that raises would only “ relieve financial st ress,” but “not n ecessarily make teachers better.” Money worries affect job performance in some not-so-obvious ways. My years in the classroom and research on how financial stress affects cognitive performance, and even lowers I.Q., challenge the idea that raises wouldn’t affect teachers’ work. When I was teaching, my second job left little time to plan innovative lessons and support students outside of class.

Source: New York Times June 30, 2019 15:22 UTC