Unfortunately in our society there are groups of people that are often misunderstood, misrepresented, and underappreciated. One way this often happens is through people’s occupations. People typically think they understand what a job is and what it entails, but their idea can be false or one-sided. There might be certain expectations placed on people with certain jobs that are not realistic because those expectations are coming from someone that does not truly understand what is happening or the overall end goal of the individuals job or task at hand. This can apply to many occupations, but when writing this the task of growing the minds of the future generation comes up first, teachers.
Teachers have a very specific curriculum that they have to follow, sometimes from their school district and sometimes by state policy. Their goal is to teach the students that they have the material that they are required to know and that they need to know to be successful in contributors to the world. Sometimes it can be difficult for teachers to teach in the public school system when the basic needs of their students have not been met. For example, imagine trying to teach a child how to read, but they cannot focus because their stomach is rumbling and they are hungry. Or trying to have a serious class discussion in a high school class room, but the students are tired because they have not slept due to their home conditions. These are the things that teachers have to address, so that the students that they teach can learn.
Public school teachers also have to deal with expectations that are placed on them from the parents of the students that they are teaching. It is natural for parents to want to get involved in their child’s education, which is great, necessary even. The parents can reenforce at home, they should not be telling a teacher how to teach. Teachers have received the proper education and have the credentials to do their job, they are not there for the parents, but for the kids. Teachers have a job to do and they are required to get it done.
Another obstacle that public school teachers have to face is not only the low salary for unbelievable responsibility they have, but also the lack of funding for their classroom. A lack of funding for teachers is a lack of funding for educating the future generation. They often have to pay for their own basic supplies, sometimes they are even limited to how many copies that they can make, but they need those copies to do their job. They also have to fund their entire classroom. I am sure you have seen bland classrooms with little to no decorations and then the complete opposite, classrooms with bright color and decorations from wall to wall. It would be great if every teacher could decorate their classroom the way that they wish, but financially it is most likely not practical. Which leaves not only the teacher in a bland work environment, but the students in a unstimulating learning capacity. It is important for the teacher to be comfortable in the space they are teaching in and crucial for the students to feel safe and welcomed in the space they are learning in.
