Not So Much Fun This Time Around

I gotta admit it: I always loved going back to school, even as a kid: new underwear, a new box of 8 crayons (no sharpener, and definitely no 64-crayon box..."There are only 7 colors in the rainbow") and often "new" hand-me-down clothes from my brother. Summer was fun, but school was exciting, at least until the teachers got to know me ("Why can't you be more like your brother Fred?" they'd plead). As a teacher, I always relished the challenge of a new year, new classes and mostly enthused students. The news this year, though, does not seem to be so good across the country.
Parents will spend, on average, more than $100 on school supplies on each child. Pencils have been replaced by required Sharpie markers, even primary students need a calculator (apparently, actual mathematics is a thing of the past. Calculating a batting average with a hand-held machine? LOSER!). In addition, a flash drive is usually required for assignments, and the cost of backpacks is threatening to overtake the cost of sneakers! One preschool in New York also required an 18-month old child to have a backpack! All of that, though, pales in comparison to the crisis our state schools are facing.
The National Conference of State Legislatures indicates that 31 states in this country have a budget gap...all tolled: $41 billion. That's not good. More than 100 districts across the country are eliminating one day of school a week to save energy and personnel costs. Detroit laid off 700 teachers; Los Angeles did the same to 500 administrators (probably not as big of a loss). In an effort to stem rising fuel costs, one district requires school bus drivers to a) drive 5 mph under the speed limit b) check tire inflation daily (thank you Obama) and c) avoid jackrabbit starts (wait a minute...buses DO jackrabbit starts?)
The price of food has increased dramatically as well as the number of students eating a free or reduced breakfast and lunch. The Bush administration estimates that last year's number of students receiving free meals (14.9 million) will increase by more than 283,000 this year. The number of homeless students has elevated drastically as a result of the housing debacle.
Think students have an easy time concentrating in school under these conditions? Think again, and think again before you start complaining about what schools cost in this country.
I did get new underwear this year for back-to-school, but I also got a flash drive and a voice recorder to record lectures. I was forced to purchase Microsoft Office 2007 for my laptop because the university upgraded all the student computers, and I could not read the "new" versions.
It could be a long year for everybody except the college students since THESE ARE THE BEST YEARS OF THEIR LIVES!