where wildly different is perfectly normal
I stand with teachers
I stand with teachers

I stand with teachers

I homeschool for a long list of reasons, and despite our challenges with the school, nothing on that list has to do with a teacher.

I stand with teachers.

Chicago teachers are considering a strike this year; yesterday I heard a radio ad that got my blood boiling. It was a “conversation” between two moms, sooo concerned that the teachers might strike. They decided that parents needed to talk to teachers and convince them not to strike, because you know, won’t someone think of the children??

Really?

I stand with teachers.

Teachers (99% of them) think of the children every day. They put up with more crap from ignorant legislators, the general public, and parents like me than you know.  And in return for their efforts, teachers are not treated as professionals and are paid less per hour than the going babysitter rate.

I stand with teachers.

I believe the education system in this country is deeply flawed and should be completely overhauled. The current set up suits no one.

So while I homeschool one son, and it’s within the realm of possibility that the other might be homeschooled at some point too…

I stand with teachers. 

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Edited to add (1/14/19): This post was expanded and can be found in my book, If This is a Gift, Can I Send It Back? {<-affiliate link}

13 Comments

  1. Teachers have an unenviable task! It is so difficult for them to work in the system which is flawed for so many of our kids. They do the best they can under difficult circumstances.

  2. Rhonda

    I stand with students. The teachers at my kids’ school are the reason I will be homeschooling next year. I was a teacher, before becoming a mom. I was a good teacher. I put the students’ needs first. The teachers here complain in the hallways, even when parents are there volunteering, they demand things from the adminstration, the PTA, etc. My daughter’s teacher told complete lies in a conference with her, the principal, my daughter and me. She has no respect for students. As a mom, a former teacher and a parent, I stand with students. To hell with the uniions.

    1. Jen

      I have been very fortunate that my son has had great teachers and good schools. Even this last year, it was the school system and policies that screwed him, not the teachers. The teachers did the best they could with him, but because of the school set up, it just couldn’t work. So we homeschool and we’re all a lot happier. If he’d had schools and/or teachers like the ones you describe, I probably would have ripped off heads as I yanked BOTH kids out to homeschool. :/
      I just think teachers are the front line scapegoats for a very broken system. And that said…there are always craptastic teachers out there, as there are in every line of work.

  3. GinevraCat

    Having wanted to teach all my life, and finally getting the chance to qualify and do so now that I am 30-mumble, I am seriously considering tossing it all – because the parents, not the kids, of my (tiny, lots of special needs) class are SO DAMN DIFFICULT. *coughs, takes a deep breath*. Bascially, to them I’m a glorified baby-sitter doing a job anyone could do, so of course I have time to stay late, answer text messages about homework in the evening etc etc etc. Argh!

    1. Jen

      When my husband was a band director, he once got 14 (!) phone calls in one evening by a single parent. Not one message. That was some 13 years ago; can’t imagine it’s gotten much better. My fave was the parent who called me at school, screamed at me for 20 minutes about a scheduling snafu that was arranged a year before I was hired, and hung up on me. Good times, good times…

      1. Rhonda

        I’m not ripping off any heads, but I would like to see some roll. With district cutbacks, a lot of good teachers will be losing their jobs, while horrible teachers with seniority keep theirs. My daughter’s teacher’s job is not in jeapordy because she’s been there for so long. I would like to see districts implement a survey at the end of each year for parents to critique teachers and administration. Honest feedback would only help improve schools. Unfortunately, any feedback offered at this point is taken as offensive rather than constructive and us not used to make anything better.

  4. As a former public school teacher and now a parent of kids in public school and an employee of the private system, I’m seeing all sides. I’ve thought for years that we were past fixing the system. I decided that it had to be completely overhauled. To convince people to do that, I decided it probably had to fail first. And I’d say we’re about there.

  5. There are great teachers and horrible teachers, but it’s the system that’s broke and going on strike for higher wages won’t fix that. Let the parents go on strike, let the parents pull their kids from school until the admin fix the problem…that might work.

    1. Jen

      I love the idea of parents going on strike. In Colorado, that’s kinda what’s happening with the grassroots movement towards parent-built charter schools. The boys would have been attending one if we hadn’t moved. :/

Whaddya think?

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