For years, generations in fact, American's trusted our public education system to teach our children. As women entered the workforce, schools became vital to their communities, not as a source of learning, but as a child care provider. Most women needed someone to care for their children in order to work full time. Some were lucky enough to have family, perhaps grandparents, who could watch over their children. Some could afford private, in-home care for their little ones. But not the majority.
As the years passed, Americans came to depend on the schools not just for child care but for their child's meals as well. I remember Mondays' when I was in grade school. My mom had to come up with $1.25 for each of her three children...$3.75 in cash, correct change. Money clutched tightly in hand, I dutifully walked to my teacher's desk at the very start of the day and handed her my "lunch money" and waited until I was sure she had my name recorded to receive lunch each day for the week. Almost as soon as the last child paid, magically, there was a knock on the door, and an older child, one who had earned the trust of the administration, took all of our money to the cafeteria, where the "lunch ladies" made sure every child received a delicious meal, often sourced locally, each day.
For the remainder of the day, we learned to write our numbers and letters on neatly lined tablets and enjoyed an active, outside recess where we played Red Rover or Tag or took turns pushing each other on swings that seemed to reach the sky.
At the end of the day, I was pretty sure Mrs. McWhorter vaporized into the heavens, only to re-appear the next morning on the sidewalk of "the drop-off circle" to greet us and hustle us inside for another day of learning. Was Mrs. McWhorter married? Did she attend church? I had no idea because her job was to teach me numbers and letters, with the occasional geography lesson using a globe to show where the United States was located or a science lesson thrown in about germinating seeds or taking care of the classroom turtle who must be fed daily.
Today's classrooms are entirely different. Perhaps more important than " what are we teaching?" is "what are they learning?".
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