Teachers Are Done Being Guilt-Tripped
Educators are expected to carry the burdens of the Covid-19 pandemic. But they’re not the ones at blame.
The rhetoric is ramping up as the beginning of the school year draws near, and we are seeing the tired method of society bending teachers to meet its needs through guilt. Public officials and some parents seem anxious to move past the Covid-19 pandemic and reopen schools. For anything that stands in their way, people are looking for someone to blame. And once again, the burden is on teachers.
In my time teaching in public schools and now working with educators, I’ve seen how social guilt is deployed to demand more from teachers. Guilt is used to cajole teachers into working extra hours to craft lesson plans, complete grading, or act as private tutors during breaks or after school. All of this is free of charge. Society undervalues teachers with entry-level salaries that are painfully low compared to peers entering the workforce at similar education levels, only to couple it with pay raises that do not meet the rising cost of living. Instead of providing the correct resources of classroom material, society relies on guilt to drive teachers to use their salaries to provide materials for their classrooms. Teachers do this because it is the right thing to do. Still, it appears this…
