Nepotism is a major issue in schools, churches, political offices, and many other places where a lot of people expect fairness but receive none. In case you don't know the definition, nepotism happens among people with power who show favoritism towards friends or relatives by giving them special privileges, especially jobs.
I never knew the word for this until high school, but I do remember experiencing it when I was very young, maybe seven or eight. Many of my elementary school teachers would get away with leaving students out or even insulting them. My seventh grade teacher even voiced that she had favorites in her class, leaving many of us to wonder why she didn't like us and why she mistreated us. My mom hated her.
Major problems arose for a majority of my twelve years there with people who were far overdue for retirement. I had teachers and faculty complain about "having to deal with us" right in front of us and complained that they were "so ready to retire." Why would you say these things in front of children? Not only does it affect self esteem but makes school dreadful for them. Some of those people are still in their positions to this day and I am now a college freshman.
One thing that I always hated was when parents got privileges. Not all, but some of the people who participated in Parent Teacher Organizations were around the school all the time just to get close to the teachers and principals to get their student benefits like better grades or spots in the spelling bee and other petty things. This became a real issue in high school when parents began to target students. It shouldn't happen and I'm very surprised that no one has addressed the issue yet.
The reason I have addressed the issue in this article is for that very reason. Also, I'm sure very many people from my own school district and beyond have experienced the same issues. Teachers and faculty members are kept simply to fill positions and because they are related or close to someone. It should be made illegal, but those in power won't let that happen. We have those that partake in it and ignore it in their campaign, and then we have those who want to fight against it but get voted out by the participants of the act. Sorry, but I think when we have a parent hired as a girl's locker room assistant that trash talks girl's bodies and personalities, it's becoming a major issue that is border line creepy and mentally concerning. Why do we still hire grown women who think they're still in high school?
Despite my obvious hatred towards my own school district, I want everyone to focus on how we can resolve this issue. It is very real and very present and is affecting children all over the nation. Stop hiring incompetent staff simply because of their ties to administrators. Also, it doesn't help to "monitor" classrooms because that means that the kids get a brutal lecture right before the principal comes in to sit in on classes for maybe five minutes while the teacher fakes nice behavior. Maybe incorporate cameras and microphones in classroom building so you can capture the truth.
I dreaded going to school some days not only for the kids who gained their popularity from their parents but because I was left out and seen as an outsider since I was two towns over. There was nothing I could have possibly done to change how I was treated because it was far beyond my capabilities as a six-year-old all the way until I hit high school. Kids are experiencing this right now at this very second.
Make a change. Stop letting ridiculous things like nepotism happen in schools. We wonder why you have so many bullying issues. Kids are watching their parents and teachers act rude, so they do the same. Nepotism needs to end now, because it's already gone on long enough and caused too much damage.