FROM THE BLEACHERS-748
BY DR. JACK WELCH-
Public Education Under Attack
Public education is under attack, even though states are legally required to provide an equitable and adequate education for every child. As an educator, I’ve learned to listen to older people. Seasoned adults have an uncanny ability to sense who can be trusted and who can’t. Most of the time, I agree with them. In just about every job I’ve ever had, there have been a few older educators who became trusted comrades, people who had seen enough to know the difference between noise and truth.
People have instincts like that. Sometimes it’s just a gut feeling. Sometimes it shows up in how someone treats employees or even their own friends. For me, my radar immediately goes up when anyone starts disparaging the teaching profession.
Like any profession, there are bad actors who should be removed, and public and state education can and should improve with the right support. A few bad apples never justify bullying an entire profession though.
Bullying is increasingly coming from social media. Online harassment, threats, and insults aimed at teachers have become the most common form of aggression educators face today. These attacks cause real emotional and psychological harm and are driving good teachers out of the classroom. Left unchecked, this kind of rhetoric can spill over into real-world violence.
Much of it is politically motivated. Well-funded organizations have repeatedly targeted public and state education with false or misleading claims. In June 2023, as reported by author Glenn Rogers, Gordon ISD, a small, high-performing rural district in north central Texas, was viciously attacked online after being falsely accused of grooming students for transgenderism. The claim centered on a book available statewide through TexQuest, an online library coordinated with the Texas Education Agency. The book had never been accessed in Gordon ISD and had already been suppressed by school officials. None of that mattered. The attack rattled teachers, parents, and administrators. Educators who had done nothing wrong were subjected to fear, stress, and public shaming.
Let’s just call it what it is, public education is taking some hard shots right now. Across the country, more teachers are being verbally abused and, in some cases, physically attacked by students and even parents. Some reports say as many as 10 to 14 percent of educators have been assaulted on the job. A lot of folks point to the post-pandemic years as the turning point, but regardless of the cause, the results are clear: teachers are worn down, morale is taking a hit, and too many good educators are deciding it’s not worth the risk anymore. That’s why school safety isn’t just a talking point, it’s something we’ve got to take seriously. Older, experienced educators seem to know who to trust. Maybe it’s time the rest of us trusted our seasoned teachers again.
Thought for the Week, “A community’s true values are revealed not by its slogans, but by how it treats the people entrusted with educating its children. When we choose education over outrage, we choose a stronger future.” Blake Powell, a leading Texas educational attorney.
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.