Educators are in trouble...again
Wow, what a change a week makes! No snow this week, light running, some strength training and new challenges put into place. The Al Ain Triathlon Club started a set of workouts and meets this weekend that helped re-energize me and where I am right now. There is definitely something to be said for teammates, even virtual ones. Certain things can help point you in the direction you know you should be going, even if your heart hasn't been in it and that's what's happening.
But it's not the biggest thing on my mind this week. No, it's the news of education cuts for next year and what that means. The world is struggling and we all understand that. Teachers were asked to revamp their entire curriculum in a short period and we did that. Schools were asked to shut down and still reach out to feed students, set them up with the technology they needed and help this transition and they did that. Now schools are being told thanks for everything you did but now you need to do everything we ask with a lot less funding.
The problem with the lower funding approach is that it's the paraprofessionals and the teachers who are hit the hardest. The people who make the contact with students, the people who help build those relationships and work with the students are the ones who will be told there will be less of them, pay cuts and/or freezes on pay. These are the people being affected by this. The same people who work all academic year and then work all summer at 2nd jobs to make ends meet. Those jobs that probably won't happen this year. Now they're also being asked to do more with less funding. And for better or worse they will. They'll take what they're given and do the best they can with it. That's what teachers do. We've seen it time and time again. Someday the country may even give teachers some credit for the work they do.
On my run the other day I saw this in front of me. It reminds me that, no matter what, the road moves on. We'll have bumps, we know there are hills coming but the road keeps going. That day it was sunny, there are some days that road is full of snow or rain and windy but the road keeps going. That's what we're going to have to look at now. The road is there, we'll manage the hills, the potholes, the curves and straightaway and we'll be better for it. We just need to get on the road and push forward.
But it's not the biggest thing on my mind this week. No, it's the news of education cuts for next year and what that means. The world is struggling and we all understand that. Teachers were asked to revamp their entire curriculum in a short period and we did that. Schools were asked to shut down and still reach out to feed students, set them up with the technology they needed and help this transition and they did that. Now schools are being told thanks for everything you did but now you need to do everything we ask with a lot less funding.
The problem with the lower funding approach is that it's the paraprofessionals and the teachers who are hit the hardest. The people who make the contact with students, the people who help build those relationships and work with the students are the ones who will be told there will be less of them, pay cuts and/or freezes on pay. These are the people being affected by this. The same people who work all academic year and then work all summer at 2nd jobs to make ends meet. Those jobs that probably won't happen this year. Now they're also being asked to do more with less funding. And for better or worse they will. They'll take what they're given and do the best they can with it. That's what teachers do. We've seen it time and time again. Someday the country may even give teachers some credit for the work they do.
On my run the other day I saw this in front of me. It reminds me that, no matter what, the road moves on. We'll have bumps, we know there are hills coming but the road keeps going. That day it was sunny, there are some days that road is full of snow or rain and windy but the road keeps going. That's what we're going to have to look at now. The road is there, we'll manage the hills, the potholes, the curves and straightaway and we'll be better for it. We just need to get on the road and push forward.
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