Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Pennsylvanians’ Priorities
Striking teachers in the Seneca Valley School District have illuminated the priorities of Pennsylvanians: education and strikes take a backseat to football. The District’s football coach, also the tenth grade English teacher, has decided to cross the picket line to coach the team because “we have an opportunity this year to go to the playoffs.”
Never mind the longer than long odds of any of these players playing professional football or even attending a major college program on scholarship, football trumps academics. What will happen when these students do not have sufficient skills to do well on SATs or college entrance essays? While the district is required by state law (Act 88) to get in 180 days of school in by June 15th, college entrance exams and essays are due long before then and the delay caused by the strike could be detrimental to those relying on their academics to get into good schools or earn scholarships. With the competitive environment of college admissions and limited scholarship money, time is valuable. Crossing the picket line to coach football does them no good.
Coaches from other sports are expected to cross the picket line as well. But this does more to serve the teachers’/coach’s image more than the academic well being of the students. The students get to enjoy the extra curricular activities while not having to worry about school work—a situation which will make most of them happy. When the students are happy they will convey this to their parents who will end up supporting the teachers.
If these teachers are willing to cross the line to coach, they should be required to teach class as well. Academics should not be second to football—otherwise it’s a terrible lesson for these students to learn.
Never mind the longer than long odds of any of these players playing professional football or even attending a major college program on scholarship, football trumps academics. What will happen when these students do not have sufficient skills to do well on SATs or college entrance essays? While the district is required by state law (Act 88) to get in 180 days of school in by June 15th, college entrance exams and essays are due long before then and the delay caused by the strike could be detrimental to those relying on their academics to get into good schools or earn scholarships. With the competitive environment of college admissions and limited scholarship money, time is valuable. Crossing the picket line to coach football does them no good.
Coaches from other sports are expected to cross the picket line as well. But this does more to serve the teachers’/coach’s image more than the academic well being of the students. The students get to enjoy the extra curricular activities while not having to worry about school work—a situation which will make most of them happy. When the students are happy they will convey this to their parents who will end up supporting the teachers.
If these teachers are willing to cross the line to coach, they should be required to teach class as well. Academics should not be second to football—otherwise it’s a terrible lesson for these students to learn.
