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There’s no doubt that our education system is in crisis. There are dozens upon dozens of issues we could discuss and still barely scratch the surface of everything going sideways in our schools. And when it comes to teachers, they’re already difficult job is rapidly marching toward impossible, and the breakdown of relations between teachers and parents is one of the chief causes.
A teacher shared five things she wishes parents knew:
Everywhere you look there’s a new story about misbehaved kids, crisis-level literacy skills, behavioral issues that have gone far past unmanageable to, oftentimes, actively dangerous. And all too often these days, it is teachers who get blamed for all of it.
One teacher on TikTok who teaches fourth grade math and science has attempted to bridge this gap by sharing the five things she wishes parents realized about her job and how it affects their kids.
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Ultimately, what’s going on in our schools is a systemic issue resulting from poor governance, and teachers and parents need to be uniting to work TOGETHER to get through it instead of being pitted against each other. All that parent-teacher conflict is exactly how politicians of both parties have been able to distract from the fact that they categorically refuse to do anything to actually fix our education system. These five perspectives might help bridge that gap so parents and teachers can create a united front.
1. Most teachers use their own money for classroom decor and supplies
“Have you seen a government-funded classroom?” the teacher asked. “They don’t look anything like what you see in TikTok videos and YouTube videos.” When it comes to all the decor and much of the supplies that make a classroom a welcoming, dynamic environment, she had just one question for parents: “Who do you think pays for all of that?”
Despite our ever increasing taxes, schools are so underfunded that most teachers go out-of-pocket for all that stuff — and the real kick in the teeth is that come tax time, they’re only allowed to write off $300 of it. Yes, just $300 — which is not even a fraction of what it costs to outfit a classroom, especially for elementary students. (My best friend regularly spends in the four-figures each fall for her kindergarteners.)
“I wish parents knew how much we invest in our classrooms so that their children can benefit from it,” the teacher went on to say. Instead, they tend to complain when they’re asked to help with supplies.
2. How much of a teacher’s work is unpaid and after hours
“I wish parents knew how much unpaid labor teachers put into preparing their lesson plans and activities for students,” the teacher said. That includes during those summer breaks that parents love to hold over teachers’ heads, by the way.
I lived with a high school science teacher for seven years and there was hardly ever a night in front of the TV that he didn’t spend grading papers or lesson planning the entire time — from the moment he finished dinner until the moment he finally went to bed. Few of us would ever agree to that for any amount of money, let alone what teachers are paid.
3. The amount of advocacy teachers do for their students
Whether it’s bad grades or incidents of bullying, the teacher said she and her colleagues are constantly accused of not “having their students’ backs” and being part of the problem. “They have no idea how much of a voice we give to our students in staff meetings… to make sure that their well being is at the forefront of what we do every single day.”
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4. Teachers need parents’ support
The fact of the matter is that we live under a governmental system that has consistently devalued and defunded education for decades. Those working in our schools are pushing boulders uphill every single day because of it, and they simply cannot do it alone.
“We need parents to be a voice for their students just as much as teachers are a voice for their students,” she said. “We do not have endless amounts of time to call, chat, email.” And she says much of the stuff that takes up so much teacher time could be handled at home.
Granted that’s a tall order for many parents — most are under untenable workloads. But your kids’ teachers are already working consistent overtime, both at school and at home. Something’s gotta give, and until we stop voting for people who continue to enable this punishing system, parents have to share some of the load. There are only so many hours in a day.
5. Teachers get just as overwhelmed and overstimulated as students
“We are human, we break,” the teacher said, which, combined with the staggering amount of overtime they work, is why they get the summers off — summers they usually spend part of working “We need for you to give us a break and be understanding, because again, we are human,” she said. And she urged parents to shift their mindsets toward viewing teachers as collaborators, not adversaries or service providers.
“Together, we can make this experience momentous for your students and for our students,” she said. “If we work together.” And in this new era we’ve just entered into, that is more true than ever.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
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