An Education Lesson
This morning I woke up with so much on my mind. I had no idea what I would write about. Especially, since I had not written my blog last week. Finances, work, writing, reading, housework, time off, school and the teacher’s strike were all on my mind. The teacher strike going on here in Detroit, Michigan, is serious business. Therefore, I was left with only one thing to write about, again. Education.
The strike is of utmost importance to me because I am now in school for my masters’ in education. I plan to teach in the near future. It’s not that I haven’t taught in the past. I was once a substitute teacher. Having been in the profession for two years a while ago, I personally saw what was needed in the educational system. With my own eyes, I saw exhaustion, fear and complaisance. I felt the school system needed help. Help from those like myself, willing to still believe in the hope that things could change. So I went back to school.
As I watch the strike going on, I find that I understand the reasons for the battle. On the other side, I worry about the children. They cannot afford to miss any days of school. The Detroit school system has for a long time had the reputation of not educating the children of the city. It has been said they are not at the literacy levels they should be. Sadly, some of this may be true. When I substituted for regular teachers, I witnessed what the children could and could not do. Mind you, I taught in the middle and high schools. Some of the children I encountered were not able to perform the way I thought they should, nor the way the system felt they should.
This is what inspired me to offer my help as a teacher of the future. I wanted to be a part of the changes that were inevitable for there would have to be changes made. The system as it is, does not work anymore. Many children of today were not being prepared for tomorrow. If change did not come, they would not survive. I felt I had to be in the future, as a teacher, to help institute the changes.
Here I go back to the strike. As a life long union member, I must stand by the teacher strike. For I believe in the power of the masses and unity. But I do worry if the children should be the scape goats. As the administration and the union representatives fight it out, will this be an educational lesson for the children or just more days off from school? I hope that the children see this as a civics class. Remembering the one I had in the past was a stepping stone in the lesson I was taught on being part of the solutions and not part of the problems.
The strike is of utmost importance to me because I am now in school for my masters’ in education. I plan to teach in the near future. It’s not that I haven’t taught in the past. I was once a substitute teacher. Having been in the profession for two years a while ago, I personally saw what was needed in the educational system. With my own eyes, I saw exhaustion, fear and complaisance. I felt the school system needed help. Help from those like myself, willing to still believe in the hope that things could change. So I went back to school.
As I watch the strike going on, I find that I understand the reasons for the battle. On the other side, I worry about the children. They cannot afford to miss any days of school. The Detroit school system has for a long time had the reputation of not educating the children of the city. It has been said they are not at the literacy levels they should be. Sadly, some of this may be true. When I substituted for regular teachers, I witnessed what the children could and could not do. Mind you, I taught in the middle and high schools. Some of the children I encountered were not able to perform the way I thought they should, nor the way the system felt they should.
This is what inspired me to offer my help as a teacher of the future. I wanted to be a part of the changes that were inevitable for there would have to be changes made. The system as it is, does not work anymore. Many children of today were not being prepared for tomorrow. If change did not come, they would not survive. I felt I had to be in the future, as a teacher, to help institute the changes.
Here I go back to the strike. As a life long union member, I must stand by the teacher strike. For I believe in the power of the masses and unity. But I do worry if the children should be the scape goats. As the administration and the union representatives fight it out, will this be an educational lesson for the children or just more days off from school? I hope that the children see this as a civics class. Remembering the one I had in the past was a stepping stone in the lesson I was taught on being part of the solutions and not part of the problems.
posted by Sylvia McClain at 5:33 AM
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