Complacency adds to fiscal crisis in education

Complacency adds to fiscal crisis in education:

"Please. Slow down and listen before you take up your pitchforks. I am not a monster. I am merely an educator and a parent. I, too, have been complicit in allowing our education system to deteriorate."



The primary focus in education has been "equity" - addressing the low achievement of students of color, students of low socioeconomic status - but profound fiscal challenges are shifting our attention. Public school districts across the state are increasing class sizes, decreasing the length of the school year, eliminating professional development and eviscerating art, music, athletic and summer school programs.
We educators are fish swimming placidly, heedless of the political environment. Or maybe we are frogs in a pot of simmering water. Maybe it's the unwavering "can-do" attitude of teachers that contributes to the state of affairs.
Raise our class size incrementally to 40? No problem.
No school nurses or counselors? Fine. We'll insert a needle into the thigh of a girl experiencing anaphylaxis, while consoling the boy whose father passed away.
No classroom materials? We'll pay out of pocket.
Fewer custodians? We'll teach in filth.
Cut our benefits? We'll take one for the team.
Maybe it is the parents who are to blame, especially those from wealthy communities. Rather than work to change a dysfunctional educational system, we ask: "What kind of check should we write?" We take care of our own.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/18/ED501C34E9.DTL#ixzz0fzFuZI1N