There is a moment that happens in Memphis classrooms that you will never see televised during a school board meeting. It happens when the Memphis heat becomes too much for the outdated, broken air conditioning units to handle. The air gets thick. The students get restless. They can’t focus on math or reading because they are physically uncomfortable.

As a teacher, you do the only thing you can do: you stop your lesson, you walk over to the wall, and you turn off the overhead lights just to stop the room from getting any hotter. You teach in the dim light, hoping the kids can cool down enough to just make it to the bell.

I want you to hold that image in your mind. A teacher in a dark, hot room trying to educate the future of Memphis.

Now, I want you to look at the people currently running our school district. While teachers are sweating in overcrowded classrooms, the members of our school board are holding press conferences. They are filing lawsuits against the city. They are doing television interviews to save their own reputations and, quite frankly, their own paychecks.

My message to them is simple: Get out of my way.

How can we sit here and debate political posturing when we have teachers and schools in the Northwest region without something as simple and basic as janitorial services? How do we expect our children to respect an educational system that forces them to learn in squalor? We are asking students to achieve greatness in buildings that haven't been properly cleaned or maintained. It is an insult to their potential and an insult to the educators who show up every single day to try and bridge the gap.

The disconnect between the boardroom and the classroom has never been more obvious or more dangerous. The politicians sitting in comfortable, air-conditioned offices have lost touch with the everyday reality of Memphis Shelby County Schools. The one thing the members of the school board haven't done is put the children first. They have consistently put their egos first.

I am not here to play politics. I am a classroom teacher. I live the reality of underfunded schools, overcrowded classrooms, and exhausted teachers. When I say that our children deserve better, I am not just reciting a campaign slogan. I am speaking for the students who complain to me that they are too hot to think.

It is time for a serious reformation. We need leaders who understand that equal resources mean a safe, clean, and functioning learning environment for every child, no matter their zip code. The egos have had their turn. It's time to put the classroom first. Class is in session.