Missouri Teachers Will Leave If We Don’t Treat Them Better
By Ann Tamimi, MoEEP member

After Wentzville's school board voted, 4-3, to ban The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison from their school, I was really curious to see the reasoning, especially after the advisory panel voted to retain the book, 8-1. I decided to tune in to the school board meeting and listen but found a very concerning part of the meeting. It was the patron comments. Some of the speakers were actual educators in the Wentzville district. 

What I heard were educators, who once flocked to the district, now openly saying they were going to leave. The sentiments expressed were that the school board was not supportive of the educators in both safety and educational needs. The image presented of the board was one where they lacked the willingness to understand the concerns of educators in the district they represented. 

What I took from the meeting as an parent was a clear warning — we as a community need to be aware of the impact of board members. When we vote, it isn't just to represent just our needs or our individual child's needs, but also the needs of our educators. Our schools are nothing without our wonderful educators who have a desire to be fully present for our children. If we fail to recognize their needs as educators and as individuals, then the overall morale of the staff will be affected. 

I am a parent in the Rockwood School District. During the past two years, we have seen the impact of the constant bombardment of our staff that has landed us in national news more than once. I'm sure many Rockwood parents took into account a desire to be in good school districts when deciding to move. But we can't keep that our status while simultaneously attacking the very educators that we depend on in our classroom. 

While Missouri parents may not agree on every aspect of public education, there must be by definition diversity and acceptance in public schools. They are for the public. We have to ensure that those who represent our public schools have full awareness of the needs of all students and teachers. Ignoring the voices of educators is a guarantee that teachers may be the next to stand up and publicly say they want to leave districts all over Missouri.