Teachers and Families Are More Divided Than Ever — and Students Are Losing Out
Originally published on EdSurge on June 28, 2023
More freelance ICYMI! Make sure to read here and on the OG site :)
There is no doubt that our schools are in crisis. The trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing culture wars and disappointing academic performance results have made education discourse particularly fraught. As many families have rightfully become more involved, they are often pitted against teachers, resulting in each side antagonizing the other.
Across the country, we’ve seen conversations about education become charged. Books are getting banned from classrooms and libraries. Curriculum is being stripped and censored. School board meetings are devolving into hostility.
As a public school kindergarten teacher in Oakland, California, I have seen these challenges widen the gap between teachers and families, especially over the past three years. My district was one of the last in the country to resume in-person learning and there was intense disagreement over how to reopen our schools safely followed by a seven-day teacher strike where campaigns to resume learning ran alongside campaigns to shut it down. We’ve also had heated debates over how to address the reality of declining enrollment. But as much as these conflicts have threatened to divide us, I have also seen my community and others collaborate and come closer together, which we need now more than ever…
Continue reading on EdSurge: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-06-28-teachers-and-families-are-more-divided-than-ever-and-students-are-losing-out
I agree with most of the content of this article. The truth is the dynamics of education have changed since the Covid pandemic. We went back to schooling with much anxieties, and the struggles to manage student behaviors and technology have placed a gap between schools and families. There is definitely a disconnect.