“We can’t fix this.”
These four words came to me after a two-hour remote union meeting. This realization was deflating, depressing, and demoralizing. As I whispered these words to myself, I came to truly understand the reality, and depth of the educational crisis in our country.
No one can “fix” the crisis in American education right now. While issues of systemic racism, classism, and other systems of oppression in education are exacerbating the current crisis, the pandemic itself is not the fault of schools. Teachers aren’t responsible for the lack of a federal plan, clear and unified messaging, and the deaths of far too many Americans. trump and his enablers are at fault. Their incompetence and destructive actions have destroyed any possibility that schools this year can provide an education that is anything but a shadow of what students experienced last school year.
Administrators and teachers are trying create safe in-school teaching environments. However, most cannot. This isn’t a question of will or hard work. It’s just simply not possible for most schools. There’s not enough money, not enough planning time, not enough teachers, and not enough time. These things are can’t appear out of nowhere. Even if the money appeared, it wouldn’t make supplies, and more importantly, qualified teachers materialize. The problems are too big, and the roadblocks are insurmountable for most schools to safety have students attend school in person.
The schools that are opening remote can’t provide students with what they get with in-person instruction. The technology isn’t good enough. More teachers have gotten training than last spring, but many will be winging it, and struggling to make online teaching work while students wait. At home instruction for most communities is the best option, but it’s not a great option. Distance learning can’t fully replace teaching in person. It is better than nothing, but it’s not what our children deserve.
Teachers in America have a tradition of picking up the slack when others have failed children. It takes sacrifice as teachers like those pay for students’ snacks out of their own pocket, and work long hours they are not compensated for to advocate for a student’s basic needs. There a difference between giving more for students, and trying to do the impossible.
We could have had in-person education this school year that is safe. It was a possibility last Spring, but it is an impossibility for most schools right now. As we struggle through this school year, don’t forget who to blame, and what our children are losing. The horrible effects of trump and his enablers on the education of students this year will be felt for generations. Even though it is bad now, it will get much worse if trump and the Republicans who enable him continue to hold office.
Vote them out, all of them.
Our children’s future depends on it.
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