In a month, I’ll be walking into a high school to begin my student teaching year. I’m both excited and nervous, as you’d expect, but also ready for the difficult times to come. I’ve been told by so many teachers that education is not the field to go into. In fact, I’ve been questioned as to why I’d ever decide to do this as a career. There are far better paths I could be taking out there, so why would I ever choose this one?

I understand that what I’m walking into is a mess, and needs some major TLC, but it’s sad that some people who work in this field aren’t helping the cause with their attitudes either. However, I digress.

It’s a well-known fact by this point that public education seems to be in a downhill slide that can’t be stopped. It’s one of the first places where funding is cut when the government needs to save money, and that’s just sad. Teacher’s salaries are so unlivable, that many new teachers have to find a better-paying job to pay off student loans and just survive. Teachers deal with a lot every day, and yet they’re valued way below what they should be.

Why, if this is a necessary component to a thriving society, are we seemingly throwing away our education? If we want to build up a generation that’s smart and prepared, that starts and ends with their K-12 experience. It’s the one thing that can save thousands of students from returning to cycles of abuse, neglect and poverty, through empowerment in education.

If our schools are literally falling apart and not receiving the funds they need for books and electronics, how can students ever be expected to achieve greatness? When everything around them is telling them education is not valued, how can they ever find the value?

If we let our schools fail, so too will our students and, ultimately, the next generation. We should be equipping teachers with the tools and income they need to be successful. When the teachers have what they need, the students will reap the benefits of it.

By continuing to inadvertently tell our public schools that they don’t matter, what message are we sending to the rest of the world?