JOSHUA MOROTT

What I Witnessed as a Substitute Teacher: The Truth About Our Failing Schools

By Josh Morott

I taught in over 50 schools—public, charter, alternative—covering every grade level from Pre-K to high school. I witnessed firsthand the chaos, corruption, and collapse of what should be one of our nation’s strongest institutions: our schools.

What I saw changed me forever—and it’s one of the core reasons I’m running for Congress.

A Broken System Failing Our Kids

Let me be blunt: the system is failing.

I’ve seen classrooms where the regular teacher was absent for nearly half the school year. While all teachers deserve time off, some abuse the system, leaving children in a constant state of disruption. And substitute teachers—many of us not certified—are left to babysit instead of educate. Most of us try our best, but without the training or authority, we can only do so much.

Worse still, I’ve had students tell me that even full-time teachers didn’t know how to communicate the lessons they were supposed to teach. Being smart isn’t enough—you need to be able to teach. Many couldn’t.

Junk Food and Wasted Meals

Our schools are supposed to promote healthy habits, yet I saw over 50% of school breakfasts and lunches thrown straight into the trash. Kids are forced to accept meals they don’t want, and when “breakfast” consists of a sugary cereal bar, what are we really teaching them?

We should be instilling real nutrition—not just checking a box.

Abuse, Bullying, and Administrative Neglect

In the poorest schools, I frequently witnessed teachers ridiculing students, blaming them for the system’s failures. I saw children bullied—not just by other students, but sometimes by staff members. That is unacceptable.

Where was the leadership? In many cases, nowhere to be found.

Special Education Is a Disaster

If you’re a parent of a special needs child, please ask tough questions. What I witnessed in many special education classrooms was heartbreaking.

Roughly 70% of the day was spent watching TV, and maybe 10% was used for actual learning. I saw students bound to wheelchairs left in the same spot all day, ignored and isolated. Many couldn’t speak, and the schools had no trained staff or equipment to truly help them.

The law may say “no child left behind,” but let me tell you—these kids are being left behind every single day.

Early Education: Dumbing Down the Brightest

I rarely had to motivate a 1st grader to do their work—because it was too easy for them. Our young students crave challenge and discovery, but they’re being spoon-fed baby-level material.

Back in our nation’s founding days, kids were learning college-level material. We need to get back to that. Challenge inspires growth. Boredom breeds rebellion.

No Respect, No Order

Out of all the schools I taught in, only one stood out for its patriotism and discipline. Every student stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, and the atmosphere was calm, orderly, and respectful.

At nearly every other school, the pledge was mumbled through like a drive-thru order—and most students didn’t even stand. If we don’t teach respect for the flag, for this country, and for the principles that hold it together, why should taxpayers continue footing the bill?

And let’s not ignore this hard truth: I never once saw a student reading a Bible. A few teachers quietly kept one in a drawer, but the Bible and pledge have become taboo in public schools.

No Authority for Substitutes – And No Support for Teachers

I remember one middle school where the students were so unruly that I had to ask the school resource officer to remain in the room. The principal wouldn’t step in. The parents were never addressed. And the kids knew they could get away with anything because substitutes have no authority.

Worse yet, educators are not just lacking instructional support—they’re lacking emotional support from the system itself. Many teachers are burned out, dismissed, and left to handle chaos with no backup. When administrators choose silence over standing behind their teachers, it’s the students who suffer the most.

This is the kind of breakdown that’s destroying education from the inside out.

Arm Our Schools – Like We Arm Our Judges

Now let’s talk about school security.

Courthouses across America are well-protected. Judges are guarded, buildings are locked down, and armed officers are always on site. But our schools? Gun-free zones.

We leave hundreds of children defenseless, trusting a single resource officer to protect the entire school. That’s not safety—it’s negligence.

I fully support abolishing gun-free zones around schools and allowing trained staff to carry firearms. Alternatively, we need to assign as many officers to each school as we do to a courthouse.

Our children are more precious than any politician, judge, or bureaucrat. It’s time we protected them like it.

My Message to Parents, Teachers, and Taxpayers

To the parents: ask questions. Visit your child’s school. Watch closely.

To the teachers who care and fight every day: I see you, and I thank you.

To every taxpayer: demand accountability. You're funding these institutions. You have the right to expect better.

To the administrators who’ve become politicians instead of leaders: the days of hiding behind red tape are coming to an end.

It’s time we hit the reset button on public education—and put our kids first again.