Key Takeaways
- The new school year is like a clean, new notebook, a fresh start full of new possibilities for students, families and educators. Together we are writing a new story with a brighter future.
- More and more each year, this sense of infinite possibility bumps up against the reality of the school funding systems in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., and how dysfunctional those systems are.
- It's a great time for everyone who cares about public education to think about what they can do to support students.
By Peggy Wirtz-Olsen
President of the Wisconsin Education Association Council
It has been a few years, but there are some things you don’t forget. During my first week as a teacher, I remember having a lot to worry about. Everything was new. Was I prepared? Would I be ready to inspire the hundreds of students who would walk through my classroom door that year? Would my students respect me? Would they trust me?
Throughout Wisconsin this time of year, there are new educators experiencing things for the first time. Feeling overwhelmed is to be expected, but we keep it together for the students. Many students are also feeling overwhelmed by strange, new environments, and oftentimes we are their lifeline. Because we care so much about the students, we take their education personally. We keep getting better so they can get better.
The new school year is like a clean, new notebook, a fresh start full of new possibilities for students, families, and educators. Together we are writing a new story with a brighter future. However, more and more each year, this sense of infinite possibility bumps up against the reality of the school funding systems in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., and how dysfunctional those systems are.
We stay positive, because that is what the students need, but if you are working in a school district in Wisconsin today your district has most likely been forced to go to referendum at least once in the last decade just to keep up with basic costs. Public school funding loses ground to inflation year after year. The constant chaos and threats against public education coming from Washington cause even more instability and uncertainty, and very little help with funding shortages.
That is why the start of the school year is now the time of year when I encourage everyone I know who cares about public education to think about what they can do to support students. I encourage them to research political candidates’ positions on public school funding, privatization and vouchers, and educators’ rights. I encourage them to email and call their legislators, congressional representatives and school board members and demand change. I encourage them to vote in every election and bring people with them to the polling place.
When I started teaching, I didn’t know advocacy would be part of the job. But it is. If we don’t advocate for changes to the way our schools are funded and supported those changes will not happen. If those changes don’t happen, we can’t give students everything they need and deserve.
About the author: Peggy Wirtz-Olsen is a Wisconsin high school English and art teacher serving as the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council with classroom experience in central and eastern Wisconsin. She works daily with teachers and education support professionals to advance the mission of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, improving public education and the lives of our students.
