I feel everything has been "streamlined" for either the maximization of profit or the prioritizing of big systems over any smaller ones. In retrospect I saw this even when my kids were born--my sisters had kids like 5-10 years earlier and, when I was in the hospital, said things like "ask to use the hospital sitz bath" or "if you can't sleep, ask if they can look after the baby for an hour or two in the nursery," and I had to explain, there was no longer any sitz bath or any nursery! Same thing here, fewer staff, and the staff on the ground in schools is paid way less than they should be paid, so then there are shortages.

It is beyond frustrating. I don't want to bother school staff--I know they have enough going on--but I am frustrated by the big district I am in, where policies are decided by well-paid admin who hide in their admin building and never even go into a school or interact with kids.

Woops, sorry, guess you touched a nerve. :) Thanks for being a teacher, I don't think it's an easy job, and thank you for reading.