Opinion
School & District Management Letter to the Editor

The More Opportunities Students Get, the Better

January 10, 2022 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Necessity really is the mother of invention, and I am impressed to learn in an article in Education Week that a school district in House Springs, Mo., is solving its staffing shortages by hiring students as custodians and food-service workers (“Hiring Students to Ease Staffing Shortages: One School District’s Unorthodox Solution,”Dec. 16, 2021).

I am surprised that some consider giving these opportunities to students controversial. Preparing our children to become productive members of society does not happen overnight, and our society used to recognize that. The practice of hiring student workers used to be quite common. In fact, I worked as a janitor at my high school while a student. Participating in the workforce from a young age developed my work ethic and gave me valuable skills that helped lead me to where I am today. If we want to impart these values to the next generation, we must give students opportunities and not underestimate them.

Our country has always been known for its strong work ethic. It was this strong work ethic that founded the first Constitutional Republic, won two World Wars, and created the most innovative and productive country in the world. While the left attempts to degrade work as something to be overcome, I believe that work is good in and of itself. Democrat policies like increased unemployment payments, stimulus checks, welfare programs without work requirements, and egregiously high-income taxes all create a disincentive to work—leading to the major labor crisis we’re in today.

Our Founding Fathers knew the only way our Republic would last is if the people maintain the ability to govern themselves. That is why I applaud the efforts of these schools and the students participating in this program. The House Springs school district is setting students up for a successful future—it’s time more school districts do the same.

Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
U.S. Representative
Washington, D.C.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 12, 2022 edition of Education Week as The More Opportunities Students Get, The Better

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion For Principals, Emotional Intelligence Is More Than Just Being ‘Nice’
Emotions are contagious. When leaders struggle, the school environment does, too.
Marc Brackett, James Floman & Robin Stern
5 min read
Juggling emotions control concept, businessman juggling emotions icons and mood control, mindfulness and psychology, techniques and techniques for managing anger
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How Can Principals Grow the Next Generation of Teachers? Listen to My Student
Here’s what made this high schooler want to become a public school teacher.
S. Kambar Khoshaba & Mina Etemadi
4 min read
Conceptual image of growing the next generation of teachers from students.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management How Los Angeles Schools Are Responding to the ICE Raids and Protests
The school year in Los Angeles is ending amid immigration raids, protests, and the activation of National Guard troops and Marines.
4 min read
Los Angeles police officers with batons and riot gear attempt to move back protesters in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025.
Los Angeles police officers with batons and riot gear attempt to move back protesters in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district's police force planned to set up "perimeters of safety" around graduation ceremonies this week amid immigration raids in the city, protests, and the activation of National Guard troops and Marines.
Eric Thayer/AP
School & District Management Download How to Boost Teacher Morale: A Guide for District Leaders (DOWNLOADABLE)
Our discussion guide for district leaders has three takeaways about teachers' attitudes toward their job. Use it to jump start PD with your team.
1 min read
A leader meets with their team. Superintendents, principals, schools leaders, district maps.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva