This Is Not Sustainable

 

        Like corn fuel and the housing market at any time, the approach to public education is not sustainable.

        For years we have been asked to "do more with less". At first, that meant supplies. bought kleenex, highlighters, notebooks. Science teachers bought beakers, math bough calculators, language arts  had to have kid buy their own books, That one we couldn't afford and had to pass on to the kids. 

 Then it was "do more with less" meaning students coming to us without parental support. So we stocked classroom food pantries on our own dime, became counselors because ours  were busy with administrative and testing tasks--doing more with less  meant loading more duties on counseling- mitigated arguments between friends and gave grace when Covid arrested their emotional development by two years.

 Now it is "Do more with less" meaning they heap more responsibilities on the suckers who  have stayed to cover for those who leave. I don't have enough to do teaching theatre full time. I have PLT meetings during one of my planning periods twice a week. We are short subs, so I sub one of my planning periods daily. Both of these inflictions put my own planning behind, and frankly I have it better than my colleagues. There is a teacher in a department with two open positions right now. When the long term sub quit, my colleague started writing lesson plans for five classes that he does not teach. And so far, he's doing it without financial compensation.   

This is not even the tip of the iceberg, friends. It's quite literally a fly over. A brief swoop to inform and enlighten those who may not understand why this is not sustainable.