A Teacher's Perspective

Inage: The New York Post

 By Gretchen Garrity

I was recently in touch with public school educator, Mr. Kelly Wallace. Mr. Wallace has been teaching for 30 years, and is employed by the Springfield Public Schools. In the following question-and-answer format, he gives his perspective on teaching and the state of education.

Mr. Wallace deserves our thanks for being willing to speak about some of the issues confronting our schools. These issues are also in your local school.

• What drew you to teaching?

I have always enjoyed school and loved my teachers.  My third grade teacher Ms. Nancy Wiser had a huge impact on me.  She was an outstanding person and always cared about me.  This is one of the most important things I believe a lot of teachers forget.  It’s not about the lessons we teach in most cases.  It’s about caring and taking interest in your students' lives that makes the biggest impact.

• How has teaching changed since you first began teaching? Good and bad!

My first three years of teaching would have to be the most difficult just trying to learn how to deal with students. Those first years could be summed up in one word..survival.  I knew my subject inside out and upside down but dealing with students and all the issues they arrive with was definitely the hardest.  After that learning curve took place teaching was a very enjoyable time.  Focusing on the kids first and your curriculum second has always been my thing all thanks to my marvelous teacher Ms. Wiser.

Seeing previous students and having them thank you and appreciate all you have done for them is the greatest feeling in the world.  The connection and what you think are the little things that happen in the course of a school year can have the largest impact on students.

Unfortunately after Covid the discipline issues became so overwhelming to the point I couldn’t even sleep at night and started having terrible anxiety.  I couldn’t think about anything else.  I had all of the previous 25 plus years of teaching to lean on, but mentally it was an absolute struggle.  I couldn’t even imagine being a new struggling teacher at this point.  I was having a hard time keeping it together.  I couldn’t imagine being new to the profession.  Substitute teaching at this time was unimaginable! 

Being mentally worn out on a daily basis will age you in a hurry.  It’s very different than being physically worn out.  It’s almost as if you can’t function when you get home.  You no longer have the ability to turn it off.

• Can you give some contrasts?

The administrators I’ve had the last few years are doing everything they can to keep disruptive students in school.  Unfortunately it’s all left on the shoulders of teachers and other students.

When I first started teaching we always had the support of our administration.  Today it’s like the teachers are under investigation if you send a disruptive student to the office.

• Have kids changed? If so, how?

I won’t be the only one to tell you that we’ve always had problems at school.  The kids have not changed.  What has changed is how we are dealing or better yet not dealing with discipline issues. 

Want proof?  Just check out a school district’s scope and sequence.  I have a laminated copy of my first year 1994/1995 vs today…mind blowing!  What used to get you in trouble 25 years ago now doesn’t even get you on the principal’s radar. Example… a few years ago we were having a terrible problem with students vaping.  Instead of dealing with the problem head on as we should have the district changes the scope and sequence.

• Can you talk a little bit about curriculum? Why are student scores continuing to fall in many cases, despite the large amounts of seminars, continuing education, consultants, and diverse methods that many schools utilize?

Curriculum and the amount of time we spend on it is better than it’s ever been. In fact it can become nauseating we spend so much time on it.  The main reason we are seeing lower scores is the amount of time we are spending on discipline issues versus teaching.  What this causes is a lower expectation for everyone.  We are continually lowering the bar instead of raising the bar.  Example: giving everyone a full quarter to turn in missing assignments.  Students learn that procrastination is fine and turn in subpar work the last few days before the quarter is over when most have forgotten the concept that was presented the week of the assignment.  This is not ok in the real world of work so why is it ok in education? 

• What programs and organizations have you found helpful? Harmful?

This is a hard question.  Surprisingly I’m going to say the NEA can be both harmful and helpful. It’s a double-edged sword.  Helpful in the fact that they care about education and support teachers with insurance and support with school discipline and contract issues that arise, and they do arise.  If you don’t have that support you are on your own which is a terrible place to be. 

On the other hand the NEA supports certain political actions and agendas that do not correspond with my beliefs.  This in turn has made me step away and stop renewing my NEA membership for about the last 10 years.  Imagine being without support in school related issues for the last few years.  Scary is an understatement.  There’s no one out there that has your back. Teachers are human, we do make mistakes and there are an unbelievable amount of false accusations.

