If this was a perfect world and we could get rid of COVID-19, our children would be back in school — or would they?
The public schools are back in session and most private schools are back – but things are so different and changing by the day, the loss of in person instruction is going to leave a very negative residual.
I believe the most important duty for our future is the work of great teachers and proactive, positive parents. And make no mistake, it takes both. Despite the overwhelming criticism – even from some board members, students whose parents are actively involved in their education are very likely to do well — in any school system.
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However, addressing the elephant in the room, one of the biggest problems for our schools is that a large number of parents, for a lot of different reasons, some good, and others, unfortunately bad, are not involved enough in the education of their children. Schools are not meant to be day care centers or how-to-act institutions. I’m referring to discipline. School should not be treated as a place to drop of kids like they are dropped off at a mall.
Schools are not for the kind of caretaking where we drop kids off for PreK through 12th grade and then wait for an educated 17 year old or 18 year old to emerge.
Education is a long, tedious process and requires a massive amount of work and tremendous commitment from parents, teachers, and the one who gets left off this list way too often: students.
Now, to speak on teachers for a moment. The majority of our teachers are highly educated, committed workers. Some teachers are bad, and they should be held accountable.
The uncertainty of this pandemic has shown us a lot about schools, our school systems and some of these underserving teachers. I remember when the school system first closed because of the coronavirus, some teachers would literally just text an assignment every morning to my sons. They would not respond; they would not answer questions and would not, for the most part, even grade turned-in work.
I knew it was just a mass text – with no real intention behind it — because I had students with the same teacher for different classes but who received the same assignments.
I have seen some stories about this award here and that award there — but there is no reason to celebrate these minute gains. We have to demand so much more from our system. A four-year college degree is almost mandatory for a good job and basic standard of living in this country. I think our system is failing a lot of our children by not properly preparing them for college and career.
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Over the next 20-plus years, when our children and grandchildren are raising children of their own in an ever-changing and advanced society, educational requirements will become even more complex.
So, in my eyes, we must address teacher quality, a topic that gets talked about but that people seem reluctant to touch.
We know for certain that some teachers can have a huge positive or negative impact on student achievement and also on the lives of their students. The positive effect of teachers on underachieving students is startling, and we hear these stories all the time.
Now, the next elephant to address is whether there is a stark difference between the Columbia County School System and the Richmond County School System.
I am not going to dive into Columbia County schools because that is not really the topic of my concern — I live, vote and raise my children Richmond County. So, let me say this – first, Richmond County does not have a failing system. We may have some failing parts, but we do not have a failing system. We have things that need to be addressed and people to hold accountable – to include board members.
We must require improvement, or we must look for other ways to improve. There are measurements and documentation that we can use to assess. We also need to understand that qualifications on paper, such as teacher certification, have very little to do with whatever it is that makes good teachers effective. There is a level of love and accountability that good teachers show without prompting.
Last point about school system differences: Columbia County requires even their subs to have a degree. Richmond County does not and still can’t get subs.
Let me say this for the record — the concerns about raising the quality of teachers has consistently focused on the credentials rather than the demonstrated effectiveness — or ineffectiveness — of teachers in the classroom. I believe that must stop — we know that there are great teachers among us, and the Richmond County School System has produced some of the best and brightest to walk among us.
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We must use the known ways of identifying good teachers and getting rid of bad ones — by carefully assessing their job performance. We should use times like right now to do most of our accessing – times when the children need us the most because of the pandemic. This could help us in the transformation of our school system.
Now, we also need to focus on what parents need to be doing at home, not just to have their children prepared for each day, but also to supplement the classroom. I hear horror stories directly from teachers who have to buy even pencils for kids. I know this to be true because for the last few years I have helped fund a few classrooms.
And how do we give parents a bigger role? What if the lesson plans were not only for the classroom but also for home? And not just homework.
However, what we need more than anything is, ironically, community support — especially in our underserved community. Children in this community need home support the most. That’s where we need churches, community groups and other organizations to step in with after-school programs, in-school programs and community programs, not just basketball and games. Sports in schools have proven to be important in the overall educational experience, but sports must have a secondary position to academics. Enhanced study and tutoring time should be extended. We need things that are outside the box – and not the same old thing. (That may be why some of the older, less progressive members need to go).
While this type of home involvement will, for all intents and purposes, not happen for some students, we feel like high expectations must be set, and parents should be invited and empowered to do their part in their child’s education.
This will help all of us. Not just in our schools — but in our community. This will help us have a better quality of student and citizen. This can help us address bigger issues and even reduce crime. But it starts when we all decide to work together.
Michael Meyers is a Columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
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