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On my mind. A #thread about public schools on a theme: we told schools to be everything and do everything and solve everything (but, big secret: we never actually wanted them to), and now that this house of cards is crumbling and shame on us. #mapoli #melrosePS
Over many, many years, we looked at every challenge we face and told public schools to solve them. To make sure they did (or tried), we leveraged the threat of pulling back (already limited) funding.
Example: kids are hungry in America. Schools can fix that. Lunch? Yes, but also add breakfast. Then send them home with little backpacks of food. And, side note, if there is a pandemic, keep feeding them. OK got it.
We did this for literally everything, over the decades. Mental health, trauma, physical health, safe sex. Schools, schools, schools, schools. Should we pay teachers more for this? Um, funny. Should we extend the school day/year? That'll be the day.
And transportation, and homelessness, and substance use disorders, and IPV and on and on and on . . . I'll miss things here, I'm sure, and others will weigh in. So many smart people are writing on this topic.
[Society raises its hand]: But gun violence is also a big problem we created and so can schools fix that? Umm, ok, well we will train teachers and we will scare kids with drills and we will fortify doors and add cameras . . . but, really, society?
OK now do systemic racism. But you don't get any additional resources or training, and parents are going to yell at you about their rights and also the president is too. OK, bye. "Thank you for your service."
And schools you are childcare now, ok? Well, hear us out: maybe we should pay workers a living wage so families can afford high-quality early education staffed by people who are well-compensated and valued? No, we don't like that idea. And so "before care" and "after care"
So this is what we did: as a matter of public policy we made schools our last hope for serving and supporting children. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
It was all a sham. We didn't actually want schools to solve these challenges. How do we know this? Because we never funded them. We never invested in them. We never valued them to their worth. (But we definitely blamed them.)
And listen, no one is perfect, including educators. But we have made teachers be EVERYTHING for kids. Educate them, feed them, keep them safe, love them. And they tried. Because of course they did. We made administrators be super heroes. We gave school boards impossible choices.
Do everything with not enough, we said. Make us better, but don't cost us anything, we said. Low taxes are patriotic, we said. Unions are bad, we said.
And NOW we're mad? That schools aren't "there for us." That they might not open full-time in a pandemic? We are panicking, and deep down we know why: we were never there for them. Shame on us.
See what I mean: “if that’s what’s best for THEM.” And by them she means the parents.
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