The comments below are from a collection of ideas and expressions from a wide source of people. They are not meant to make people change their minds or beliefs, only to inspire to show compassion for those in education.
As all the area schools are announcing their fall reopening plans, I’ve been scrolling through the comments on some public posts and I can’t believe the way some people are acting. Grown adults throwing temper tantrums and slinging insults and accusations and attacking teachers and schools like it’s their fault we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.
I don’t care what your opinion is on whether a school should open or not. You can have an opinion and still have some respect. People like to say that America’s youth doesn’t show the same respect that they did back in their day. Well, I wonder where they’ve learned it.
No, we aren’t getting our tax dollars back, and we shouldn’t. No, teachers aren’t taking a pay cut, and they shouldn’t. Our public schools have been defunded for decades. Teachers aren’t paid enough to teach one classroom, much less a Monday/Tuesday in-person classroom, at the same time as a Monday/Tuesday virtual classroom, a Wednesday combined virtual classroom, and a Thursday/Friday in person + simultaneous virtual classroom. Oh, and make sure they’re all fed, and healthy, and feeling safe and important and also six feet away from each other? Are you kidding me? But you know what? They will. Because that’s who teachers are. Perhaps as a country, we should take this moment to recognize how important our schools are and finally prioritize them. It does not go unnoticed that the same people who are stomping their feet demanding their kids go back are also the same ones who vote no on referendums that schools are forced to ask for to fill budget shortfalls year after year.
Our schools should be national treasures. Our teachers should be revered. Our children’s educations should be our highest priority. The future of our country is in the hands of our educators. They are not the enemy. They want things to go back to normal just as much as we do. We MUST recognize the incredibly hard position our schools are in right now and respect that they are making tough decisions with immense pressure from every single angle.
Yes, this is going to suck. It’s going to suck for everyone. For as many families as there are, there are as many reasons why. You are not unique in your shitty situation. We are all going to have to figure this out. Including our schools. So be patient. Be understanding. Give some grace. Recognize there are things we do not know. Things have a way of going the way you believe they will.
Please think of the young people that will be affected by whatever changes happen. Band members want to march, sports teams want to win (and maybe get a scholarship), Cheerleaders want to cheer, and hard to believe some students just want to ‘learn’.
So if you are a teacher, thank you. And if you know a teacher, thank them. Teachers are not the problem. Political leaders and School Board leaders and some misinformed parents are the problems. Important, respect others and their beliefs and choices.
Thank you for reading and please take the high road and be respectful.
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