Illustration by Ainsley Christofferson
This section is reserved for high-schoolers and collegians. The topic for September 2020 is “During this Covid-19 pandemic, what did you learn about yourself or others that surprised you, or solidified views that you already held?”
Response from Jacque Walters
Covid-19 has exposed some of the cracks in many of the systems that once made the United States exceptional. Being a student and an aspiring teacher during this time has forced me to reckon with the state of my own education, as well as the condition of the educational system I hope to soon join. For my own part, Covid-19 has made classes shorter and easier. Where I once would have had frequent spelling and handwriting tests to ensure that as a future teacher I had the bare minimum skills necessary to help my students, now I have a simple, self-graded test. Before Covid, classroom observations were a must- every future teacher needs to get experience and see examples of the current teaching techniques. Now, all you need to do is watch a few short clips of teachers on YouTube. My classes have all been cut in half, at least, and my professors rush through as much lecture as they can before they need to excuse us so they can sanitize their classrooms before the next set of students come in.
None of this is the fault of my professors, of course, and many of my fellow students relish the reprieve from three-hour classes, stressful tests, and observations that require a full day or two off work. To me, all of this change serves as a reminder that becoming an educator in this state, and perhaps in this country, is all too easy. Here in Kansas, you don’t even need a degree in education to teach. With a “relevant” undergraduate or graduate degree, you can teach for three years while working towards your teaching license. While I have no qualms with people changing their careers, this fast track throws people with no teaching experience into the classroom, all because Kansas finds it a Herculean task to entice people to teach. KMUW reports in their 2018 article “Kansas' Worsening Teacher Shortage In Four Graphs” that teacher shortages grow each year and the amount of college students pursuing teaching degrees remains stagnant.
To the few of us remaining in the various teaching programs in the state, Covid-19 has made our education a not-so-funny joke. I am left asking myself if I feel prepared at all to be thrown into a classroom soon, especially after seeing the lack of support and general vitriol directed towards teachers during the pandemic and ensuing educational crisis. If Kansas had problems finding teachers before, after the pandemic wanes I can only assume that the problems will grow exponentially. My biggest hope is that Covid-19 will force a reckoning in education, that teachers will finally be valued and paid as they should be, which in turn will make an education degree as valuable as a medical degree, but that seems less and less likely. For now, I will watch my YouTube “observations” and takes notes, hoping and praying that they will somehow serve me during my first years of teaching.
Photo: Candor Visuals