We all know that the public school education system in this country is deeply flawed. There is too much unnecessary pressure and burden on teachers to shoulder the world’s problems, especially when it comes to the children in their classrooms. It’s especially unfair given how little teachers are paid and how little respect there is for teachers.
In 2020, an elementary school teacher in Iowa named Alison Homan talked about how society is turning all its problems and problems to teachers as a stopgap solution, when in reality we should be demanding more from our legislators. You have written a beautiful explanation of the tendency to impose. And politicians too.
As Homan says, frankly, teachers are pretty tired of having to be the savior.
The teacher explained how the education system is used as a band-aid for society’s problems.
“Society: In one of the richest countries in the world, between 11 and 13 million children live in food-insecure households.Schools: We can help…Children in schools You can eat breakfast and lunch, and in many places, teachers will ‘send the poorest people home with food for dinner and on the weekends,”’ Homan began in a Facebook post.
She believes that many unfortunate situations that children and families find themselves in, from not being able to put food on the table to not receiving adequate or no health care, are the ultimate It was pointed out that the responsibility of teachers and schools for providing short-term medical care rests on them. repair.
At schools, administrators bring in doctors to provide free health checkups, eye exams, and dental care. In some locations, nurses are providing pads, tampons, and other sanitary products to girls in their buildings at their own expense.
Other issues, Homan pointed out, such as children living without basic necessities and parents working past school hours, place a much greater burden on teachers. .
Homan explains that schools have brought in counselors to address some of these issues, but that is never enough, otherwise teachers would have to spend more time at home with their own children. He explained that he would need to spend time with his students.
“Teachers cry and sometimes break down because they think there is nothing more they can do for the innocent children in their care,” she continued. “For decades, schools and teachers have served as a band-aid against society’s failures, because we care about our children, who are almost always the ones who suffer most from society’s failures. Because we know they are children.”
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Teachers across the country acknowledge that real-world issues are impacting students and their ability to learn.
According to the Pew Research Center report, “What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in America Today,” it was an online survey of 2,531 public K-12 teachers in the U.S. in late 2023. Poverty, chronic absenteeism, and anxiety and depression are problems at school for more than 90% of students, with about half citing these issues as major problems.
Almost half of the teachers surveyed said their students showed little or no interest in learning, and the numbers were even worse in high school.
Almost 60% of teachers say they have to deal with student behavioral problems every day, and that number is increasing as the neighborhoods surrounding their schools become poorer.
The teacher acknowledged that educators should not be responsible for fixing this broken country.
“Make no mistake that encouraging people to go back to school has less to do with education and more to do with the other social services that schools provide…We feed and care for our children. “They need to go back to school to earn money and supervise their parents so they can return to work and participate in the economy,” she wrote.
Homan admitted it was heartbreaking and said other teachers feel the same way when it comes to children not having what they need, like food, a place to sleep at night and an active parent. But teachers don’t have to be the be all and end all for children and families experiencing challenges. You don’t have to take your clothes off to solve a problem that isn’t yours to solve in the first place.
There are major flaws in this country’s public school education system, but the last thing we want is for teachers to be responsible for the world’s problems.
Homan was right in pointing out that the education system is not doing enough to solve these problems. It’s like putting a Band-Aid over a crack. Although the cracks may not be visible at first glance, they are still there.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news and lifestyle writer whose work explores contemporary issues and experiences.
