Molly Buck is a public school teacher, Democratic candidate for House District 41, and former Iowa state representative.

I’ve been a teacher for more than 30 years, and I can tell you that teaching in Iowa today looks very different from when I first arrived.

When I started teaching, I thought I’d found an educator’s dream. Iowa’s schools were among the best in the country. We had well-funded classrooms and an Area Education Agency system that provided incredible support for teachers and students. If I had a child who needed additional help, I could reach out in the morning and sometimes have a specialist in my classroom by noon.

That’s the Iowa I remember. And it’s the Iowa I believe we can be again.

But today, teachers are being asked to do more with less, and I’m worried about what that means for our kids.