We love some of these people, we tolerate some of these people, we kind of like some of these people, we may even hate some of these people. But all of these emotions are different than our feelings for the system as a whole. One bad teacher doesn’t make the school system bad any more than one good teacher make the school system good.

Like military and police (and church and business and family and every other system) teachers are a mixed bag. We hold many many issues with the school system and with the very concept of compulsory education. We find the annexation of learning from the rest of life completely baffling. We believe strongly in cooperation, a “we’re in this together attitude,” and the central importance of the family unit. We find these things inherently lacking from the system as a whole. We find it odd that children must be separated from their parents and siblings for such extreme amounts of time in order to “learn” when curiosity is such an integral part of a child’s being. We find the violations of children’s rights (such as being told when to eat, what to read, how to dress, when to move, when to pee, etc.) that are necessary to keep a system of this size running abhorrent. We seek to create an ideal world where children are loved, respected, valued, trusted, and allowed to be true to themselves. Actually, that sounds like an ideal world for all of us, regardless of age.

But at the same time we are able to recognize that we don’t live in the ideal. We live in the mixed bag world of people. We recognize that the only meals some kids get are at school. The only place some kids are safe is at school. The only place some kids get love and validation is from a teacher. The only way parents who have to work can afford childcare is through schools. We see that there are many ills that capitalism, the patriarchy, and the general human condition create and that in some cases the school system can offer a reprieve from them.