Inside the Schools

The Extra Penny
Inside the Schools

I may have posted something like this before, I don’t even know, but if I did, I’m not apologizing and here I go again!
Recently there was a blurb on the news about a bus driver who, while driving, reached back and yanked a little girl down, who was on her knees, leaning over the back of the seat. While his actions were inappropriate and out of line, I was probably not the only person to ask “How many times had he asked her to turn around and sit down?” I am not defending his actions, but I am here to tell you as an educator that people are not getting a clear view of what is going on inside our schools.
Before you think I am going to blast anyone or anything, I assure you, I care more about my job than that. I am going to come at this from a different angle. If you know anyone working in a school, they are there most likely because they love children and want to help them become accomplished, successful citizens. Seriously. That includes the ladies who serve the children lunch, who can NOT indeed read the children’s minds and DO need them to speak up and say what they want on their tray. That includes the ladies in the office who speak kindly to the kids who come in late 3-4 days a week and personally walk them to class to make sure they arrive safely and don’t feel alone. Who also, most importantly, make sure the children get the snacks that Mom drops off AFTER snack time. Also included here is the nurse, who usually has between 700 and 1,000 students (local elementary schools) to care for every day. She can’t just give up when strep and the stomach bug are going around. She can’t give up when parents don’t answer their phones or get mad at HER because their child is sick and they are inconvenienced and have to pick them up because their child, along with 3 or 4 other kids are throwing up outside of the nurse’s half-bath sized office. This rant includes the maintenance and custodian staff and scores of other people who come in contact with the children. And of course, the teachers…. Of which I proudly am.

I sometimes question my choice of profession when I have a student roll their eyes at me, stomp off, grunt at me, or just choose not to do something I ask of them. But every now and then I get that sweet, sweet note from a student telling me they think I’m pretty cool. Or I get that email from a parent telling me thank-you for caring for their child, and I realize there ARE some people out there who “get” why we ALL do what we do.
Folks, schools are getting no funding. We are given some very strict guidelines to follow. We are in fear of losing our jobs, and we are terrified that our babies are not being prepared for the future... We love these kids and WE jump through hoops for little pay, little respect, and a mass of confusion to make sure the kids are cared for. Yes, seriously. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My point for writing this is this; please consider what each person in that school does. Please consider how many children we work with every day. Consider the parents we deal with, and all the baggage that each person is bringing to this education table, not by choice. We all have it. We all bring it. We all need to make more allowances for what we can’t help but lug around. The kids don’t choose their situations. Many of those parents don’t choose their situations. The school employees don’t choose their situations. But we can choose to work together or not. We can choose to be kind to each other or not. We can choose to try to be a little more understanding or not. I am a teacher, but I’m also a parent, so I get both sides. There is no easy solution… except to maybe try to be a little less judgmental of each other. Just my humble opinion.

Becky W.
March 10, 2011