As 2019 draws to a close, it is of course a time reflect and to celebrate, and I cannot think of a group more deserving of our appreciation than our public school teachers. They have a tough job with high expectations from the kids under their tutelage, the students’ parents, their peers and administrators, and from the community they serve. I think our teachers are at the top of the class.
It takes a special person to be a teacher. The skills needed to instruct, encourage and mentor a class of 20 to 30 students are significant. There are plenty of stressful jobs that require a high level of training and skill, but the unique combination of skills required of teachers is rare. They must be smart and kind, accommodating but no-nonsense, determined but flexible.
It was heartening to hear that in all the turmoil surrounding Metro Nashville’s budget, Mayor John Cooper said his office is committed to the pay raises promised to our teachers. Despite the clear financial challenges facing Metro Nashville in regard to our current and future budgets, our teachers deserve everything we can provide for them.
As school board vice chair Amy Frogge recently said to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: “We must begin to respect our teachers, grant them the autonomy they need to succeed, and pay them handsomely. They are our true experts. Our school staff members best understand how to reach students and how to help them grow academically. They often give of their own limited resources to ensure that our children have what they need — food, clothing, shoes, supplies, etc., and even the love and care many do not receive at home.”
It’s also a fitting time to remember the challenges facing our public school students. Student diversity is a wonderful aspect of our public schools, enabling even our youngest students to learn that the world is full of variety of people who may look and sound different from themselves. With 36 percent of students coming from households that speak a language other than English, and a total of 139 different languages spoken by MNPS students, Nashville can be proud of the microcosm of the world that has developed in our public schools.
But diversity can be measured by more than ethnic demographics. It is a sad realization that our schools have many students from homes at or below the federal threshold for poverty. According to recent stats from MNPS, more than half of our public schools have 75 percent of their students from impoverished households. A total of 87 of our 167 public schools fall into that category. Even more astounding, nearly a quarter of our schools — 39 schools precisely — have a student body that is 100 percent from impoverished households. That is a remarkably grim fact that is not discussed often enough as we boast of our city’s prosperity.
We hear stories every day of teachers who provide materials for their students and work nights and weekends to prepare for the upcoming week’s instruction. We heard recently of bus drivers who care for their riders as if they were their own children, providing rewards for good grades and winter gear when the kids are clearly lacking. It’s also telling that our students are often fed three meals every day at their schools. It was a surprise to me to learn that, in addition to breakfast and lunch offerings, a growing number of public schools serve an evening meal just before students head home. The YMCA of Middle Tennessee has provided more than 200,000 meals each year to school kids during and after school — that includes more than 1,200 after-school dinners provided each day to schools in our area. Our schools and their community partners have risen to the occasion to do their part to help kids succeed.
As we all enjoy the holiday season, let’s take a moment to consider the needs of the schools in our community. Consider the teachers. Consider the students. There are a number of programs that help bolster community involvement in public schools — find one and join in! From Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, to the PENCIL organization, MNPS’ own Community Achieves initiative, Hands On Nashville and the United Way, there are more than enough opportunities to support our teachers and our students, and to help our communities thrive.
Happy Holidays!
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and Home Page Media Group in Williamson County.
