In concerns of public education, I will address the letter E. For me, E is for expectations- extra expectations. We cannot just be teachers. We are expected to be much more.
In today’s classroom, I am expected to be a nurse, a counselor, a mother, a patrol officer, banker, babysitter, and more. We teach about the effects of drugs and alcohol use. We teach how to get along with others and how to respect others.
My school still does not have a full time nurse. Therefore, when children get sick the teachers are usually responsible for taking care of the child and getting in touch with a parent.
When I taught eighth grade, students often asked me for money to pay for special activities at school. They knew that their parents either could not or would not give it to them. In kindergarten, the students have not thought to ask me yet! However, we have had cases where parents have asked us to pay for activities.
I have had parents ask me to watch younger siblings or keep a student after school late. I have had a parent call and ask me to keep an eye on a child to make sure that she was not putting her finger in her ear.
We have had students (two this year) come to school in a pull-up. We have been asked to prepare lunches and cut-up fruit. I have been asked to re-do hairstyles for pictures and change outfits. I have been instructed that certain outfits should not be gotten dirty on the playground.
We break up fights and rearrange schedules so that ex-husbands and ex-wives are not at the same meeting. We listen to parents’ troubles with money, work, and stepparents.
All of these things may not seem so demanding. I actually would not mind doing them. However, I also have a job to teach the children- twenty children. Remembering whom needs a ponytail and which child should be photographed from the left side can be overwhelming.
More Perks of Public Education
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