My Time in the Public School System
Three big problems and what to do about them
Recently I have had the opportunity to work as a substitute teacher in the public school system. I thought it would be a good experience to connect with youth in the area and contribute to their development, as well as make some connections in the school system. I have accomplished all those things; but what has really stuck with me is the perpetual “losing battle” by which teachers are confronted when it comes to the constructive development of a major portion of the student population, and I’d love for something to be done about it.
Substitutes are in a unique position when it comes to teaching. They get to sample many different classrooms, practices, and group dynamics. They are sort of like the uncles or grandparents of the situation: they come in for a short time, they are not held precisely to the same standard as the primary guardians (though they might try), and then they are free to leave the children in the end to their more permanent caretakers.
It is through this sampling that I have come to the following conclusions:
Every classroom has at least one, and sometimes many more, student who is severely behaviorally challenged
Oftentimes, these most challenging students are given vast latitude in an effort to avoid having issues with them
This latitude, combined with poor eating and instructional habits, is to the detriment of all students — especially the difficult ones — and a rotten apple truly can spoil the bunch
With some adjustments to student expectations, food intake, and instructional practices, there would be great benefit to all
The Latitude Problem
By “latitude,” I mean some students are allowed to do whatever they want as long as it’s not too disruptive — sometimes stopping just short of arson. This means they are not held to much of an academic standard and their work is rubber-stamped so they can be moved along, and most their requests (or demands) are accepted — even if the same would be rejected for another student.
Once upon entering a classroom, a student was pointed out to me by another teacher, and I was told to “get on her good side.” I was confused by this remark, which seemed like an inversion of what I might expect, and wondered, Is it because she’s a good student? A terror? And why should I worry about getting on her good side? Alas, it was experience that would inform that this student was one of those challenged individuals for whom regular rules do not apply.
When I mentioned later that the student was snacking almost constantly throughout the day, I was advised to allow it, as the school was unsure “how much she’d gotten to eat over the weekend” — meaning the child does not eat enough at home, and so the school should allow compensation for that.
This student, while maybe an extreme case, is by no means unique in terms of the behavioral challenges manifested. Every classroom, it seems, has at least one child who will flat out refuse to do something when instructed — whether it’s to complete an assignment or pick up shreds of paper he has strewn about the floor — and this is found in every grade for which I’ve substituted.
The student who had thrown paper around, when he was faced with discipline and shut down, another teacher’s solution was to allow him to “go for a walk” and to “bring a friend” rather than face the responsibility he had been given. Unfortunately, this solution allows the student to shirk a basic requirement of cleanliness, to be rewarded for doing so, and seems likely to encourage more antisocial behavior in the future.
At a younger level, I found a classroom in which nearly half the students had severe speech impediments. One of the students was allowed to do anything he wanted, defying instructions from any and all who would attempt to get him on track. He was allowed to wander the classroom, refuse to participate, and even to block other children from their participation. Other less-difficult students were not allowed these supreme privileges.
Of course, these students face myriad issues, not the least of which being some natural disabilities combined with inadequate structure at home. Teachers can only go so far in helping, as the influence of even a very good one can wane thin once the child has returned to the often tumultuous battleground of “home”; therefore, it is of utmost importance to cultivate the most productive environment possible at school, especially including those foods consumed and activities allowed, so that children can have consistency and constructiveness at least somewhere.
The Food Problem
The importance of the snacking that has been mentioned, while maybe downplayed by some, is actually of vital importance to children. As ancient Greek physician Hippocrates instructed, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” So when children are allowed, and even encouraged, to eat candy and other sugary, processed foods, it only perpetuates the behavioral cycles that place such burden on the schooling environment.
Because students are allowed in some schools to get these sugary, obesity-causing snacks free of charge, many of them have completely lost the taste for plainer foods, rejecting even Goldfish crackers — which are also processed, but maybe a lesser evil. It’s more understandable that the children take these foods than it is that the schools offer them.
Many schools offer free meals, as well, and the impact of this food is not much better than of the snacking. For instance, breakfast for some students consists of a chocolate milk, a packaged sweet muffin, and some kind of sugar-loaded fruit drink or cup. I’ve seen some of the more challenged students waltz into the classroom toting these sugary instruments of misery with hardly anyone giving it second thought.