• How pervasive is DEI/CRT/SEL and other agenda-driven programs?

Unfortunately these agendas have definitely been presented to us in professional development meetings in the past.  I have personally rejected this nonsense and will never present this to any student in my classroom let alone bring it up.  Definitely not what I was hired to do and if it ever was I would’ve quit a long time ago.

• What do you think about the push to include younger children within the public school system? For instance, there is legislation that wants to mandate a 5-year-old must attend school.

I can’t think of anything wrong with starting the education process early as long as the parent has the final decision. I wouldn’t want any lawmaker mandating anything to me about my child’s early education needs.  What could they possibly know about your child’s education concerns and timing?

• Schools seem to be morphing into a kind of community center, where the cradle to grave agenda is being implemented: free meals, mental health evaluations and treatment, preschool, tele-health, performing arts centers, etc. Have schools expanded their mission at the expense of their original purpose?

Yes…but why?

There’s a larger number of students every year that their basic needs are not being met at home.  Is this something that we want?  Absolutely not, but our number one concern is for the health and well-being of all of our students.  If basic needs are not met at home then it’s really hard to accomplish anything else beyond that.  This is also an answer to your previous question:  Why are student scores continuing to fall in many cases, despite the large amounts of seminars, continuing education, consultants, and diverse methods that many schools utilize?

• Teacher turnover rates are high. What is a teacher's view of the issue?

Not good!  Teaching has become a nearly impossible task and still have a life outside of the classroom. 

You have no energy for your own life outside of work.

This is nothing new or unexpected but you’re broke all the time and have to take on other jobs which almost every teacher does.  This also takes away more time from home.

You don’t feel any recognition.

Many times teaching in a school system does not align with your beliefs.

You feel depressed, angry, not like yourself for all the reasons mentioned above.

• Are you familiar with Burrell?

Yes.  We use them more and more every year.  The overwhelming number of students who need their services is staggering.  I have students who have lost parents or siblings to suicide who struggle unimaginably every day.

• What advice would you give to someone who was going into teaching?

Several years ago we had a teacher who said both of his girls wanted to be teachers.  He told them he would completely pay for their education if they didn’t choose teaching but if they wanted to be teachers they were on their own.  I thought this was pretty harsh at the time but now I’m almost completely in agreement with him.  Teaching has gotten much harder since 94/95.  I’ve spent 30 years in the same school and can honestly say I would never choose this profession if I had to do it all over again.  The good thing I can take with me is I know I have made a difference in several students that I’ve taught over the years but the good hasn’t outweighed the bad I’ve witnessed in the past few.  This is my 30^th and last year of teaching.  The only thing I will miss is my day-to-day interaction with the students.  Once again I will mention my favorite teacher, Ms. Wiser.  I couldn’t tell you one thing she taught me other than she was kind and truly cared about me and sometimes that’s all these kids need.

• What are teachers thinking about school choice? Homeschooling? Micro-schools?

I really don’t know what other teachers are thinking but I do know that I would never put my child in the school that I teach.  I wouldn’t have said that 20 years ago.  In fact some of my family home schooled their kids at the time and I thought it was the craziest thing ever at the time.  Kids learn so much in a public school.  Yes good and bad.  As I said before the bad has definitely started to outweigh the good.  I would never subject my kid to what goes on in the public school that has little or no consequences. I wouldn’t think twice to either put my kids in a private Christian school or home school setting.  Only because both my wife and I our teachers.  Unfortunately a lot of parents don’t have that choice.

• If you could do anything to help schools improve, what would it be?

Stop watering down your scope and sequence to help adjust the numbers to meet the criteria you need to be state accredited.  You are only making the problem worse.

• How could parents help?

Please raise and discipline your own kids.  Stop thinking that the school system was created to do it for you.  Take full responsibility.  Look for solutions and not just a teacher to blame.

If you really love someone, you have to give them the level of discipline they need.  Discipline is the highest form of love.

I believe Ms. Wiser’s philosophy of teaching can be applied to parenting as well….. My parents have a huge impact on me.  They are outstanding and always care about me.  This is one of the most important things I believe a lot of parents forget.  It’s not about the lessons we teach in most cases.  It’s about caring and taking interests in your children’s lives that makes the biggest impact.