I would like to start this post off by stating that as someone who has worked in the education field for the past 20 years, I have nothing but great admiration and respect for the teachers and educators that take on the task each day to mold our youth into upstanding citizens. I work in Special Education, which is a whole other dimension in itself and specifically, I work with those students who have autism. My role as a Behavior Interventionist is to take things that are messy and make them less messy for these kiddos. In the past few years however, I’ve noticed that more emphasis has been put on mitigating and extinguishing b behaviors that sometimes, academics take a backseat. Currently, many teachers are leaving the field for various reasons…. low pay, high workloads and hours, out of pocket expenses for classroom items, etc. Those that are left are tasked with not only educating students but also, controlling behaviors, acting as a nurse and babysitter of sorts, among other things that it’s no wonder education gets pushed by the wayside.

The laws of education are governed by individual state governments who, in turn, are told what the standards should be, testing and assessment markers and so much more. On top of that, districts may also require additional items such as data collection, therapeutic services, adhering to IEP’s, positive behavior support plans, etc. It’s enough to make your head spin honestly. Are we doing our kids a major disservice by educationally neglecting them, sometimes for big portions of the school day? This is an issue that is not easily solved.

To do so, there are many aspects to this to examine. First, you would think eight hours is an adequate amount of time in a day to get everything you need done finished. Well, picture this for a moment….you’re a 5th grade special ed. teacher tasked with a classroom of 15 students, each with individual education programs, individual goals they must work on throughout the year and all the while, dealing with changes in their schedules and other ordeals that make them spiral into behaviors that need to be addressed right then and there, for their safety as well as others. Oh, and also add in the fact that they need to be helped with personal care needs, toileting and such. That’s just the morning and you haven’t even touched your coffee yet. Also, add in paperwork, planning lessons and activities, field trips, administering assessments, writing reports, and evaluating academic progress. You may also lack proper staffing so if a student’s IEP states they need a 1:1 aide and your school isn’t adequately staffed, guess what? You potentially get to be that student’s shadow if proper steps aren’t taken to rectify the situation.

See how monotonous it can get? I’m not saying anything that’s readily shocking to most people or saying that I hate my job. I haven’t been employed in the education field for just under twenty years for just shits and giggles, I think that every child has the potential to be a viable asset to the community, the world and on a smaller scale, their family and friends.

How did we get here? I personally think it’s because there are too many Chiefs calling the shots and very few Indians taking direction from those Chiefs. Being that too many people have their hands in the decision-making process, I also think few of us are on the same page when it comes to what’s best practice for some of the things being decided upon. Perhaps federal, state and local governments need to take a long hard look at the bigger picture of education as a whole, filter out the fluff and focus on what’s really important BUT that’s most likely not going to happen for a while.

In the meantime, what can we as educator’s do to efficiently tend to all the tasks that we need to in a day? Be realistic. We can’t be Supermen and Superwomen every day, some things are more than likely going to fall through to the following day, week or even month. Work synergistically. Teachers shouldn’t be their own islands when it comes to solving classroom management problems. Reach out to other teachers in your building or district if you’re experiencing an issue. Odds are, someone you work with has already encountered said problem. Have some humility. We are only human; we make mistakes and sometimes things that are considered important fall by the wayside. It’s no reason to beat yourself up or quit the profession. Practice empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of other’s that you work with if they’re struggling. You probably have been there multiple times. Instead of laughing or making jokes, be compassionate and practice some understanding.

Every child regardless of their ability level, disability, ethnicity, etc., should be able to receive a solid educati0n from educated and trained teachers who perform their jobs each day while wearing many hats and answering many demands. Are we educationally neglecting our students? Of course not but something needs to change because teachers, GOOD teachers are currently leaving the profession they once loved….not because we’re lazy or can’t stand our students. It’s burnout.

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John J. Schessler is a Pittsburgh-based Behavioral Interventionist in the Mt. Pleasant area. He is also a certified Personal Trainer and a Graduate Student at Capella University going for his M.Ed in Higher Education Leadership. He leads motivational talks for corporate events, schools and other entities as well. For personal training or motivational speaking inquiries or general questions, please email jschessler43@outlook.com, thank you!