To be clear, it’s not that schools should stop offering free snacks and meals to students; however, the need of students for this sustenance places a profound opportunity on the school to offer the best possible, rather than the junky poison to which many have grown accustomed that plagues their taste for wholesome food.
The Instructional Problem
Many children today — similarly to adults — have a screen dependency issue. For some, it probably began during nationwide lockdowns in 2020 when schools began passing out laptops and relying more heavily on technological instruction; and since then, reliance on technology in classrooms has not returned to pre-lockdown status.
It is not uncommon for students to spend long stretches of time on computers completing assignments, almost entirely absent from any human guidance. The assignments are not always productive, either, sometimes even mocking the intelligence of the students by featuring lame, wacky voice-overs, perhaps in some attempt to retain the attention of the students.
Most of the challenged students, because their computer work is simplistic and goofy, say that it is boring and they already know how to do it; however, unfortunately they are stuck in a rut wherein they have to complete the huge asinine workload in order to progress to things that might be more interesting. For these students, it likely seems an insurmountable task and so is hardly attempted at all.
In addition to the pointless and impersonal computer work, there seems to be a kind of micromanagement afoot when it comes to teaching simple skills. For instance, a typical English Language Arts (ELA) lesson has no fewer than 6 steps, and I was informed by another teacher that it requires “special training” to execute on. Consequently, teachers must fly from one exercise to the next, with the students hurrying to keep up and to grasp the concepts; and ultimately, not enough time has been spent on the foundational elements (i.e., reading and writing) for the students to learn much of anything.
For math, it’s hardly better. The manner in which math is taught today ranges from counterproductive to absurd. Entire lessons might be dedicated to teaching students how to do “mental math” by a series of grouping techniques that less than half the students are likely to absorb; for the rest, it amounts to rote memorization of nonsensical things, all for another rubber stamp.
What Can Be Done
What’s called for here is a return to simplicity. In fact, I think even the students long for it. Simplicity in standards, food, and teaching techniques would have profound, lasting, and inexpensive benefits.
For example, why complicate standards by maintaining double-, triple-, and maybe even quadruple-standards in classrooms? This goes for passing grades, behavior, snacking, and instructional methods alike.
Of course, this will be a jarring experience for the difficult children who have been allowed to get away with nonsense, counterproductive standards for so long. Some extra attention may be required for these students, and it’s possible that more space would need to be dedicated to “time-out, stimulant-free zones” at first. Since these students often prefer an audience for their antics, they likely will not be driven to spend time in isolation, which is the ultimate in negative reinforcement.
When it comes to food, the simpler the better. Why bother with processed, packaged foods that end up being more costly in the long run — especially once considering the health factors — when simple fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meats (as unprocessed as possible) would be so far superior? Feed people real, wholesome food, and watch them come alive with focus and clarity.
This, as well, will be a jarring experience for many. The initial result may be wasted food, and some attention may need to be given at first to ensuring that all of the meal is consumed prior to the offering of any dessert. Where there is a will to encourage the best eating habits, schools will find a way — preferably without the addition of new administrative roles in the school system.
Simplicity in instruction would have immense benefits, as well. If you want to teach students to read, write, and do math (the true core educational skills), then why not have them read, write, and do math? Dispense with the complicated, demeaning, silly computer “teaching” games and the countless worksheets dedicated more to instructions than learning; instead, have children read books, write about them, and do math problems.
The devil is in the details, along with the confusion and counterproductivity. So dispense with the many details, specialized standards, complicated systems, and packaged and processed foods. Let’s get simple.
Hungry for a snack? Have an apple, some celery sticks with peanut butter, or some whole milk.
Want lunch? Have some cooked vegetables with chicken.
Having trouble with reading? Practice reading words using flashcards or simple books.
Want help with writing? Practice on a lined sheet of paper.
Having trouble with math? Practice your tables, use flashcards, and do math problems.
I don’t believe it’s insensitive, reductive, or naive to make these claims. In fact, I think there’s an innate craving for whatever is simplest — though it can become obscured through fluff and stuff.
All this is not a critique of the teachers — who often are dedicated, kind, and talented — but the public school system itself. Students and teachers alike would thrive at new levels by removing the distraction, the junk, and taking the straight and narrow path when it comes to standards, food, and instruction.
I do believe, through my own experience as a human, child, student, teacher, coach, and parent, that our solutions could be that simple.