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Voices from the classroom: US teachers discuss their biggest challenges – live Voices from the classroom: US teachers discuss their biggest challenges – live
(35 minutes later)
Anna Burr, in Phoenix, AZ, said she struggles with debt –
“As a teacher, I was told I would love my job so the salary wouldn’t matter. That was true until this year. I’m $100k in student loan debt (the promise of more pay after obtaining a masters enticed me). I make $2,400 a month and half of that goes to rent alone. I’m drowning. I have 40 students in my class and some don’t even have their own desk. I used to be the cool teacher now I’m the mean teacher. They made me hate my dream, I thought I’d love this career forever now I just want to make enough where I don’t stress at night. My students come to school hungry and leave worried on the weekends. I have been apart of the Red for Ed movement here in Arizona but I feel like I can never do enough.”
One reader who responded to our callout is pre-K teacher Andrew Berg, from Boston.One reader who responded to our callout is pre-K teacher Andrew Berg, from Boston.
Though his school is well-resourced, teachers are increasingly finding themselves doing things that are not typically expected of them:Though his school is well-resourced, teachers are increasingly finding themselves doing things that are not typically expected of them:
“Nationally, there are serious problems around school funding because so much of this is derived from local (municipal) taxes. There is often an inverse correlation between a district’s needs and its ability to raise revenue.“Nationally, there are serious problems around school funding because so much of this is derived from local (municipal) taxes. There is often an inverse correlation between a district’s needs and its ability to raise revenue.
“Feeding children, for example, is not the same as teaching, but since hungry children do not learn well, we have to do this.“Feeding children, for example, is not the same as teaching, but since hungry children do not learn well, we have to do this.
“Providing clothing, helping families find housing or navigate child protection services, assessing and dealing with the effects of trauma are not, properly speaking, teaching, but we do these things because they are necessary precursors. These things have to be done before learning can happen. All this makes education much more expensive, and less efficient as instructional time is redirected. This is a societal problem. As a nation, we have decided not to deal with the problems caused by social inequality, and much of this has come down on schools.”“Providing clothing, helping families find housing or navigate child protection services, assessing and dealing with the effects of trauma are not, properly speaking, teaching, but we do these things because they are necessary precursors. These things have to be done before learning can happen. All this makes education much more expensive, and less efficient as instructional time is redirected. This is a societal problem. As a nation, we have decided not to deal with the problems caused by social inequality, and much of this has come down on schools.”
September marks the start of the new school year for many US public schools. It’s a difficult time for teachers who are returning to overcrowded classrooms, decrepit buildings, precious few supplies and out-of-date textbooks.September marks the start of the new school year for many US public schools. It’s a difficult time for teachers who are returning to overcrowded classrooms, decrepit buildings, precious few supplies and out-of-date textbooks.
This week we’ll tell teachers’ stories in a special series called the Guardian US teacher takeover. We’ve been working closely with a team of teachers from across the country who are serving as our guest editors Sept. 5-7 to highlight falling teacher pay, underfunded schools, and a new wave of activism.This week we’ll tell teachers’ stories in a special series called the Guardian US teacher takeover. We’ve been working closely with a team of teachers from across the country who are serving as our guest editors Sept. 5-7 to highlight falling teacher pay, underfunded schools, and a new wave of activism.
In this live blog we’ll share the stories from teachers reading the project, and those who responded to our callout last week. If you’d like to share your experiences and join the conversation you can do so via the secure form below, and we’ll post it here, with your permission.In this live blog we’ll share the stories from teachers reading the project, and those who responded to our callout last week. If you’d like to share your experiences and join the conversation you can do so via the secure form below, and we’ll post it here, with your permission.
Let us know if you’d like to add your submission to our Teachers’ wishlist – a manifesto outlining the basic conditions that teachers need in order to address the crisis in schools. We’ll update the document with your contributions – and the Guardian will deliver the final version to US secretary of education Betsy DeVos.Let us know if you’d like to add your submission to our Teachers’ wishlist – a manifesto outlining the basic conditions that teachers need in order to address the crisis in schools. We’ll update the document with your contributions – and the Guardian will deliver the final version to US secretary of education Betsy DeVos.