Stranger Danger - Principals, Teachers, and School Bus Drivers

A common theme that I focus on when talking to parents about brick and mortar schooling (and daycare) is that when we drop our children off at school, or put them on the bus, we are entrusting their care, discipline, and education to strangers. Who are these people? How were they raised? What are their values? Who do they live with? Who are they sleeping with? What are their personal beliefs, biases, prejudices, etc? Do they smoke and drink?

Think about it. You put your child on a school bus with someone who, for all you know, could have a record. Some bus drivers in Pittsburgh listen to all kinds of music on their buses. Some are bus drivers as a second job, and barely get enough sleep the night before. Some are people you wouldn’t “normally” trust your children with - you wouldn’t allow them to babysit your children, however you will send off your kindergartener on their bus. You’ve never ridden around with them before to know how they drive, however your child rides on their bus without a seat belt on!

I read an article last night (read the story here) about a middle school social studies teacher who had a white supremist blog and podcast under a pseudo name. She said that she infused her beliefs into her teachings, and that she was even called on it by parents... She actually admitted to denying the claims and getting away with it! She also expressed her desire for MORE white supremacists getting into the schools!

Can we trust a person who hates people of color and thinks they are inferior to white people to teach our children? Can we trust a woman who hates men to teach our sons? Can we trust someone who doesn’t share our core values and religious beliefs to teach our children on a daily basis? Is a man an appropriate gym teacher for our adolescent daughters?

We must ask ourselves WHY we are so accepting of complete strangers being mentors to our children, when as parents we are perfectly capable of being there for our children! We are their best advocates! We are their best teachers! And yet, we feel like a certificate from college and a background check is all that is required to have an enormous amount of influence on our next generation!

We are accepting of these social norms because it is the status quo. In fact, homeschoolers get red flagged because we don’t have that extra layer of societal/governmental embedding in our families. 

As I read the news stories, I see the absolute absurdity in the assumption that degrees and background checks are the only prerequisites needed to being a trusted person with our children. We must do better. We must be more selective. It must be a priority to vet those who teach our children, and even those who drive our children around. It’s for their own safety and well being.

T.E.A. 2018