Support vs. Self-Reliance

There was a time, in my youth, when schools tried to develop the character of their students. They emphasized personal responsibility for one's future life.

As part of that effort, an English teacher might assign Emerson's essay, "Self Reliance", for the students to read and discuss. Or, perhaps, Kipling's "If" poem, which puts the responsibility for personal growth on the individual's taking actions that further his/her future life.

Brave New World was another book that argued for the individual taking responsibility for the outcome of his decisions, rather than simply follow all the others who passively accepted the various means by which the government kept its people calm and amenable.

Today's students are often coddled, encouraged to think of themselves as helpless victims, and too infrequently helped to develop the mental and emotional toughness that facilitates their independence as adults. Here is one high-performing school's experience with their students' life after school, and some thoughts about how to change that fate.

Here's a link to a list that contains many of the books I, and other students, were assigned as students. You might want to re-read some of them, as well - they might seem very different, from the perspective of adult experience. 

Why Classrooms Have So Few Resources

Every year when I taught, I had a list of items to buy for my classroom. In South Carolina, the state I retired from, teachers got a check ($275) for these supplies. In the last 2 years, we needed to account for the purchases, by itemizing them on a one-page list, and submitting it for reimbursement.

I never had a problem with that. Almost all the teachers I knew easily matched, or exceeded the amount of the check on their classrooms. And, by buying the items yourself, you could get exactly the type of pen, clipboard, or marker you wanted. As a lefty, the extra money spent on pens that didn't smear was well worth it.

But, why is it only teachers have to buy their own supplies/work tools? Why doesn't the school secretary, or nurse, or Diversity Coordinator, have to bring in their own pens, paper, or printer ink?

The answer is: because teachers are soft-hearted suckers.

This essay provides the major reason schools are so broke - many, if not MOST, of the staff is NOT in the classroom. They are support staff, not line staff (if you don't understand that, talk to someone who worked in a manufacturing facility). They do NOT contribute to the bottom line. Their job is NOT directly connected to teaching.

Now, most women (and some men) will have a hard time to understand this point. They will argue that they work VERY hard, and that their job is critical to the business/organization they work for.

Don't flatter yourself. The bottom line is:

Do you DIRECTLY bring in money to the organization?

If the answer is no, then you are staff - and that job is not, technically, necessary to the functioning of the organization.

Now, realistically, in most businesses, staff frees up the line workers to make more widgets. Without them, those who do make money for the organization would lose time from their main job.

But, don't kid yourself - those jobs are the ones that SHOULD be eliminated (or suffer a reduction in hours) in a financial crisis. And, they NEVER are the ones on the block in a school funding 'crisis'.

Line:

• Teachers currently working in a classroom/resource room
• Attendance staff (yes, because their work brings in money from the state - the higher the attendance, the more money)
• Bus drivers/bus program - I'm gonna be generous, and put them here, since, without them providing the delivery of the widgets (kids) to school, the production department (teachers) wouldn't have the raw materials to work with

 Staff:

• Clerical staff - if I'm generous, I might allow that perhaps 1/4 of their time is related to things that bring in money
• Janitorial/custodial/maintenance - brings in no cash
• Cafeteria - yes, they do get money from students or the government to run the breakfast/lunch program, but most of these run in the red
• Library - that's an auxiliary service - useful, and worth keeping, but not bringing in cash
• Counseling - most schools would improve without them
• Administration, which includes the district's central offices

You could argue with some of the classifications, but it's pretty clear that schools are top-heavy with peripheral workers - MOST of them women. They work in clean and orderly surroundings, seldom encounter unruly students or parents, get paid well - often better than the teachers, and leave at the end of the day without a care (principals/assistant principals are the exception here - their jobs usually extend LONG after school hours, and include many other appearances at sports events, banquets, plays, etc.)

From my days teaching, I know that, whether the heat/cooling system is working in the classrooms, it ALWAYS does in the working areas of the staff. We could be wilting at 95+ degrees in the class, but, if you walked into the main office, it would be an icy 70 degrees.

One rule for the Elite, another for the Proles.