The failure of traditional public schools to post better outcomes is consistently laid on inadequate funding (“Are We Asking Schools to Do Too Much?” Education Week, Sept. 15). But the New York City school system, for example, already spends nearly $30,000 per student per year, and still cannot close the racial achievement gap.
That’s because teachers today are being asked to be parent, police and psychologist, rather than just teach their subject. It’s a situation that no amount of money will ever cure. Catholic schools, which spend a fraction of the amount that public schools do, produce better results because teachers there are allowed to teach.
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Teachers are now tasked to be parents, police and psychologists, but without any of the supports or structures those roles may enjoy. So when teachers “fail” (how can they not) it’s not about their jobs as subject matter pedagogical experts. Teachers are not unconditionally loving enough to serve as perfect parent proxies. Teachers are not strong enough enforcers of discipline and must rely on restorative justice to oppose “crime”. And teachers are not just psychologists but front line trauma counselors for an entire generation of children now.
Throwing money at a problem is what we do, but it’s not a funding issue. It takes a village.
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You’re quite right. Sadly, teachers are losing public support.
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