Numero Uno

The issue of students of lower-class lifestyles being hindered from receiving a higher education due to legal issues, health issues, etc. is expanding and affecting more educational facilities with each new year. Educators, in some instances, have become extremely devoted to their school communities even to the point of encouraging their students and peers to form personal bonds as well as professional. While this could be a good thing, is it placing too much pressure on the educator? Though educators are in essence working almost solely for the benefit of their students, when there is only so much they can do, should they place themselves under that much stress? It can be argued that educators, especially in America, are neither compensated nor appreciated adequately for the amount of work they do outside of the classroom: reading countless papers, creating lesson plans, grading a multitude of tests, sometimes making remarks on many if not all of them. Should the students then expect them to try and go above and beyond the school policies to assist the students in need? Though it is completely on a personal level that educators can decide whether or not to assist a particular student, is it still okay to help one student over another? This obviously should not be a factor when assisting students as it could be seen as dishonest or favoritism, which would not roll over well with the school board and parents alike. How can we deal with this issue? I simple think we can't. There are deeper, underlying rules in place that stop teachers from assisting students in need. While most could be glossed over, altered for the individual, or completely negated, it is not so simply done. To quote Sebastian from Disney's Little Mermaid, "...You give them an inch, they swim all over." Analogous to the issue at hand, if we allow one teacher to bypass certain rules for a student, others will soon follow. This snowball effect could greatly decline our educational system further than it already is. Though I personally agree with helping student's with issues such as the student in Newman's Comp Tale, J. Johnson, changing the rules for an individual is very problematic.