"Education Nation" - A different type of pandemic

“I learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn’t matter.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

     These are interesting times agreed?  We are fighting over toilet paper, hand sanitizer and God knows a thousand other items.  More to the point and NO ONE is really talking about this yet, but more to the point, are we putting our best foot forward for our children behaving that way?  Our children go to school each and every day, and all their teachers want to do is teach them.  Schools will be closed temporarily and teachers are being called on to provide on-going education.  My question is, who is monitoring the educational opportunities we are providing?  Who will indeed enforce that their education will take place? I am a teacher.  I know I am accountable.  Who is holding my students accountable outside of the classroom environment? It has to begin and end at home.

     Since I became an educator, the talk, the rhetoric, the much needed discussions around education have decreased.  No one is talking about the importance of education these days.  Students come in on any given day and make the conscious choice of whether they feel like doing their classwork and I have to make the conscious choice about what to do when they clearly don't.   

     The one non-negoitable in my house growing up was school.  We were NOT allowed to fail.  We may not have always received the grade we hoped for but failing was never an option.  Now, now it seems it's perfectly fine to fail.  Why is that acceptable?  Some may argue this point and even be defensive and that's all right.  What I witness is more and more students are giving up and turning their backs on their education. For any teacher, this is heart-breaking.  Know this...we are trying to teach the "whole child" but we can not do it alone.

     I remember hating school.  I was bored or I didn't like the teacher.  I was not allowed to fail regardless.  It's also true that everything we learn in a public school, we will NEVER use again.  None of that matters because education shows us what we are capable of and that we have indeed accomplished something with a diploma. We learn and develop our talents.  For those who can NOT handle a public classroom setting, we need alternatives that work.  We need to pour more of the money that is already there into developing alternative education so that these particular students can make a living and provide for themselves and their future.  We keep taking money away from alternative educational opportunities and this achieves nothing.  Those students prevent the education of their classmates from taking place.  They interrupt.  They yell.  They scream for the attention that they are not getting OR they could be getting in a different environment.  Educating the masses is no longer feasible in a one size fits all scenario.  It may be saivng money.  It's good for politics, but not for the kids who need alternatives.  And oh by the way, let's not forget about state assessments that our state and local governments spend millions on to create and disperse to those students who still have the option of well..."opting out."  If a student is not held accountable, they simply have no accoutability for their education, even in the classroom. This is exactly what is happening in public schools.

     For those students who posess a talent for the arts, or science and mathematics, we should be developing our school systems so that our schools provide these students with their life long dreams of going further with their passion.  These alternatives are far and few between and that is a travesty.  If we are not focused on educating our young, we will create a society that can not make educated decisions...that can not read or understand their legal rights or vote intelligently.  They will not be able to hold down a job because they can't take direction or listen.  In short, we will have a society that is easily manipulated, convinced and ultimately at a risk of surviving too.

     Literacy or the lack of literacy keeps our criminal justice system busy.  The neglect and the lack of attention and respect being paid within our public school system is causing more damage than any virus can.  Students need to make connections.  They want to connect with someone or something.  They can not do that if they are not in the appropriate environment and do not have the the support at home.  If the support isn't available at home, public schools make the Herculean effort and they would do a better job if they had the appropriate staff to do so.  The number of students in need of outside services is growing and they are not enough staff to help those students.  Their plates are full.  

     Sounds like I'm whining doesn't it? No...I am just overly concerned about what I am observing in the classroom.  I want kids to learn how to work on their own.  I want students to take pride in their efforts.  I want them to help their friends rise to challenges instead of letting them self-explode academically.  Most of my students "get" what I'm trying to accomplish.  The ones that fight the process, well they have to know that "I am NOT giving up on you...NOT now, not ever."  If you fail, learn from it and triumph.  I will be cheering you on in spite of your poor behavior and your lack of belief in yourself.

     In the meantime,  we are all on edge right now.  We are all sacrificing and forced to put our activities on hold.  Don't put common sense or compassion or the importance of education on hold either.   None of us asked for this pandemic.  This will be the greatest lesson for any of us, young or old...stay informed. Stay educated. Pay attention to facts not fiction.  Pay attention to what's true and not false.  Sounds like a multiple choice test now doesn't it? I hope we all pass.