What the Fresno County Tax Office Taught Me About Teaching

About two years ago, my wife and I became proud, if not suitably stressed, homeowners; you know, mortgages, yard work, never-ending repairs, the whole package. But it’s ours, and we’re happy and blessed for it. Part of homeownership is dealing with escrow, closing costs, and the inevitable property taxes that come with owning versus renting. This past summer, a most frustrating situation finally resolved that had me realizing that a County Tax Office and a mortgage company are very similar to a school district, a school’s staff, and their students, and that’s not a compliment.

Without boring you with the more-than-I-signed-up-for knowledge I’ve acquired of county tax law, protocols, and mortgage company procedures, here’s the basis of my situation: A delinquency bill was charged to residents who owned our house two deed transfers ago. Somehow, these homeowners escaped the bill and the penalty charges showed up on our bill. I’m happy to have a family of financially minded professionals who have trained me to look at all statements with due diligence before just paying something or throwing it away. It was immediately apparent that this bill was not my responsibility. After a few phone calls, I was told to simply ignore the notice and all future notices since the bill was charged during a tax year where not only my wife and I didn’t own the house, but before my permanent address was changed to my current city. The following summer (summer of 2023), we got another delinquency notice, with a higher charge (those darn penalty charges), and now I became worried. What are the long-term consequences if this bill continues going unpaid? I spent my entire summer break unfolding the many creases of this mess. To make an already long story short, my original mortgage company mailed two checks to cover the delinquency from our sellers, and the Fresno County Tax office never cashed them.

This relates to education how? I felt brushed off and at the mercy of several entities where excuses were given to me with no offer for a resolution and, worst of all, absolutely no one taking ownership or having the wherewithal to simply say, “This is not your fault. This is not your bill, and here’s what we can do to fix this.” I wasn’t given actionable steps but, instead, was transferred from operator to agent to operator. I made several in-person visits to the tax office and mortgage company. The payment eventually would increase my mortgage payment, which would directly affect me. Thankfully, the situation was resolved with less than a month to spare; I met a deadline without consent or any voice in negotiating. The mortgage company said, “We’re just a debt collector, and this is how it is.” The county tax office said, “Take this up with your mortgage lender. This is on them to pay.” Getting the bill resolved without paying out of my pocket felt like a win I had earned for completing a triathlon when all I wanted to do was swim. I hadn’t trained for this. Yes, I sought counsel. Yes, I did my due diligence. Yes, I listen to financial podcasts so I can increase my knowledge. But I’m a theatre teacher. As a theatre teacher, I look for the subtext, the arc, and the characters involved in the plot. As an educator, I look for ways to connect my content to my students, manage my classroom so it’s a brave, safe, and artistic space to learn in, and incorporate scaffolds and supports so my students can succeed. The following takeaways are how this debacle has informed my teaching going forward.

Feeling Brushed Off: How often do we as educators blame the standards, admin., or counselors for something we have more voice in than they do (*whispers* or isn’t even their fault?)? Early in my teaching career, I found myself blaming standards and rubrics when I was the one making the rubrics! And while I can’t control the standards, I have complete control over how I teach those standards and create my rubrics. No longer do I need to brush off my students with empty blamings; instead, I inform them of why a policy is the way it is. That way, they know the why rather than being a pawn in the blame game and being dismissed without a solution. It allows students to, at the very least, understand why this is the academic reality and, at the very best, have the knowledge to make informed decisions and have agency the next time a situation arises.

At the Mercy of Several Entities: Students have to answer to many stakeholders who often possess their own perspectives on the situation and outcome which fogs the student’s focus. I simply wanted my bill paid, and most of the time, I felt helpless because of the jargon and policies the more authoritative agencies had over me. It’s enough for students to know they have their teacher(s) in charge of grades and reports, but stack those on top of the graduation requirements set by the school and district, guided by their counselors, possible pressures and expectations from their parents/guardians, coaches, or arts directors if they’re involved in co-curricular activities, etc. That’s a lot of adults and personalities, expectations, triggers, and feedback coming at one student for one school experience. The more we educators remember that we’re not the only adults assigning work/expectations/policies to them, the easier our students can navigate their school year.

No Ownership: This is the big one. What frustrated me the most with my debacle was that, while I was being told one thing or another, not one person owned the mistake. I had to learn of it and the solution from other parties. No ownership from the one at fault transfers the need for a point person onto the victim, even though I knew this was not my fault. And yet, even after the resolution, still no one apologized. Not an email, not a phone call, not a message, nothing. What frustrates me to no end is when an educator makes a mistake and will not own it. I’ve written about and practice owning one’s mistakes, and making a sincere apology to the student, whether one-on-one or publicly, in front of the class. 

We are adults. We are humans. Teachers will be the first to ask for grace since we’re just human, but when a student seeks a second chance or grace, we instantly rattle off all the reasons why they’re in the wrong and receiving punishment. No solutions, no grace. Earlier this year, I apologized to a student because, while he wasn’t doing all the work and trying to find some shortcuts, my demeanor towards him wasn’t understanding but rather more callous and annoyed. Eventually, I caught myself and apologized, and he forgave me but said, “I didn’t even think you were being mean or anything.” So, I replied, “Well, thank you, but I caught it, and that’s not the teacher I want to be.” It helped repair our back-and-forth in class, and he instantly became more comfortable asking for help ahead of time rather than skipping the work and trying to wiggle out a grade later on. Eventually, he began owning his work if it wasn’t complete. 

We must model first. While I’m not suggesting we do away with policies, classroom management, and consequences, I am suggesting we incorporate ownership of when we, the adults in the room, make a mistake and relay that wish for grace to our students. After all, students only know that 1 +1= 2 because someone taught them and modeled it. How will they show grace, own their mistakes, and accept their consequences if we are not modeling that ourselves? Students pay attention, whether it’s to your content, character, or both, so make it count. Own it. And make sure your county tax office cashes the check, for Pete’s sake.