School funding is being debated across the country right now. Several points of contention are being discussed including teacher pay and school vouchers. Public schools are facing scrutiny for many factors that have been brought on by the pandemic. What can be done to paint a true picture of the value of public education?
The news outlets and social media networks are ripe with negative stories involving schools or educators that have made poor choices. It seems like a weekly occurrence. There are some positive stories about the great things that are happening in public schools, but the negativity screams far louder than the positivity.
Private and charter schools are not held to the same standards as public schools. This gives them more flexibility in the types of programs that can be offered to students. This is an attractive incentive for parents. These schools also accept the students that they want to accept. There are some charter school networks that are doing the right thing by students, but this is not the norm.
Politicians are now pushing for so called school choice, which includes vouchers that would take money away from school funding. I’m all for parents doing what’s best for their children, but there needs to be some truth shared about charter and private schools. These schools are not always what they portray themselves to be.
If you have a student that is motivated to learn, private and charter schools will gladly accept them. If you have a student that requires special education services, often there are no programs for them in private and charter schools. If a student presents any behavioral issues, they will be quickly sent away from most of these schools.
Public schools are not allowed to turn any students away. That is why there are programs in place to support learning for all students. This is also why some schools do not perform as well as others. We all know the reasons that surround why some schools perform better than others, so I will not get into specifics.
So, here we are. There are some things that we can do as a community of educators to shine a light on the great things that are occurring in public schools. We have to be our own advocates if we want to see things turn around.
School social media accounts are a solid place to start. We must show our communities what goes on in our schools on a daily basis. School newsletters could also be used to showcase our students. Volunteers could be called upon to give a helping hand on our campuses. There also needs to be communication with state representatives to voice our stance on the future of our schools.
Teacher pay has always been a sore spot for educators. Teachers wear many hats throughout a school day and deserve much more respect than they get. Is anybody ever paid what they truly deserve to be paid? No, but we can definitely do better to show teachers that their work is valued. I believe that lawmakers should have to spend at least one full day in a public school monthly. This would provide some much needed perspective that would help improve school funding. That’s just my thinking.
As educators, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Our conduct has to be impeccable to help change the negative impact of things that are happening surrounding public education. Parents and students deserve to attend schools that they can be proud of.
I truly believe that the public education system is the best place for our students. We have to stand together to create environments for our students to thrive. Will things ever be perfect? No, but we can certainly help them to be better.
My Life In Education… 