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VOA慢速英语2021--美国公共服务工作者感受到的支持更少

时间:2021-05-22 23:41来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Working as a teacher was Bill Mathis' top goal. It was his dream job.

But he quit his job at a school near Detroit in the state of Michigan last August. His school district was returning to in-person classes. But Mathis said he did not feel like it was safe enough. He was especially worried about his wife, who has the disease lupus.

"What about us and our families?" he asked school officials.

The 29-year-old teacher felt few in the community understood his concerns. "Good riddance," one person told him.

His story is just one showing the struggles of American government workers known as public servants.

Jobs like teaching, firefighting, policing, government and social work have offered people the chance to give back to their communities. These jobs often earn good pay and benefits.

Opinion studies show public support for medical caregivers and teachers. After the terrorist1 attacks of September 11, 2001, firefighters had strong support.

But many public servants no longer feel like they have the support of their communities.

Many are overworked and feel very tired in systems that do not have enough workers. There is a shortage2 of teachers in Michigan and many other states. In cities like New York, Cincinnati and Seattle, there are not enough police. Many of these workers suffer from mental health problems, addiction3 and even suicide4, especially among first responders.

Before the coronavirus health crisis5, researchers found in 2018 that about half of American public servants said they were extremely tired, or burned out. That is compared with 20 percent of workers in all fields.

Adding to the problem, few young people work in public service careers. The Partnership6 for Public Service is a nonprofit organization that supports effective government. Their research shows that just six percent of people in public service jobs are younger than age 30 and about 45 percent are older than 50.

The pandemic has only intensified7 that situation.

Elizabeth Linos is a behavioral scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies public workers. "The workload8 is up. Financial security is down," she said.

Linos' research includes 911 emergency operators, doctors and others. She said studies during the pandemic have found that anxiety rates for frontline workers are 20 times higher than usual. "I've really never seen anything like it," she said.

During the 2008 Great Recession9, feelings against labor10 unions became common. Once, Detroit had been an area of strong support for labor unions. But some people in Detroit blamed labor organizations for troubles in the auto11 industry. That feeling has grown to include unions that represent public servants, including teachers.

Tim Deegan is from Waterford, Michigan. He manages a pizza restaurant. "They protect bad behavior, and they punish good behavior," he said of unions. He said he has no union protections for a job where he often works 60 hours a week.

Deegan took part in a social media discussion about Michigan teachers who were retiring early. He said that online teaching has been poor and that teachers have "phoned it in," or have not cared, for years.

Mathis said he was thanked early on in the pandemic by tired parents who were forced to teach their children at home. "This time last year, we were heroes," he said. "Now, not so much."

Derek Lies, a father of two, said he supported the teachers at first. But when the union argued against returning to in-person learning, "my sympathy went away," he said.

Sue12 Ziel is a teacher in Mathis' district and a union leader.

"Why were we the enemy?" she said. "You can't love a teacher and hate a union because it's the same thing."

Kevin Edmond is the fire chief of Sterling13 Heights, Michigan. He said his department is making more of an effort to address problems of mental health and addiction. Edmond said he gives time off to employees who respond to deadly fires and other serious events.

Edmond has been a firefighter for 35 years. He said younger workers are more open to the department's mental health and support programs.

"When I first started, there wasn't such a thing...It was basically you'll get over it," he said. "Unfortunately, because of our profession, we see a lot of bad things."

The number of workers in the fire department has remained the same since the mid-1990s. However, the department now makes more than three times as many calls.

Bringing young people to public service jobs can be difficult. Linos, the UC-Berkeley researcher, said today's young people are finding other ways to "do good" – and make more money doing it.

She said that both the private and non-profit fields have used their own message of public service to attract workers.

They "are saying, ‘Come change the world,' right?" Linos said. "So what government may have lost is the monopoly14 on public service."

The day Mathis told his students he was leaving was "one the hardest days of my life," he said. He now works in the state's growing marijuana industry.

He doubts he will return to teaching. He said Michigan school districts have had to hire people who are not well trained for the job.

"It really hurts me to say -- I'm happy that I left teaching," he said.

Words in This Story

good riddance — n. used to say that you are glad that someone is leaving or that something has gone

public servant — n. a government official or employee

first responder — n. a person (such as a police officer or an EMT) who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance

anxiety — n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

terrifying — adj. causing great fear

monopoly — n. complete control of the entire supply of goods or of a service in a certain area or market

benefits — n.(pl.) something extra that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their pay

addiction — n. a strong and harmful need to have something or do something

manage — v. to have control of something such as a business, team or department


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 terrorist 9Iaz2     
n.恐怖主义者,恐怖分子
参考例句:
  • Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪,我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
  • The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。
2 shortage 1yrwh     
n.缺少,缺乏,不足
参考例句:
  • The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
  • The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。
3 addiction JyEzS     
n.上瘾入迷,嗜好
参考例句:
  • He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
  • Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。
4 suicide ssAwA     
n.自杀,自毁,自杀性行为
参考例句:
  • The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
  • The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。
5 crisis pzJxT     
n.危机,危急关头,决定性时刻,关键阶段
参考例句:
  • He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明,在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
  • The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。
6 partnership NmfzPy     
n.合作关系,伙伴关系
参考例句:
  • The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
  • Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
7 intensified 4b3b31dab91d010ec3f02bff8b189d1a     
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
  • The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 workload fVCzw     
n.作业量,工作量
参考例句:
  • An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
  • He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。
9 recession GAozC     
n.(工商业的)衷退(期),萧条(期)
参考例句:
  • Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession.受到经济萧条的影响,制造业急剧衰退。
  • A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession.利率的提高导致英国经济更加萧条。
10 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
11 auto ZOnyW     
n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车
参考例句:
  • Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
  • The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
12 sue PUAzm     
vt.控告,起诉;vi.请求,追求,起诉
参考例句:
  • If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱,我就告你。
  • The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。
13 sterling yG8z6     
adj.英币的(纯粹的,货真价实的);n.英国货币(英镑)
参考例句:
  • Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率?
  • Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺,这有助于减轻通胀压力。
14 monopoly b64zg     
n.垄断,专卖,垄断物(商品),专卖商品
参考例句:
  • His monopoly of shipbuilding in that country has been established.他对那个国家造船业的垄断已经建立起来。
  • In many countries,tobacco is a government monopoly.在许多国家,烟草由政府专营。
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TAG标签:   VOA英语  慢速英语
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