One of the major concerns that I have for our economic stability is the spiraling government expenditure. Outside of social security and Medicare, we spend the most money on the military industrial complex. While it’s important to maintain armed forces, excessive costs will eventually cripple us. But another problem has recently come to my attention: the attack on teachers.
This morning, I read a breaking news segment from a high school in Panama City, Florida. Apparently disappointed with a student’s poorly performed homework, a history teacher wrote on the submitted document: “WTF is this? Absolutely no credit(.)”
Granted, the teacher’s conduct was unprofessional and failed to live up to the school’s code of conduct. As such, reports indicate that school administrators are taking corrective action, although what that entails remains unclear right now.
However, the affected student’s mother has a decisively clear request: she wants the teacher to at least be reprimanded. It’s a reasonable request given that we should hold our educators to a higher standard.
At the same time, this appears like a witch-hunt, another round in the broader attack on teachers. Eventually, the discussion must center on the growing callousness and recklessness in which modern parents rear their children.
This worrying trend also has severe economic and societal consequences down the line.
The Attack on Teachers Is an Attack on National Stability
Understandably, most folks who are concerned about the economy look at quantifiable metrics like GDP or the stock market. Very few look at the plight of the education system. However, that’s the first place you should analyze.
In prior generations, educators had much more leeway toward criticizing and disciplining their students. After all, we don’t grow through our victories but rather through our adversities. If you don’t believe me, go the gym: if you’re not breaking a sweat, you’re not really getting a work-out.
In other words, the best things in life require effort. Inherently, that entails struggle and sometimes pain.
So what does this attack on teachers tell us when we should really support them? The end result is that we’re left with millions of undisciplined kids who become reckless, wayward adults. It’s a frightening scenario because America is already headed down the crapper. As the world’s lone superpower, we’re alarmingly behind in educational performance and proficiency.
Unfortunately, the tricky matter is that the education system isn’t as sexy as the stock market. When equities crash, we all feel the pain. But when we stymie our teachers, the pain might not be felt for decades.
But once we do, we would have already crossed the point of no return.