Our Teachers: A Spouse’s Opinion

Do you like being taken advantage of in your relationships?

In even the best of marriages, people sometimes lose perspective on the things that make their significant other so important.

It is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and simply assume things are going just fine. In fact, over years and years, certain “given assumptions” take root and change the course of the relationship.This is a dangerous practice and should be kept in check. Nobody likes being taken advantage of in a marriage, friendship, business deal or vocation.

Currently, the people of Oklahoma have come to expect certain things from our teachers and the assumptions are piling up in both good and bad categories. Some assume teachers, “know what they are getting into” when they become a teacher. This is not entirely true. Just as with most jobs, if you could be responsible for the task at hand it would be much simpler than taking on twenty additional tasks that have been pressed upon you via a third party.

If you think that teachers show up at eight o’clock, address a quiet room full of 20-30 students poised and ready for learning, teach them life skills such as reading writing and arithmetic and then at the three o’clock bell, pack up their belongings… I hope you continue reading.

It takes a special breed of human to conquer the world of education. There are very few who not only succeed, but can excel in the field. It is not for the faint of heart and takes a true dedication that the majority of the population lacks. Teachers are feeling forgotten. Teachers are being deemed expendable by our society and it is not going unnoticed. We are taking advantage of these everyday superheroes on a daily basis.

Everyone thinks their child is unique and special and that might be true, for you. However, the priority of a teacher is to help educate all, not just one. An overcrowded classroom that is unequipped with even the simplest of supplies and a lack of parental support makes a difficult job almost impossible.

School is not childcare. School is not a place that manners are taught, but are instead reinforced. School is not a given. School is for learning. School is for preparing our children for the world.

Parents of children in public schools should support our teachers in their quest to better your child’s education. These teachers are not asking for a handout, they are constantly working for you and your child. Back them up! Not just now in their fight for better pay and increased budgets for all things education, but every single day. Do not fall victim to the blame culture that has taken over our world. Take responsibility for you and yours. Understand that the value of a teacher is not a number on a check, but instead the influence and motivation they instill upon our youth. Schools need our help, teachers need our help and our children need to see that we are willing to fight for both.

There is no greed in this ask, no malice and no ulterior motives. It is simple; our priorities need shifting and the value of our teachers must shine.

-by MCM Staffer Travis

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