School Funding (And the Christian Way)

By H.W. Bass

No matter which party you claim to be a member of, you cannot get around the fact that school funding has taken a dive in the past few years. As a former teacher, I know that when I stopped teaching I hadn’t had a pay raise in 7 years. In fact, I had many pay cuts. So, the problem with listening to rhetoric about how teacher salaries were the only place to balance the budget was a problem.

What can a Christian family do about these things when they feel they have very little political clout?

1. Be Nice To Teachers

Unless your child’s teacher is a terrible human being, it is best to be nice to the teacher, see where they are coming from and give them the benefit of the doubt. Christians will be known by their love, and teacher really appreciate the parents who are willing to listen and understand where they are coming from.

2. Be Vocal

If you think that your child’s teacher is doing an awesome job, then you should tell the school. This isn’t going to give teachers a pay raise or increase your property taxes, but it is going to put the school on notice that you are paying attention to what is going on in the building. That helps to ensure that teachers get the respect they deserve.

3. Be Helpful

Teachers are asked to do too much with too little resources or pay. Coming in and helping a teacher by making copies or reading to the class can be a major help. For parents with older students, go visit the teacher and chat with them, help them do some work after school. Anything that makes the teacher’s life easier is going to make a difference.

Teachers won’t get paid better or get more respect when you do these things, but you can help make a teacher’s life a little easier, and that, above all else, is the Christian thing to do.