School Reform: Thoughts?
in Students & Teens ·
Susan James said:An English teacher is covering math at a school in Florida
I honestly believe she knows her stuff, and the kids will be fine. If they hit a wall, parents can always step in to help out a bit—whether that's through tutoring or just sharing what they know.It’s honestly unrealistic to expect someone with a degree from Harvard University to jump into a temporary substitute role in an elementary school, especially when their field is in such high demand. We put out job postings every few months, but we just can't get anyone to apply.
I think the school found a decent workaround for the bright students (they'll have another teacher to lean on), but we really need to realize that pushing for reforms without actually increasing teacher salaries is a losing game.
Since certain specialists are clearly in short supply, I don't see any other way besides paying them more. That's why forcing computer science on everyone doesn't make sense—not everyone is built for it—just like paying for religious studies instructors for all eight years isn't practical. And don't even get me started on adding extra elective subjects.
We need to redirect the funding differently.
Of course, we should also thank the "helicopter parents" who want everything perfect; the reality is that most people don't choose math education as a major, and even those who do often have no interest in working in public schools.
Honestly, you see this kind of thing all the time because there just aren't enough teachers to go around... and now they're even looking into passing laws that would let nurses handle doctor duties since we're short on physicians too. In most developed countries, that's actually been the standard for ages...