By Kassidy Tsikitas | Photo Editor
If there are any children under 10 years old in your family and you’re wondering why they took three years to learn their ABCs, it’s due to the new trend of teaching. There has been an alarming amount of teachers on social media that post their “Outfit of the Day.” Cute dress, but teach the children of the future to read.
Despite most of our generation randomly switching to using laptops in school after being told to not use any, children these days learn directly from technology. Losing the student-teacher connection is harmful to the new generation of students and teachers.
On average, teachers in Texas make about $47,000 when the livable wage is around $54,000 per household. The lack of pay could be one of the reasons that teachers aren’t as excited about the job — this year, one in five teachers say they plan on leaving the teaching profession.
Additionally, teachers have to deal with horrible parents who think school is a daycare. Parents tend to lack common sense that children need education continued at home. If you find yourself saying you won’t have time to continue your child’s education even when they come home from school, you might want to reconsider having children. Unless you signed your child up for daycare, there isn’t room for teachers to be your kids’ parents.
Meanwhile, charter schools have increased in popularity throughout Texas and the public is unhappy.
An article from the Texas Tribune reports that “a state law requires charters to close if they fail three years in a row. For a charter network to grow, 90% of its campuses must have passing grades in the most recent academic year, according to state rules.”
The article talks more about how Texas Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, allowed charter schools to exceed the limited amount, and children didn’t have the level of education they should have. Schools are overlooked in Texas and the education students are receiving can harm the future of the state.
Many schools this academic year are struggling to provide enough funds for their staff and students. This is leading to many districts filing for deficit budgets — essentially a loan the district takes out. The reduction in budgets puts certain aspects of school at risk, such as transportation and in-school therapy.
According to an article from OA Online, Texas is slashing $607 million in federal funding for special education services that have previously been given to special needs and lower-income students.
If Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t to blame for funding withheld from public schools, who is? This constant risk of schools on the verge of shutting down and teachers losing their jobs makes the reason that some teachers don’t try anymore pretty clear. We don’t live in a time when teachers retire at 90 years old anymore. The citizens of Texas — or whatever state you’re from — can make a difference in these numbers by signing petitions and voting for candidates who will stand up for education.