5 Things You Should Know about Teachers on Elementary School Teacher Day

digitalphotolinds via Pixabay

Today is elementary school teacher day. In my work as an elementary school counselor, I had the great fortune to work with many excellent elementary school teachers, some of whom remain my best friends. Trust me, they deserve more than a day.

Here are a few things I know about these wonderful people, as both a mom and an educator.

1. It's not about the paycheck. Some teachers are paid very well, but many are not. And yet, they turn up for work every day to deal with everyone from stellar students to children going through personal troubles to drunk parents to parents who are packing to PTO moms who bring them delicious treats. Nope. Did not make a single one of those up. All real -- and just from my own experience.

2. It's not about summers "off." Granted, freedom from teaching in June and July is nice, but that doesn't mean teachers just kick back and do nothing. With the school year starting in mid-August, teachers are in the classrooms setting up by August 1. In June and July, they're often taking courses they need to stay certified and making plans for what they want to do in the fall. It's a nice break -- but not much longer than most similarly credentialed professionals get (think MBAs, as most experienced teachers have master's degrees or beyond). Teachers just get their break all at once, whether they want it that way or not.

3. It's not a nine to five job. Teachers are required to arrive at a minimum half an hour before the start of the school day and stay, again, at a minimum, fifteen minutes after dismissal begins. Most teachers either begin their day earlier than that or end their day later; some do both. And, in addition....

4. It's not the kind of job that lets you leave work at work. As a school counselor, I often brought my kids' worries home with me, but teachers do that every night, along with papers to grade. (See also #3). They don't get paid by the paper or paid extra at all; it's just part of the job -- a part that cannot get done during the school day because there simply isn't enough time.

5. It's more than a career choice. Most teachers accept all of the above, along with recess duty when it's 30 degrees (or 85 degrees), meetings that start before the school day and/or end after the school day ends, professional development that can't possibly be confused with planning time or personal development as a professional. Why?? Because they can't imagine doing anything else. They love their kids, they bond with their colleagues and they make school a place kids want to come because most of them want to come to school, too. Sure, there are rotten apples in the bunch, but that's true of any profession. Good teachers will reach out to help anyone who needs it -- their students, their colleagues, the school custodian, the grandma who volunteers to help in their classroom, sharing their time, talent, and treasure freely.

Their reward? A place in the hearts of the children they teach...who become young adults and turn up in their college classes, or greet them when they're at a restaurant.

So, if you haven't already reached out to thank a teacher today -- whether your child's teacher or one who holds a special place in your heart -- today might be a great day to do that. You just might make their week.

stevepb via Pixabay

Friday Feature: The Month of Budgets and Celebrations

May is a particularly busy month in education. Semesters end. Children graduate from preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, eighth grade and high school, depending on their school's configuration. A stroll down Facebook Lane reveals smiling faces and successes that contradict Education Secretary DeVos' statement that “Washington has been in the driver’s seat for over 50 years with very little to show for its efforts.” 

Although there is always room to grow (and Washington's money deserves only part of the credit for these successes), there is, indeed, much to show. These posts make me smile and hit "like" and "love" in celebration of the hard work of all of these children, their families and their teachers. 

Ah, their teachers. Pushing through exhaustion to celebrate this time of year with enthusiasm that rivals that of their charges. Limping toward a summer "break" that both starts and ends earlier each year so there's enough time in the school day to teach to the test, fully cognizant of the fact that much of it will be spent planning for the next school year, which, in my neck of the woods, starts in mid-August.

But I digress.

I don't want this to be a political post. Rather, I want it to be a "both sides" post. If I weren't an educator, I would be reading only the headlines about the current education budget proposal, but, since I am an educator -- both retired and active, because teachers are just crazy enough to do that -- I want to know more.

And I think you should know more, too. 

During the confirmation process for Betsy DeVos, a well-intentioned friend expressed her confusion over the rabid opposition to a woman who had no background in the schools that currently make up the backbone of our education system. "Is it just about the vouchers?" she asked.

She wasn't being snarky -- she wanted to understand. I think a lot of people do.

So, in honor of this hectic month in education, I want to share a bit about the teachers and a bit about the budget. I hope you'll take a look.

Because it's not about the vouchers. And it's not really about the teachers.

It's about the kids.

The other night, a friend of mine suggested that I read Larry Hicks' column in our local paper . Apparently Mr. Hicks had written on the topic of education and spending and how more of the latter doesn't necessarily create a better version of the former.

My friend is retired. His children are grown and long out of school, and I think he found a lot of merit in the column. I found some good points, too, along with a few that got my back up.

But I'm not here to rant and rave. I've done enough of that in the past few months as daily, someone who doesn't do what educators do suggests that there's a better/cheaper/more efficient way to do it. We've spent the last two weeks administering PSSA tests ad nauseum to prove that our kids know what they know, and I have found myself wondering on more than one occasion if the money involved in creating, shipping and scoring those tests was re-allocated to programs that actually educate children, how many tax dollars could be saved? Because, in case you don't know, we assess our kids. Regularly. And so the PSSA is, from where I sit, redundant.

But I am getting ahead of myself. My purpose here is not to complain (this time), but rather, to toss a question Mr. Hicks has raised out to you. He cites York Catholic as an example of accomplishing more for less. He acknowledges that York Catholic has the advantage of being able to hand-pick its students, and that its revenue stream is different from that of public schools.

The York Catholic Fact Sheet found on their web site lists their revenue resources as follows:

• 66% Student Tuition
• 21% Parish Subsidy
• 9% Gifts and Bequests
• 2% Student Fundraisers
• 2% Other

(I am assuming that "other" includes the tax dollars that York Catholic parents pay their home districts which covers the cost of services such as transportation and nursing, which is provided by the home districts, and is therefore a part of their budgets.)

In the public schools, not only do we not have tuition, we have families who rent their homes and therefore pay no taxes that cover the services their children receive. We cannot turn away a child whose behavior interferes with his learning or the learning of others. We must take everyone who walks in our front doors, and because we live in a democracy, we SHOULD take everyone who walks in our front doors, regardless of whether or not they are carrying a tuition check.

Please understand: I am not trashing York Catholic. In fact, I belong to a parish that subsidizes it. My daughter has friends who attend YC, and as a practicing Catholic, I see the value of a Catholic education. My question is this: from where you sit as a parent/reader/person who stumbled across this blog by accident, how can a public school replicate this? What funding streams are we missing? How, in this economy, do we maintain the quality of education we have been able to provide without reaching into the rapidly emptying pockets of the taxpayers who fund our public schools?

I agree with Mr. Hicks on one thing. We have no choice. Push has come to shove, and something has got to give.

But let's not make it our kids.