World Teachers' Day + a Playlist
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
Dear teachers,
Thank you for all you do. You show up every day for our kids. You look them in the eye, address them by name, and make them part of your classroom family. You check in with them. You hold them accountable. You know who they are friends with, and who they avoid. You see them in their natural setting every day - among their peers. Sometimes you notice our kid has eyesight issues before we do. Oftentimes you spot a learning disability before anyone else. You navigate around each kid’s learning style. Daily, you find ways to keep our kids motivated and interested in learning.
And that is only a portion of your job. Beyond that, you attend meetings, research teaching methods, conduct team presentations, hold one-on-ones with families, get observed, navigate school politics, and too often serve as social workers of sorts. You spend nights and weekends creating lesson plans and grading papers. You keep up with protocol via paperwork - and then paperwork for the paperwork! Your summer break -- an aspect of your job that is legendary among other careers -- is shorter than students’ break and typically filled with summer school teaching, tutoring or side jobs to make ends meet.
Teachers - we cannot begin to thank you for all you do.
XOXO
The Nelle
Today is World Teachers’ Day. It’s a day meant to honor and celebrate the contributions of our teachers. But doing so is no longer enough. Beyond thanks and cheers, teachers need funding and policy change. They need to be heard. They need more.
As of this fall, there are 3.7 million teachers in America's public schools alone. For those 3.7 million humans, this is not the job they signed on to do. Starting this past spring with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers’ rulebooks and lesson plans were thrown out. They had to start from scratch, with too little guidance and too much anxiety. They had to start teaching via cramped computer screen, with no dynamic student contact or in-person colleague support system. This is what teachers are still dealing with for the 2020-2021 school year.
Before Covid, a teacher shortage was already upon us. The 2015-2016 school year, for example, had a shortage of approximately 64,000 teachers, according to the Learning Policy Institute (LPI). The same study estimated that up to 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years, with greater turnover at high-need schools. These statistics are likely to only get worse post-Covid and as teachers continue to not have a voice. What’s more, these stats don’t touch on the shortage of substitute teachers. How many substitutes will be available -- and willing -- to jump in during this Covid school year?
For a profession that is well-respected across societies, teachers make too little money. The average salary for public school teachers in Kansas is $55,528, according to salary.com. Public school teachers in the U.S. are one of the most underpaid professions, according to The Job Network and salary.com.
Despite being underpaid, U.S. teachers typically pay out of pocket for school supplies. As school funding has been cut again and again, funds for classrooms have also been cut. The Teachers Choice program in NYC, for example, typically reimburses teachers $250 for classroom supplies each year -- an amount too small to cover all expenses, but helpful nonetheless. Then that funding was cut for this school year. Overall, public school teachers spend $1.6 billion of their own money on school supplies and more than 90 percent purchase supplies for families unable to afford them. In a national survey from the 2015-2016 school year, teachers spent an average of $479 per year on supplies. Elementary school teachers at low-income schools spent an average of $554.
All of this is to say, we need education funding and policy change. While we want World Teachers’ Day to be whimsical hugs and love for teachers, their situation is too severe for that. The need is for policy change and funding, and for us to back the changes that will benefit teachers. Here are some ways to do that:
Grassroots
Ask your teacher what they need for the classroom. Teachers tend to have an ongoing list of supplies they need, or that they see some of their students need. Sending them a quick email to see if you can donate items is an easy and personal way to help.
Donate
ScrapsKC - ScrapsKC is a local nonprofit that collects used school supplies to disperse to teachers and schools in need. You can donate supplies, your time, or funds to help.
DonorsChoose - This is one of the most reputable websites where you can help teachers from all over. With teachers and students facing the toughest learning challenges in a generation, as the website states, you can help provide the supplies to keep kids learning.
Adopt-a-Classroom - This national, award-winning nonprofit offers easy fundraising methods for teachers and schools, as well as easy ways to donate.
Vote
To support policy change, we all need to vote. This November 3rd, be registered and ready to vote. Check your registration status here.
Volunteer to help at the voter polls. As we’ve mentioned before, there is a shortage of polling place workers this year. Many workers fall in the COVID high-risk age group of 65 or older, so they may not be able to show up like normal. If you can help, go here if you live in Kansas and here if you live in Missouri.
