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Originally Posted by Pugchief
The good news: FL is the second best in the nation. Bad news: The entire country has failing schools.
Why is this such a problem? Why are today's youth unable to read or do math at grade level? I know Covid caused a setback, but this was going on prior, and continues after.
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As a retired teacher, I can only say that problems with our education system are complex, and I feel so sorry for both teachers and children in the public school system today. I'll share just some of my experiences and the subsequent reasons for our failing schools.
Children are coming to school from a home-life much different than many of us experienced growing up. They do not have adequate parental support, and that is part of a larger societal issue. Children come to school without having eaten breakfast and without provisions for lunch (although many schools these days do have a subsidized program). I've experienced students who can't stay awake because parents are fighting/partying/not home to supervise the children. I've had students who are victims of abuse, children who come to school from a homeless shelter, or are moving from place to place. A significant number of children had many absences due to illness, parents who don't bring them to school, or pull them from school altogether for trips across borders to be with family that may last months at a time. They then return to the classroom, and teachers are somehow expected to help bring them up to the standards of the other students who have been in attendance during the others' absence.
I didn't speak English when I started elementary school, but there was no ESL, so immersion solved that problem - not only for me, but for the many students in my class whose parents (World War II immigrants) spoke a variety of languages at home. However, we were encouraged to learn English and our parents were very supportive and always emphasized the importance of education as the foundation for a successful future.
Because of dysfunction at home and the psychological damage it can cause, there are so many more behavior problems in the classroom which can make it so very difficult to focus on teaching, when lessons are disrupted time and again by students who have little to no impulse control due to a variety of factors.
In addition, teachers and administrators are under extreme pressure to produce improvement in academic areas, while minimizing sanctions for students who hinder the ability of others to learn. In districts where funding is tied to the attendance, principals do not expel students - rather those who break the rules are given in-school suspension, where they might sit in the principal's office for the day.
Teachers receive pressure from parents, the administration, and the district, as well. They frequently pay out of pocket for supplies. They take work home with them nightly, and take time from their families to write lesson plans over the weekend. There were days when I was so very sick with fever and worse - yet I had to create lesson plans for the 5 grade levels I taught (I was a music teacher) PLUS choir, and a special needs class which had its own specialized curriculum. My lessons had to be specially prepared for a substitute who might not have any musical background, as one never knew who would be called in. Because music and physical education are constantly threatened with cuts, the District made a deal with the unions that provided classroom teachers with planning time which was fulfilled by the "specialists." Teachers would drop off the students at music class, and they transitioned to P.E. giving the teachers a one-hour block. However, for me that meant up to 8 classes a day back to back, with just 1/2 hour lunch. Bathroom breaks? Non-existent - one could not leave students unsupervised for even 15 seconds, as (heaven forbid) something might happen to a child, and that could be the end of a teaching career.
I won't go on - but I could!! I loved the children. I loved the subject matter. But the conditions became such that it started to impact my health and I'm fortunate to have retired when I did.
Finally, when my daughters began their careers in private industry (in the fields of technology and advertising), they shared with me their working conditions: Companies that support a healthy lifestyle and paid for gym memberships, encouraged workers to take time to live a healthy lifestyle, provided complimentary tickets to sporting events, concerts, etc., stocked refrigerators with beverages and fruit, and offered stock options and other benefits. Yes, there are pressures, just like any other job, but there is no comparison to the stress that teachers face on a daily basis - this, while trying to provide our students with a consistent environment that is conducive to learning.
By the way, toward the end of my career, I taught upper level classes at a local college for future classroom teachers to learn creative ways in which one can integrate the arts (such as music) with the curriculum to improve learning in such areas as literacy and math. Students were required to write papers for this class, and I received pushback from the students whose grades were lowered due to spelling and grammatical errors. Even as student-teachers, they felt that they should not have to be held accountable for literacy, since the class was considered a "music class." If future teachers hold this attitude, what can we then expect from their students?
p.s. Although my observations may come off as negative, I'm grateful to have had many wonderful and positive experiences throughout my 40+ years as a teacher and - in fact - received an award in the State where I taught as "Music Educator of the Year."
Thank you for allowing me to share my experiences and I hope it will provide some insight as to why our schools are struggling to turn out students who can meet the standards.