One of the biggest issues facing my state right now is its education system. As a teacher, I am just dumbfounded by what I see my elected officials doing to the job I love. I didn't enter the classroom to enter the political game. Yet, it's something I do on a regular basis over the past decade. Instead of focusing on teaching the content of my subject area, I am often too busy doing mindless paperwork, which at times seems to be in triplicate despite technology, or a host of other mindless tasks that again take me away from doing my job. I now find myself in my free time writing letters to my elected officials in the State House to not vote for cutting the education budget more. And I am alarmed that more of my colleagues aren't doing the same.
In fact if the State, passes its current education budget numbers for the upcoming school year, the money per pupil will set the state back to 1995, yet we as teachers will be expected to meet the same demands and expectations placed upon us by these same elected officials, school district personnel, administrators, and parents. To put it frankly, 1995 was not a good year for my state and education. We were ranked toward the bottom in the nation for education. Over the past 15 years the state has taken great strides in improving its education system. Increasing the standards, promoting more critical thinking and process skills in the classroom, more professional development of its teachers, and taking measures to retain educators. Yet every time I turn on the local news, there is a new report of what the State House wants to cut from the education budget. For example, it wants to eliminate the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards incentive. Being a National Board teacher myself, I can honestly say the process to become NBPTS certified was not an easy feat, but through the process it helped me become a better teacher. I am more aware of my students' needs and reflective on my teaching. Thankfully my state has been generous in the past with rewarding its National Board teachers. Why? In hopes to retain us and pray that we don't leave the state, since we're certified to teach in any state. But that won't be the case if National Board funding is cut, there will be an exodus of NBPTS certified teachers leaving the classroom and probably the state.
If the State wants to improve its economy, cutting the education budget is not the answer. No industry, business, or corporation will be want to relocate to our great State if there is no solid education system in place. It wants an education system in which it can draw qualified workers and a system in which its employees will send their children.
At the rate the State is going, I would not be surprised to see many of its best teachers leave the classroom all together or remain in the classroom but do so in another state. Trust me that thought has crossed my mind a time or two over recent years. I'm not going to lie, there are some educational reforms that need to take place (just like with health care), but I don't think government is the solution. But that is another blog...
What's more alarming than going back 15 years funding for education, is the lack of educators who are (1) registered voters (2) registered votes who vote and (3) who contact their elected officials to express their concerns. My call to my fellow educators, we have to be the voice of our students. We must be their advocates when no one else will. We have to be our biggest advocates. We are our biggest hindrance in the process. How can we promote social justice in our classrooms and urge our students to become productive citizens of this great nation, if we, ourselves, are not willing to speak up. The time is now. Speak up, educators, speak up!
