We need to fight for our schools

Posted 2/28/17

To the Editor: No question our school system is plagued by a multitude of issues. This is a statement of fact. Issues so severe they are causing detrimental results affecting the students and their parents, our faculty and staff working within our school

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We need to fight for our schools

Posted

To the Editor:

No question our school system is plagued by a multitude of issues.

This is a statement of fact. Issues so severe they are causing detrimental results affecting the students and their parents, our faculty and staff working within our school department. You can start from the top and work your way down from extreme problems to minor annoyances.

My education, from grade 1 through 12, was provided by the Warwick school system. For the past 30 consecutive years, I have had a child in the Warwick School system. Starting in 1986, when my first child entered kindergarten, until 2016 when my youngest child graduated. I have nothing but gratitude and praise for the education they received. The vantage point then was through my eyes as a parent.

Today, I am an employee of the WPS. I am a teacher assistant. I am on the inside of this storm. To say, times have changed, is an understatement. Years ago the job of a TA was to assist the classroom teacher with a variety of tasks, copying, help with organization, recess/ lunchroom, bus duty, the extra hand needed to compliment the classroom environment.

Today? While those attributes remain, it's a whole new ballgame. TA's are an integral part of the education process. The number of students that are flowing into our school system from the entry-level of preschool is overwhelming. The number of students who require support (on many different levels) is staggering. Parents are frustrated and angry, teachers and staff are disheartened and defeated, students are stressed and floundering. The goal of every parent is to provide their children with the best possible education available.

While some have chosen private schools or homeschooling, the majority look to the public school system for their children's education. If you, as a parent, have never spent any time in the classroom setting, you have no idea what the reality of teaching and education is today. I have always thought it should be required for every parent to be exposed to what educators live every day in the classroom, perhaps that could put everyone on the same page. On the same page, that's where we all need to be to move forward. Our teachers are hardworking, and overworked, passionate about teaching, and broken at the same time. They want their students to be engaged and present. They want to see their students progressing, thriving and reaching their individual goals. This should be the benchmark.

Sadly today, this is seemingly a most difficult task. First and foremost, this is not for the lack of trying, this is not due to inadequacies or unqualified educators...this is due to the outrageous lack of support. There needs to be more teachers, on every level. There needs to be more speech therapist, occupational therapists, physical therapists. There needs to be more teacher assistants. Teacher Assistants hired with qualified training and backgrounds in the special services our system provides to our students. You cannot fix anything without the proper tools and equipment, and funds. In order to provide this much needed support and staff, money needs to be spent. In there lies the rub! You can't expect to have the educational system you deserve, without spending money on hiring the support desperately needed to bring this school system back to where it belongs.

Without a doubt, the Warwick school system is comprised of extraordinary, hardworking, caring, qualified educators. It is supported by parents who understand that it is not the fault of the educators, but the lack of assistance and support. There will always be those who will not agree, there will always be those who choose to tear apart, instead of build up. At the end of the day we know we have the foundation we need to grow from. Now we need to continue building on our foundation by obtaining the support with additional staff and resources, support that will help keep us vertical when the forces that be attempt to bring us down. The future depends on the children of today; let's give them a fighting chance by fighting for their education as if their lives and our lives depended on it...because it does.

Elizabeth Eminger

Warwick

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