By Marisa Loranger, News Editor.
What kind of third world country are we living in? Our schools have fungus growing in the floorboards and ceilings, there are missing stairs, no heat, bathrooms that don’t work and trash cans are set out to collect the toilet water leaking from the ceiling. Parents are forced to make the decision between sending their child to a dangerous school to learn, or keeping them away from their education to make sure they are safe.
Detroit Public Schools have been failing its students and faculty for years. The city is making excuses that there are not enough funds to keep the school updated. The next generation of leaders are growing up in schools that are in such bad shape it’s hard for students to learn. Education isn’t the place to be pinching pennies. Why are we letting kids grow up in these conditions? Why don’t we spend more money on our schools?
We should be giving the next generations the best we can possibly give. Our country should be outshining every other country in education. America is 17th in the world for education. We have the resources to do better. The teachers in Detroit think so too.
Teachers working for the Detroit Public School system are uniting and having a sick-out. The teachers union would not approve the teacher’s request to strike, and without the unions backing, it is illegal for teachers to strike. So they took matters into their own hands. Teachers have been calling in sick, forcing 64 Detroit schools to close and has stopped 31,000 students from going to school. Many have said that the sick-out protests are harming the students. What do they think the buildings filled with unsafe conditions are doing?
The teachers aren’t just fighting for themselves, they are fighting for the rights of the students. They are putting their jobs on the line to help save children. Teachers are also protesting their class sizes. Classes are anywhere from 35 to 40 students, which creates a difficult learning environment. The teachers claim that class size being this big leaves some students behind. There isn’t enough time for one teacher to help all 40 students in a classroom. Leaving some students without a proper education.
Schools in Novi, just a 30 minute drive from Detroit, would never come close to the conditions of the Detroit schools. Affluent communities all across the state could never imagine these things happening in their communities, and we wouldn’t allow it to happen. So why, when it comes to communities that are primarily lower income minorities, do we accept this type of treatment?
The teachers are warranted in their strike, and if they don’t continue to strike, I’m afraid that the Detroit schools will once again be forgotten. We need to support teachers, support education, support upgrading infrastructure and support the children of our communities at all costs.
