Civility in Teaching

It’s been two months at Rolling Hills Elementary School, and already, I find myself in sadly familiar territory. It all comes down to one thing: resources. Or more precisely, the lack of them. Let me explain.

The school is bursting at the seams. Space is limited. Chairs are limited. Time is limited. Even air feels rationed some days. I used to think teachers were mean and controlling. Actually, I still do, but now I understand why. And, for the record, I’m a teacher too.

In education, scarcity breeds competition. It creates a quiet, relentless “dog-eat-dog” atmosphere. For example, one student might be assigned to meet with several specialists throughout the week, and whichever adult arrives first claims the student and the time slot. There’s no coordinated system, just quiet warfare disguised as scheduling.

And let’s not forget the new teachers. They’re often treated as fair game, given the scraps, and left to fend for themselves with the fewest supplies. Desks, computers, even schedule flexibility—devoured before the newbie knows what hit them. There’s rarely a conversation about fairness while resources are consumed in a single, righteous gulp.

It’s criminal, really—how we’ve allowed public educators, the people entrusted with shaping young lives, to be reduced to hungry animals guarding territory on a shrinking food chain.

The solution isn’t complicated. Provide the resources necessary for us to do our jobs successfully and humanely. That one gesture would go a long way in restoring civility among educators.

Of course, there will always be sharks and guppies in any profession. But most of us who genuinely care don’t want to fight each other. We want to teach. And if given the proper tools, we will rise above survival mode and do exactly that.

It really is that simple.