Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Gloucester teacher Tara Lord (“Is this best for the children?”  April 20 Readers Write) has rough sledding as a working single mom with a soon-to-be kindergartener. When one is looking at $13 being a make-or-break threshold on your household budget they’ve got problems.

But when I read that the average K-12 Gloucester teacher is paid $48,091 for 180 days a year in the school workplace, my math skills lead me to believe Ms. Lord’s gross income hovers around $4,007 a month and that she’s free to get another job during those 16 weeks when the school doesn’t need or pay for her services. It’s called supplementing one’s income.

A friend of mine has some rental properties. One of his tenants pays $1,000/month for a “nice”—his words—two-bedroom house. He’s asked my friend if he can pay rent weekly to help with his cash flow. He works at a full time job—50 weeks/year—that&...