The statistics are jaw-dropping: -3 out of 4 people on welfare in California cant read. -3 out of 5 people in American prisons cant read. -50% of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally literate. The list of sad statistics could go on forever. Kids are going to our schools to be given an education, and we are failing them. Falling behind in school leads to dropouts, which leads to poverty, which leads to crime, which leads us nowhere. Please watch this documentary. Or another documentary. Or read a book, or an article, or a blog. Find out what is happening to our schools. The documentary Waiting for Superman is one of the most heart-wrenching, eye-opening documentaries I have ever watched. I knew public schools in this country were struggling, but I had no idea it was actually this bad. I am having a hard time accepting that the education of the youth in this country is so low on the priority list, and I am outraged that more people arent outraged. Tenure and unions are not what I thought they were, and I am absolutely disgusted how they are preventing kids from receiving even a minimal education in a disturbing amount of schools. It has come down to trading a childs future for a bad teachers paycheck. Once a teacher has tenure, which is often earned just by breathing for a few years, the school cannot fire them, regardless of how well they teach. There are protections for bad teachers in union contracts, forcing schools to keep teachers regardless of performance. It is almost impossible to fire teachers anymore. I dont even have kids yet, and I am terrified of sending them to the wrong schools, and I am sad for every child and parent who have to face the repercussions for what others have done in the interest of keeping their pockets full. I was lucky enough to attend private schools for the majority of my k-12 education, and although I thought I had it bad (Pinkerton isnt very popular among its alum, and catholic school wasnt exactly a cake walk) I have come to realize now how incredibly lucky I was to have the educational opportunities that I did. The doubts I had about becoming a teacher have been officially removed, and I am determined to teach kids to the best of my ability, and to do whatever I can throughout my career (and throughout my life) to better the education of the kids in my classes, school, community, and everywhere else I can. I know it wont be easy, and I know I probably cant single-handedly change the entire school system in this country, but Im sure as hell going to try to make a difference wherever I can. I beg you, whether you are a student, parent, grandparent, teacher, or just human- please, look in to this. Find out what is actually happening to our schools. Dont let this continue, the future of our kids and our country depend on it.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:28:42 +0000
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