Teachers are the backbone of society. They dedicate their lives to support students’ growth and are determined to see their students succeed. Teachers in today’s world are not only there to give lessons, but are asked to become counselors, therapists, parental figures, a stable environment and now a human shield, first line of defense, a human punching bag, bulletproof, and know how to help everyone.
Though educators hold such an important role they receive the end of the stick. They are seen as the reason people fail, the person who should have spotted the problem and most of the time not even perceived as a human.
Yet with such a critical role, people like Meghan Trainor feel the need to dehumanize teachers. The 29 year old singer went on her podcast “Workin’ On It with Meghan Trainor & Ryan Trainor” to voice a hateful comment about teachers. This generated backlash after she said “F—- Teachers”, during a discussion about why she was homeschooling her child.
After the podcast episode was not well received, Meghan went to Tik Tok to post an apology video. She claims now that the comment was not how she felt and was just fired up about how horrific schools are in America. Lets remember her podcast is pre-recorded then edited and reviewed before being posted to Youtube. Meghan Trainor approved the statement until she received backlash from a group that has been historically met with difficulties in the profession.
Trainor has a large platform and has been in the public eye recently, her comment is spreading the message that it is okay to disrespect teachers. Educators are feeling burnout at a quicker rate due to the professions requirements and how much effort is needed to be put in. Many teachers are met with low pay, pressure to keep students safe, disrespect from students and parents, and the lack of support. As teachers put their students first and so much effort into their job, having someone belittle their work and existence is immensely insulting.
In recent years there is a high demand for teachers as many are leaving the profession. We wonder why, it’s because people continuously call teachers out as the problem instead of looking at themselves and the system as a whole. Schools in America are a scary place, but instead of calling out the people who are part of the problem Trainor put the blame on the educators. As teachers continue to put their students’ mental, physical and emotional health before their own, I hope people like Meghan Trainor stop painting an ill picture of teachers as a whole.