The conversation ended something like this.

“And here we go again; every discussion seems to center around how we can get books for our students.”

“I give up. I am just going to buy the books myself and write it off on my taxes.”

And the meeting went on for a little while, but that statement was the end of conscious debate. We quit looking for solutions, and it just felt so wrong. And then it dawned on me.

That’s what “they” want. That’s what the Powers That Be count on. They’ll keep cutting the budget, they’ll keep knocking down workers’ rights, they’ll make sure those of us who work in education can’t get anything for the students we teach. We, the nurturers, the teachers, the counselors, the caretakers, can’t stand to see students get shortchanged. If it’ll hurt our kiddos, we’ll make it go away.

It’s time to stop.

Nothing will change for the better, and the state of the state will certainly continue to change for the worse, as long as the nurturers and caregivers and teachers keep making do. As long as we keep putting bandaids on the wounds (and buying generic bandages out of our own pockets), the educational system will continue to bleed until the entire body, er, system collapses.

And why won’t anyone listen? The folks we call the “general public” doesn’t see a problem because we keep making it invisible. 

It’s time to stop.