It is time to cheer for and support the people on an important front line. Our children are heading back to our public schools, a backbone of American democracy and economic health. Teachers will be teaching them how to think, not what to think, but rather how to evaluate facts and discern truths.
Behind them stand school staff from custodians to the principals who have some new worries compared to the days when most of us were in class.It doesn’t matter if they’re teaching in grade schools, middle schools or high schools. The challenge is the same. Connect with the minds of students, challenge them to learn new things and figure out how to solve problems. But they also help youngsters prepare for a real world outside of the school walls. That’s not always easy.
Getting ready for the start of a new school year used to simply mean getting lesson plans in order, decorating the bulletin boards, writing a few rules on the chalk board. Nowadays, teachers also have to prepare to deal with social media on the net, whether it’s working with technology to bring the desirable into the classroom or keeping a sharp eye out for what is not desired. Or to watch for school invasion by violence. Active shooter training and drills are now a regular part of school preparation. Schools can no longer assume “it will never happen here.” I’m aware of one high school in a county farther north where the teacher preparation for active shooters included drills with trainers firing guns loaded with blanks similar to the real thing.
Like so many of you, I can’t believe we’ve come to that. But we have.
My journalism career started in the early 1980s in Platte County and included covering high school sports and school activities. I would walk in the front door no problem and head to the principal’s office or perhaps the teacher’s lounge. Entering a school was a casual thing. It still was in the early 2000s when my kids started kindergarten and first grade. But then things changed. I recall the first time I was stopped at the front door of an elementary school and had to pass through security screenings.
Tragic school shootings, abductions from child custody disputes, irate parents out of control, all those problems changed everything.
Schools have adapted. Things are not always draconian. The doors open for special events and sports. Parent-friendly screening systems at the front door are sometimes in place. But you can bet that school officials charged with the welfare of all are more tense about vigilance these days. Years ago, police officers visited schools now and then. Now they’re an important part of the staff.
All this while the mission is still the same - teach children knowledge and how to think, reason, and problem solve.
What can we do to help? Kids have eyes and ears on the school buses, in their neighborhoods, and in the home. Obscene political signs and gestures in this mid-term election cycle (or the ongoing 2020 election fight) does not help. Parents and political operators verbally or legally attacking teachers and school administrators based on political or social beliefs is harmful. Discuss with your kids as you wish current issues and your beliefs. But let highly trained and motivated professional teachers and school administrators do their job without interference.
The sports teams will play on. Band, choir, and thespians will perform. Science students will compete in contests. Essays will be submitted for prizes. Students will ponder the world in the classroom at a level depending on their age. But that all seems more fragile this fall.
Our public schools are a treasure. Let’s help teachers guard the learning process and leave the culture fight out of the classroom.
Bill Graham is a long-time commentator on Platte County and its history. He lives in the Platte City area and can be reached at editor@plattecountycitizen.com.