Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Frustrated Teachers are Being Driven to Leave the Profession

 I thought this was a local problem for my area but sadly, the following article from the Washington Post proves that effective and passionate teachers, all over the country, are being driven out of the profession because of the strict demands and unreasonably high expectations being placed upon teachers in recent years. 
In this article,  a veteran teachers explains the difficulties teachers are facing with regards to new curriculum, teacher evaluations and test expectations. She urges those that are criticizing teachers and making decisions in regards to education to substitute in a classroom for a day and try to do the job that teachers are doing everyday in order to open their eyes to the daily life of a teacher.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/10/i-have-had-enough-veteran-teacher-tells-school-board/

8 comments:

  1. I agree with this. As a person currently working with adults with developmental disabilities, I always had an interest in teaching. However, seeing friends and family struggle with high expectations and demands with little understanding from others has made me think otherwise. With budget cuts and job freezing, I have also been discouraged by current teachers because the field is difficult to work in right now.

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  2. I can only speak from my own experience and the observation of colleagues around me. I went to school for secondary education social studies and had the chance to work in a magnet middle school with good kids and staff. I also did long term subbing with my same kids I student taught. After finishing my MAT, I was not ready to enter the U.S. education system yet because I felt that work needed to be done elsewhere. I have since accepted a TEFL job in rural Thailand.

    I don't know if I will return the the US system because of the many challenges veteran (and new) teachers are facing today. In a sense, I believe that the whole system needs to collapse before it can be rebuilt from the ground up. Right now, we are just putting band-aids on the system and not really addressing the fundamental differences between the US and other developing countries.

    I completely understand where the teacher, from this article, is coming from and I believe that all teachers must listen to their hearts when deciding to move on.

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    Replies
    1. Emily,
      Thanks for sharing your experiences. I definitely agree that a lot depends on the system you teaching in.
      The US is constantly placing emphasis on educational reform and comparing our systems with those of other countires. This in turn, causes the school boards and districts to put pressure on the teachers.
      It is not an easy job and unfortunately, the efforts that teachers put in are not often recognized.
      Good Luck with your job in Thailand. I hope it is where your hear was leading you!

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  3. My son is currently a grad student going for cerification in education. He is constantly being told by veteran teachers to pick a different major. The teachers are very stressed out between the state tests and the new common core curriculum. There is no time to do any fun things with the kids anymore. This isn't the job they hoped it would be after all the years of education they had to go through. I wonder if I should continue to encourage my son to stay with it or to choose another major before he gets any further.

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    Replies
    1. JC,
      I have experienced the same situation. Teaching is not an easy profession right now and demands seems to be increasing but when you have the drive and passion to teach, you just need to think about the students. There are a lot of politics involved lately and a lot of frustration and stress with new curriculum and standards so I can see how one might be discouraged starting in the field at this time. I like to think that everyone has a calling and you just need to trust that if this is your son's desire, then this is where he is meant to be right now! Students might just need someone like him to make a difference for them...

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  4. Teaching is not what is used to be, even 9 years ago when I started. I feel like all the pressure that is put on us, we can't enjoy the kids and really get to know them anymore. It's work, work, work. I miss the projects that provided memorable learning experiences. It seems like there's less and less time for kids to be kids and for teachers to be teachers. It's almost like being a robot sometimes with the scripted programs.

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  5. Teachers go into the teaching profession to help make a difference in a child's education. It's a shame that so many wonderful and dedicated teachers are leaving because of the unreleastic demands on them. I hope changes will be made in the future so the great teachers will want to continue teaching.

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  6. It is so sad and I always believed that Teachers would be more valued! For so reason the systems is making the profession less and less respected and enjoyable. The higher the pay / time off the more valued the person and the job that is looked for was always a job wanted. That is still true--- Maybe that is why teachers are leaving also-- cut pay - time off- more work at home and in the classroom on line etc. The teachers job hours have been extended to home and week-ends. Other professions have much more time off, higher pay and respect!

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