While this is more of a list of issues within the school system, I felt it was worth throwing these out as I deal with them daily as a high school teacher. Sure, these may need to be handled at a state level, but with the incoming administration, I trust that they will consider building these in the policies they look to create or they will put more pressure on state’s to better their schools.
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First & foremost, teacher pay is unbelievably neglected as a priority. While most will not understand, the amount of hours spent on other people’s children is not recognized. I do not want to sound as whiny. Yes, I chose this profession and I truly love it. The idea of having kids feel seen, heard, understood, and believed in is the reason I wake up every single day. But when you break down our salaries, the hourly rate for a teacher is a crime. And let’s not forget, we’re expected to spend our own money on our classrooms, when requests for materials/technology/computer problems are made, it takes months, years, or not responded to at all. This alone could be a post, but I’ll end here.
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Get textbooks back in the classroom! This whole every kid gets a Chromebook thing is literally destroying our kids futures. Most can’t read, don’t know how to effectively search for something within a book, even to use the index in the back, and most can’t write. Why? They’re able to Google everything by copy and pasting online assignment questions in the search bars. Not to mention, the distractions are unlimited. Additionally, this whole online textbook thing is not user friendly for teachers. There are basic skills kids can learn from a hard copy of material. And you want to talk money? They break and lose them constantly-and yes there are fees. That parents won’t pay and the school has to write it off.
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Discipline. Accountability. School individuality. There’s not enough room to post about this. But, why is our school board forcing us to take kids who were expelled from their previous school, are out of parish, were arrested for attempted murder…and are only at school each day to wreck havoc? Our principal was asked why she hadn’t handled the issues properly this year-her response? Pulled up the receipts from emails sent to the school board for the last year trying to get the repetitive disciplinary students out, but they wouldn’t allow her to. When are they going to let principals take ownership of their schools? When will they stop allowing great schools become rundown by kids who have no will to learn. Why do we bend over backwards for the few kids who are continuously disruptive and ruin the fun high school years, for the majority who just want to do what they are supposed to?
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Parent Accountability: don’t have to say much here but we can’t parent your kids too. But then blame us for your kids actions that you encourage
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REFORM SPECIAL EDUCATION (my area). By NO MEANS am I saying to take it away. There are numerous people who benefit and I bend over backwards for my kids who utilize it properly and genuinely need it. But this one may have to be a separate post…
These are the first immediate topics on my mind and all of these could be dug into deeper. All in all, I think if this goes back to the states to govern their education system, there must be standards and guidelines. We must demand more to value teachers. We must allow principals and teachers to do their jobs. We must take away power and secretive moves by school boards to line their pockets, but leave their teachers and admin that work in the trenches out to dry. We HAVE to reverse no child left behind and get better unwoke curriculum. We have to set our kids up better-and whether they like it or not, we have to go back to basics. Textbooks, writing notes, and limited screen time as they do enough of that at home.