There is a lot of talk about “School Choice,” and with good reason. Over the years, legislatures all over the country have stripped money and resources away from public schools while adding useless hurdles that suppress positive data in an effort to make public schools look responsible for our worsening education system. It has worked beautifully. I’m a teacher; I’ve seen it firsthand. And now we’re 21st in the world in education.
Here’s my take. I’m completely open to a conversation about “school choice” as soon as every student in America has essentially the same choices. And if legislators keep stripping money and resources away from public schools until not even the most devout teacher wants to work there anymore, well, that makes public school a pretty bad “choice” for students and parents, now doesn’t it? Can you guess which segments of our population will be left with that “choice?”
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves. They’ve been beaten down by years of disrespect, lack of funding, raises that don’t come close to matching inflation, and an unfair rap that all the problems in education are their fault. I have been doing it for eight years. Our legislators are the ones systematically destroying public education, not the teachers. And the crazy part is that every parent I’ve ever met on both sides of the political aisle agrees that schools are underfunded, teachers are underpaid, class sizes are too big, and students are asked to take too many standardized tests. No matter the political affiliation, parents want good schools and good teachers. So I say we make it less political and find a way to do right by our children. It’s them we’re hurting most of all.
Original source can be found here.
