"Giving You Some Education on Education" by Shayla H.

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to save the world.” Though the U.S. ranks 17th in schooling throughout the globe, leaders of the nation don’t find it “world saving.” Focus on education and the small amount of money allotted to it is one of the biggest issues in the U.S. today, and it’s something that needs to be taken note of ASAP. Oklahoma has one of the best examples of uneven wealth distribution in our society, as teachers have been hit by devastating tax cuts over the past decade, while casinos and tribal gaming fees have almost doubled in profit.

Over the past decade, Oklahoma has put forth a series of tax cuts, that in return give less money to teachers. Beth Walls, an assistant band director at a school in Oklahoma quotes, “We have buildings that are falling apart and textbooks that need to be taped together.” Teachers have banded together to bring up ideas on “walking out,” so that state officials can see how serious this issue really is. If this walkout does occur, it will not only interrupt the daily flow of Oklahoma schools, but students will be left at home without learning for who knows how many days. However, teachers deserve respect and gratitude for all the things that they do throughout the year. Should the teachers go on strike? And what will it take for Oklahoma to understand that teachers deserve more?

The state takes great pride in their casinos and all the tourism that they bring. Conversely, more pride than in their education department. They have started to set aside money to give to their education department after noticing how bad of shape it was in, but that isn’t the real issue. Instead, it’s that the education department is in a big mess for no reason. If the state would’ve realized that the future education system was headed downhill, why did they not earlier reduce money spent towards the tourist attraction? Uneven wealth distribution has happened for decades. Why just now face the issue? And are other states are headed in the same direction?

Similar events have just settled in West Virginia, where tax cuts forced teachers to work with no raises while cost of living continued to increase. One of the state’s main focuses at the time was to improve their roads, passing a sale of $1.6 million in state bonds, while teachers were left high and dry with very little pay. Educators were steaming when they found out this sale was passed, but after protesting and making the issue known, they got a pay increase. State teachers are among the lowest paid in the country, one teacher quoting “I make more money mowing lawns,” and there have been many rumors spreading that teachers will go on strike, in order to let government officials know just how involved they are in this issue. The state is setting aside the majority of their money to things other than the education system (i.e. casinos), unevening wealth distribution and causing a series of arguments. Why has Oklahoma just now noticed that they are one of the leading forces in uneven wealth distribution, and what will they do to fix it. Works Cited DeSilver, Drew. “U.S. Students' Academic Achievement Still Lags That of Their Peers in Many Other Countries.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 15 Feb. 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/. Jamieson, Dave. “Oklahoma Teachers Prepare For Walkout As Red State Revolt Spreads.”The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2018, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oklahoma-teachers-prepare-for-

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