A Maryland teacher recalled a student's heartwarming gesture at the end of last school year and opened up about the emotional reality for public school teachers as they return to school.
A third-grade teacher in College Park, Maryland, Ali Levasseur, remembered one beautiful moment in class with a student during the culmination of the school year. While preparing to head back to class, she stopped and shared a photo of five scissors on social media, narrating how a student gave her these scissors packed in a ziplock bag and told her that he bought them at the dollar store with his own money.
That story has stuck in her mind and heart because the student saw and experienced how hard it was to only have ten scissors to use for activities and projects when there are 70 of them in class.
The teacher, who has taught in the public school for almost seven years, emotionally captioned the photo, "That's the thing. The younger generations aren't getting 'worse.' The kids aren't getting 'worse.' We're just failing them. Kids are so inherently good and pure and wholesome."
'Scary time to raise kids' because of us...
In an interview with Today Parents, Levasseur expressed that she is sharing this story because she is scared and devastated for the next generation and what has become of public school teachers.
Many are saying that it is a scary time to raise children these days. As food for thought, especially for parents and caretakers of children, she only has one response - it is only scary because adults are making it so.
She explained kids are "sponges." They are observers, and whatever they see, they absorb. Whatever they see, they mimic, thinking that it is what's supposed to be done because the adults, who are better, are doing it. What she fears the most is that children are seeing a lot of hatred these days, a lot of toxicity on social media, and unsafeness in school, and they do not see anyone doing anything about it. Imagine what these kids will become because of what they see.
Thousands of Americans compared "kids these days" with the older generations and concluded that the former lack positive attributes, a 2019 study revealed. With this, the public teacher warned parents and caretakers that children's behavior is a learned skill. What they see at home will lead them to act that way elsewhere.
Being a teacher is becoming 'unsurvivable'
Levasseur further expressed that what scares her the most is that teachers are slowly being pushed out of their careers, with the nation no longer prioritizing school and children.
She divulged that the current public school system does not care about the students anymore. She sighted the numerous school shootings left unresolved, underfunded and underpaid professional teachers, and a memo to push for raising data and better test scores but with zero assistance.
She shared that she already had nine friends leaving the teaching profession in the past two years because of the increase in workload and stress but the same pay and resources; a confirmation of a December 2020 survey that found stress as the number one reason for public school teachers quitting their jobs.
Being a teacher has become "unsurvivable," according to Levasseur.
What's even scarier is that the ones who are good at their jobs, have the hearts for the children, and are willing to go the extra mile for their students are being pushed out and replaced with non-certified, no experience teachers who are being hired conditionally.
Despite all these, she continues to have hope. Despite her fears, she continues to be the teacher her students need to have. She continued preparing her classroom to welcome students looking for a safe place. And she will continue to remind the world that "Teaching is the only job that makes all other jobs possible."
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