Waterloo Schools- What Are Your Children Really Learning?

The big rusted door of a run down leaking building creaked and slammed behind me. Little did I know that I was entering into a juvenile detention facility, rather than a wholesome institution of learning. Today marked my first day as a substitute teacher in the Waterloo Community School District. 

Everything about the school seemed so normal. Lockers lined the hallways and children could be heard laughing in the distance. “What a wonderful experience it is to be here,” I thought in my head as a made my way nervously to the school’s office. After teaching overseas, I was used to a smile in the morning and a great deal of help. However, I did not find it here. Teachers were complaining about the rest of the faculty, their students, and pay. There was no one to help me there that day.
The children filed in very quickly. I smiled and said “good morning” as the little darlings walked by me, full of potential. I thought to myself, “how beautiful they are and still so naïve. Today will be such a good day. I am so glad I spent four years working so hard to make it to this point.” However, all of those thoughts soon faded. Before we even got to the morning message, two of the children began to fight. This was not your usual six year old dispute. 

They mentioned weapons and wanting to kill one another. No where in my education was I prepared for such an experience. I called the office right away. As I waited, praying silently, the rest of the class waited, as did I, for someone to come and remedy this problem. The saddest part of all was the fact that I later found out this was a daily occurrence! “What are these children really learning?” I thought.