Hi Emily - Very well thought out and well written. My mother was a career elementary school teacher for over 50 years. She continued to substitute teach until the age of 82. So I grew up hearing about the bureaucracy of public education. I also saw her bring in mittens and socks for her students, and she even included bars of soap in the care packages she sent home with those who seemed in need. She spoke about being expected to be a social worker, a truant officer, an administrator; about being expected to teach fire safety, dental health, and everything else imaginable - on top of the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. It's sad to observe how it's gotten worse with each passing decade. If the pandemic could result in a useful, practical overhaul of this broken system it would be a miracle,...but I'm not holding my breath.
Joanne, thank you so much for your kind words. I knew nothing of most of this until I started working in education (despite having friends and family members who worked in public schools). It's extraordinary all the gaps that schools are asked to fill — especially in rural and/or high-poverty areas — and it often goes unnoticed by the community.
Hi Emily - Very well thought out and well written. My mother was a career elementary school teacher for over 50 years. She continued to substitute teach until the age of 82. So I grew up hearing about the bureaucracy of public education. I also saw her bring in mittens and socks for her students, and she even included bars of soap in the care packages she sent home with those who seemed in need. She spoke about being expected to be a social worker, a truant officer, an administrator; about being expected to teach fire safety, dental health, and everything else imaginable - on top of the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. It's sad to observe how it's gotten worse with each passing decade. If the pandemic could result in a useful, practical overhaul of this broken system it would be a miracle,...but I'm not holding my breath.
Joanne, thank you so much for your kind words. I knew nothing of most of this until I started working in education (despite having friends and family members who worked in public schools). It's extraordinary all the gaps that schools are asked to fill — especially in rural and/or high-poverty areas — and it often goes unnoticed by the community.