Tonight I went shopping. Not my usual modus operandi to be sure, but shopping it was and shopping I went. But that's not what this is about. This is about a conversation overheard in J.Crew - also known as "I went looking for a sweater and found righteous indignation". So there I was, languidly browsing through overpriced dry clean only sweaters when I happen to notice two sales women, each in her early to mid 20's, having a heated discussion. A cheating boyfriend? No. Daddy not paying car insurance any more? No siree bob. Turns out I'm an ass for thinking that. Why? Because it's horribly stereotypical? Well yes, that too. Why else? Because these two young women were talking about their day jobs as teachers in a local middle school and how the budget for ESL for their refugee students was just cut and they don't know how they're going to communicate with their pupils. How many things are wrong with this? At least two come to mind:
1) Why do teachers, presumably teachers with multiple degrees and an exhausting full time job, need to work nights at the mall to survive?
2) In a town with over 400 refugees settled in the last 3 years and 44 languages spoken in a school district of 3,554 students, why oh why are they cutting ESL budgets?
There are a whole bunch more to choose from. But for now I'm mad and I don't know what to do about it. Do me a favor, ladies and gents. Vote for your school budgets, ok? Kids need a chance.
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