Why my school isn't better than the other school

I teach in a urban school where I teach mostly students of color. My school is a high-risked school with a high percentage of our students living in poverty. Our district is not well-funded because our state sucks. We do have a lot of help from local organizations and businesses that support us. We have a school garden, a food bank, and a health clinic. However, they don't give us all this help just to support us. They are more focused on how they want us to help them by having "workforce development programs" and most of the money goes to sports and STEM. The school is built like a prison. It makes me angry that all the rich schools around us have real schools with windows and even air conditioning. All our AC is broke and we have one window in each room. All the other windows are bricked up but the brick is painted white to give the illusion of windows. <br><br>We do have four career academies in our school. It's enough to fit about 1/4 of our students. My department houses one of the academies. You have to apply to get into the academies. The academies give our students opportunities such as volunteer hours, internships, and field trips. They also give us more resources. However, there is not enough space for everyone in the academies so the rest of our students don't get these opportunities. We can't give opportunities to all our students. You have to be chosen to get the benefits. I let my students volunteer in the garden but most of teachers don't want to do this. <br><br>There is running water but sometimes we don't have soap or toilet paper. The school makes sure the football field has soap and paper because they don't want their students sick. Also, our school is known for having rats and roaches. I've had a rat run across my floor while I taught. I had another rat get stuck in my classroom and die on the floor. I couldn't get anyone to get the rat so I got some trash bags and put the rat in the bag. The health clinic refused to touch the rat so they told me to throw it away in a regular trash can. All the trash cans are connected so I worried that the rat juice would spill out and someone would slip on it and get sick. <br><br>I was told to tell my students to be quiet and not run in the hallway because the school doesn't want anyone to get hurt. But really they don't want anyone to slip on the rat juice I spilled. Some teachers let the students run in the hallway. My principal told me to make sure the students are in class at 8:00 am sharp. I also need to take attendance. However, the buses are always late. I don't blame the bus drivers because they are understaffed. I take attendance at 9:00 am. <br><br>I also don't force my students to be quiet. We live in an urban area where my students have seen traumatic things. I let my students express themselves. My class is very chill. I don't babysit my students. I'm a consultant for my students. My students come to talk to me if they need help. My students also encourage each other to be good. It's sweet to see. I don't take attendance until 9:00 am because the students are talking at 8:00 am. I also let them eat in class. We don't have enough lunchrooms so the students have lunch and recess at the same time. Some kids don't get to eat. They rather play than eat lunch. I let them eat in my class. <br><br>Many teachers in my school take the students' phones and purses because they don't want the students to do anything bad. I don't take anything from my students. They can have their phones but they need to keep it on silent mode. Most of my students keep their phones away and work on their assignments. I trust my students. I also let them walk around the room. I let them throw trash away in the garbage can and I let them use the pencil sharpener. They don't need to ask me to do anything. I trust them enough to make their own decisions. <br><br>I also don't care if my students curse. Curse words are just words. If they are being disrespectful than I will ask them to stop. I don't talk like a robot. I talk to my students like they are my friends. I'm an adult but I don't like to act like a robot. I'm chill with my students but I also have a line that they know not to cross. None of my students cross the line and they are very respectful. I give them a lot of respect and I talk to them like they are my friends. They appreciate that. Many of my coworkers don't like this and they tell my students to show more respect. I tell my coworkers its okay. My students are learning. I encourage my students to ask questions and challenge my lesson. Most of my students don't but I encourage them anyway. <br><br>My classroom is very nice. It's decorated with paintings from another local artist. We have manipulatives for my students to use. We have blocks and a lot of board games. We also have a lot of pillows and blankets for my students to use. Some of my students nap in class. It's okay. They need to rest and focus. I also have a lot of snacks for my students. Many of my coworkers won't let their students eat in class. Sometimes we can't leave class because there is a lockdown. Many of my students don't eat lunch because they rather play sports so they are thankful for snacks. I also have first aid kits and pain relievers. I let my students take the pain relievers. I trust them enough to make their own decisions. My classroom is very cozy. My students love coming to class. I also give them incentives such as extra credit and homework passes. I give a homework pass to my students if they sit quietly on the bus. I give extra credit if they do certain assignments. <br><br>I'm not saying my school is better than other schools. I'm just saying my school sucks but I make it better. I do have good coworkers who also try to make the school better. I also don't think my school is any different than other schools. I work in a bad school but I work to make it better. The rich schools aren't any better. I would rather work in a school with my students than work with the rich kids.