This "Dignity" Thing

 A couple of days ago, my friend Jennifer White posted something on Facebook that got my attention.  Her comment?  “No matter what people are going through, they deserve dignity.  Always.”

I agree, and might expand on that just a bit to say that human beings ALWAYS need to be treated with dignity and respect, just by virtue of their being human.

I don’t know what prompted Jennifer’s comment.  What I do know is that indignity can take many forms…some of which are not even apparent at first glance.  That was brought home to me just the day after I saw that post in an encounter I had here at the church.

That day, I received a call from a social worker at the public school we partner with.  The lady at Franklin Elementary had called the church asking if there was any way we could help one of the paras who was having a difficult time financially.  She didn’t need much in the immediate time…her fuel tank was almost empty in the vehicle she drove to and from work.  She couldn’t afford to put gas in it, and consequently would not be able to come to work after that day.  She was not able to find a ride, and the public transportation was pretty much a non-starter for her due to where she lived.

I asked the woman in need to come to the church and visit with me, and we would see what we might be able to do.  She did so, and we ended up filling her tank with fuel at a local Quik Trip.  We also gave her a little cash to get by until she got her first check from the school district.

Let me now tell you a little of the backstory.  Paraprofessionals are the backbone of the schools in the 259 district.  They wipe noses, provide individual instruction, work with the physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged kids, help keep order in the classroom, supplement the teacher’s instructions as needed, and generally provide the services of an aide to the teacher.  They are well-trained, intelligent, and intensely love the kids they have in their care…even the difficult ones.

But paraprofessionals, unlike teachers and some others, are paid only nine months out of the year.  They are mostly women, many of whom are single, and receive no pay in the summer months.  They have to go it alone in some way.  Additionally, paras don’t make much money per hour, and their pay is on an hourly basis.  When that May 31 check comes in (and that check isn’t full pay as the school year ends before the end of the month), that’s it until August 31.  And they also receive no pay during school breaks such as Christmas vacation.  Yet, they are expected to come back to work in August to again wipe noses and provide individual attention to those most needy.

I have some familiarity with this difficulty that paras face as one of my nieces is a para and faces the same issues each summer.  She doesn’t make enough during the school year to put aside two months of income to pay the rent, utilities, and food for the summer.  She has to rely on others to help out from time to time.

My comment on all of this?  Where is the dignity in this scenario?  How much does the school district really value paraprofessionals when they treat them in this way?  Why has it come to this?

I don’t have the answer.  However, I believe this goes beyond just the notion that because they aren’t putting in the hours, they aren’t to be paid.  There is a dignity and respect part to this.  There is a "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” aspect to this.  There is a “Just do the right thing,” component in this.

I don’t know what kind of money it would take to do the right thing for the paras and any others who work for the district who are in the same boat.  But I do think it’s time to have a serious conversation about how we treat some of those who are some of the most needed and appreciated, at least by teachers and parents, and among the least paid in the school district.

And while we’re on this dignity and respect thing, those go even for those we see on the street schlepping their worldly belongings on their back or in a grocery cart.  It goes for those of other nationalities, other religions, other ethnicities, other backgrounds.  It goes for all regardless of gender, race, color, or identity.

We may not be able to fix or eliminate the things that have caused people to sleep under a bridge.  But we can treat them as the human beings they are, acknowledge their situation, do away with the notion that if they’d just get a job, they wouldn’t be there, and do our part to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and shelter the needy.

 

Blessings,