For one of my entries, I researched on the systemic injustices occurring in the education system, specifically for teachers. One takeaway from the majority of articles I read was that teachers are not being compensated (or paid) for the amount of overtime work they put in. Many teachers in these articles felt that their monthly earned wages matched nowhere near that of what was on their paycheck. Another injustice that has recently been ignited for teachers all around the country is the need to provide their own classroom with the cleaning/safety supplies to fight against the virus Covid-19. Further, a majority of schools are not funding these necessities that include items such as masks, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, etc. My personal stake in this matter is due to the fact that I have a mom who teaches in elementary school. In connecting this to both of the injustices I found, my mom, as well as other teachers, do not make nearly the salary to match the time they spend working at the school between coming in early or leaving late. This brings me to my next point in the matter. When the pandemic hit in our area, the school system only provided teachers with plexiglass barriers to protect against the virus and that is all. In return, my mom had to spend her own money from her paycheck to go out and buy extra supplies (as the ones listed above) to ensure the safety of herself as well as her students. I feel that the school and a majority of other schools have the ability to pay for these types of items, but refuse to in order to save money, instead of trying to protect and save lives. I am not saying this is true for all schools, but for the ones I was reading on the articles this was exactly the case.
After doing more research and analysis, I found that schools never did supply the proper tools to protect teachers from the virus, rather they just increased cleaning. Schools left it up to the teachers individually and to what extremes they would go to, to protect themselves and others from the Covid virus strain (in buying masks, sanitizers, etc.) However, in a positive note, teachers are beginning to become some of the first to receive the Covid vaccine. Also, even though some so do not feel strongly about getting the vaccine, this is a step in the right direction in that they are starting to put the health and safety of teachers first. Another item that schools (who were open) made mandatory, was the mandate that all kids were to wear their masks in class.
This systematic injustice also made me think of the “One and Other” examples that we have used in this class. It seems like business and other cooperations are taking the correct steps in protecting their workers with temperature checks, plexus glass, masks and social distancing. When it comes to schools they are almost labeled as the “Other” in not just from the lack of resources needed to protect from the virus but simply staying open in general. Many schools across the country (even though many have opened back up) are still shutdown and taking the remote learning option.
Tucker, David. News Journal, 15. Nov. 2020, USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/education/2020/11/15/covid-school-online-class-teachers/6127540002/. Accessed: 17 March 2021.
Additional Links:
https://time.com/5883384/teachers-coronavirus/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/teachers-spending-money-school-supplies-covid_l_5f5005d1c5b6946f3eacc5c4
**Also a good read below:
This was a very good take on this assignment and a very enjoyable read. I never would’ve put the current events such as the virus together with the injustice of the teachers salary, and it also made me appreciate everything teachers do for their students so much more. I especially like the comparison to the “One and Other” concept we learned from class that fit so well to the topic you were talking about in your prompt. Overall it was a very inspiring read and a great showcase to the assignment.