The Problem With Public Schools in Philadelphia.

The Problem With Public Schools in Philadelphia

breyanaijae.com

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog. I wanted to revamp before I started posting again but I have to rant this morning about the educational system in the city of Philadelphia.

As much as the city likes to pretend that they are doing something for public or sometimes called “neighborhood” schools, they have drastically declined, especially in urban areas of the city. Working in a few schools over the past few months have shown me enough to the point I don’t even want my future kids to receive public education. The thing is it doesn’t just fall on the schools/city/government officials but the students and parents play a big role too.

For one, the kids are so bad to the point that the teachers and staff pretty much become so fed up and let them run around the classrooms. 10/9 it looks like a jungle and not a school. It is not a teachers job to discipline your children, that starts at home. A lot of these kids are acting out for various reasons, some are dealing with mental issues while others are just bad, plain and simple. Teachers don’t get paid nearly enough to run around chasing after children, nor are they appreciated enough for trying to work in such hectic environments. Not to mention the kids hardly receive homework anymore and the necessary funds or resources to really teach these kids are nonexistent and going to other things like mass incarceration of our people. I am truly fed up. I can’t speak for charter or private schools because I’ve never worked in one to be able to say how the environment is, but most agree that they are much better than public. Charter schools on the other hand are much harder to get into to and often have requirements.

I am currently working in a West Philadelphia Elementary school for the camp season, I worked at one in South West Philadelphia a few months ago and my experience was the same. I have crossed paths with several Philadelphia schools as I volunteered a lot throughout college, some better than others. For most, I left disgusted and upset that our system is constantly failing us. They are not setting us up to succeed in any way, shape, or form. (I am not employed through the school district – I do Therapeutic Support work through an agency) that’s a rant in itself that I’ll save for another post.

Every few minutes or so you see a cockroach/water bug (dead or alive). Some of the schools have mice and other strange rodents and insects. This morning, a young man chased down a huge cockroach that was crawling on the wall, killed it, picked it up and chased the other kids around with it. You’re telling me that not only are some of these kids subject to the same environment at home but they have to experience it at school too? They’re immune to it and don’t see the problem but I do. A change needs to take place. These kids aren’t taking their educations seriously but if you spend just one day in a school you wouldn’t take it seriously either.

You can walk around some of these schools and see that they are aren’t in a condition where kids should even be in them. There are broken door knobs, rooms with no air and sometimes no heat in the winter, broken equipment and furniture, and the list goes on. The food provided is not good but most of these kids aren’t sent to school with money to buy food elsewhere. The city is spending so much money to attract tourists and not doing anything for the people who actually live here. My city needs something and quick!

There are people out here who are trying to make a difference for all the reasons I mentioned above but it’s at a point where more people need to step forward and lend a hand for the sake of our children, their children, the children of the community, the children of the world. Children spend 8-9 hours a day at school not to mention after school programs. They spend most of their time where? At school.

If you know of any programs, organizations, volunteer opportunities, etc. that focus on making schools a better place please feel free to contact me.

As always, thanks for reading. Be Blessed & Stay Humble. Sincerely, an angry observer.