In the coming weeks, we'll be asking Washington state residents to tell us about their stories about teachers. Every teacher deserves to be an excellent teacher - and to receive mentoring and ongoing training. And every student deserves to be taught by a professional.

There are bills in the Legislature that would help - and your representatives need to hear why they would matter.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• I'm a new teacher, and I'm not getting the support and mentoring that I need. I don't know if I'll stick around.
• I'm a teacher, and my hard work isn't recognized - and it frustrates me that some of my peers aren't working as hard and no one can do anything about it.
• I'm a student, and it seems like every time there is a reduction-in-force, some of the best teachers are laid off just because they are new.
• I'm a student or parent - I know the good teachers and if I don't get one of them, I know I'm not going to learn and it's going to be my responsibility to figure out how to learn so that I don't fall behind.
• I'm a parent, and I think it's a shame that my child's teacher has to pay for supplies.

If you want to share your own story, we want to hear from you! We welcome your submission at any time. Click the button below!