I was recently talking to a teacher who is working in the district where I taught for twenty-five years. As a result of our conversation, I’m wondering how our students are reflecting on our existing political and social environment.
I retired from an excellent school system. There are three high schools in this system. One is considered traditional in its curriculum style, another progressive, and the last is an alternative high school that has received many accolades. Another alternative program just started in the last few years. It assists students who do not do well in the larger systems of the three upper-level schools but provides more one-on-one assistance to a student.
In a meeting, the association president reported the increase of chronic health costs, more teacher absences, and more attacks by students on teachers across the board. I am not privy to all the statistics, but in 2015 many older teachers retired due to changes in the retirement system in Ohio. The district hired many younger teachers. The last year I taught the number of pregnant teachers was surprising, and the district even had onesies printed in the sweet acknowledgment of the increase of babies during the school year.
The increased responsibility and stress of the classroom teacher has grown in just the last five years. The specific demands of Individual Education Plans of students have made the record-keeping a challenge. Instead of one lesson plan for a course, the individualization has resulted in as many as ten and up. She told me, “Several students have told me, ‘I don’t read.'” Not ‘I don’t like to read,’ but ‘I don’t read.’ Again, this is the high school level.
Teachers are bullied, not just disrespected, but bullied and bloodied. One teacher’s nose had his/her nose broken. Another was bitten. In another suburban district, The Columbus Dispatch reported middle school students mixed urine in a cooking classroom project and fed it to teachers. In another instance, teachers have to refer to a single student as ‘they’ because of her gender preferences.
In 2000, the principal asked for a social worker to be added to the staff of the high schools. The request was denied. Now there are at least one social worker and two psychologists on staff.
When I talked to parents during conferences, I would often hear, “When I was in high school…” I’m not sure if parents realize their experiences of high school are not the same as what is being experienced today. Teachers have reported being afraid of going to their jobs. Drills of active shooters are enough to scare anyone, but now they are scared of the kids in their classrooms.
I know some folks out there will say the teachers should quit if they aren’t courageous enough to teach their kids. (Some complained when the city schools canceled classes due to 90+ degree weather because the schools were not air-conditioned.)
But when all the changes of behavior and increased knowledge are taken into consideration, what can school districts and parents expect from content teachers?
What do these situations show us about our society? And the current environments in which these young people are growing up?