04.10.08
Teachers- take the Why Great Teachers Quit survey
Teachers, if the request below is too broad, and you are strapped for time, you can answer one, some or all of these survey questions instead. I know you have grading to do, dinner to make and families to take care of. But I do hope you can spend a few minutes sharing your greatest concerns about the teaching profession. Please also include your general geographic location, grade level and content area you teach. Thank you in advance!
1. What were your main reasons for getting out of teaching (or considering it)? What
specifically drove you to look for other opportunities?
2. What did you find to be the most challenging about working in a
public school? What would you change if you could?
3. What are areas you think need improvement in schools in order for
motivated, creative teachers to stay in classrooms?
4. What organizational or national issues in education really frustrated or concerned you as a
teacher?
5. Why do you think there is a nearly 50% teacher attrition rate in some places of the U.S.?
Remember, you can post your responses as comments or email them to me at whygreatteachersquit@comcast.net. Thank you!
Colleen Vernon said,
April 15, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I am a young music teacher, currently in my third year teaching in a small suburban private school between Wash.DC and Baltimore. Prior to that, I spent one year teaching in a public middle school as a band director, and one year teaching in a public elementary school as a general music teacher, both in the outskirts of Baltimore. Not city schools, but close enough that the urban influence was there. Those were the two worst years of my life. If I hadn’t gotten my current job, I would have left the teaching profession for sure.
As a special subject area teacher, I was seen as peripheral, not a “Real Teacher” by both the students and several colleagues in the public schools. In the faculty lounge, comments would be made to me, the art teacher, and the PE teacher about how our job was “Cake.” Teachers would drop them off to class and say “Oh, can I come 5 minutes late to come get them, my planning period is short today.” So I was basically seen as a babysitter. When standardized tests loomed, the administration used specials class as an opportunity to pull students for reading and math enrichment, basically saying “you are recess time, you don’t count as a real class that needs to be attended.”
This attitude was reflected by the students as well. Students would come to my class, and it was immediately play-time and talk-to-friends time. Our school had procedures in place for discipline – in class warning, call parents, and only after you called the parents could you ask an administrator to intervene. This is great when you are a classroom teacher with 25 kids, but specialists teach every student in the school, and when you end up with a list of 30 students at the end of the day who “require a phone call” it gets very daunting. Plus, there was very little transition time between classes, so to reset the class with different activities for the next grade AND try to keep documentation was nearly impossible.
At least one day a week, I would come home and cry. I was always exhausted and stressed. At the end of my first year of teaching, I came down with mono, and I thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I didn’t have to go to school for 4 weeks. I would have nightmares about teaching my classes at school and feeling completely helpless and out of control.
My husband was a great moral support, but I couldn’t help but hate him and his job as a programmer. He could sleep through his alarm, and it wouldn’t be a disaster if he was a half hour late. He could go to the bathroom when he wanted. He could go out to lunch with his collegues. He worked on his project for 8 hours a day, and when it was time, he could come home and didn’t have to plan or grade. He didn’t deal with constant noise and chaos and power struggles and have people questioning everything he did. He could call out sick without a second thought and not have to worry about subplans at 3 AM when you’re puking your guts out. My husband said that there are times he doesn’t love his job, but he’s never seen anyone actively hate their job as much as I did.
Parents used to be on the teachers side. You could call home and say that Johnny hit Stevie because Stevie called him a name, and both Johnny and Stevie would get it at home. Now, parents take their childs word over the teachers and look at you like you are out to get them. I had a parent come up to me at bus duty and start cursing me out ( in front of the students!) I had parents write snide little comments on behavior forms I sent home. I still get a knot in my stomach when I see a message slip in my box or look at who has signed up for conferences.
Pay was very frustrating too. If I hadn’t been married, I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live in the county in which I taught. Almost every other teacher in our school had a second job as a waitress, a bartender, a retail clerk. I looked on a salary scale website, and it was pretty discouraging to see that I could make more as an entry level secretary or housepainter with a high school diploma than I was making with a college degree and masters credits. I might have been able to tolerate the stress and physical strain if I had been well compensated, but $30,000 a year to take emotional abuse every day of your life, not cool. There was a road sign right before the school driveway that said “Dead End.” Someone had altered it with graffiti spray paint to say “Bend Over.” So every day, I’d see this delighful reminder on my way to work. Bend Over. Thank you sir, may I have another?
I think there are several problems with the teaching field today. First and foremost, the breakdown of the family unit. Kids used to get moral and character education from their parents. Now, teachers are not just teaching content, they are also parents. There is no consistency between discipline at home and discipline at school. If a child is allowed to throw tantrums at home to get what he wants, of course that’s going to follow through into school. too many parents are concerned with bolstering their child’s self esteem at any cost and being their child’s friend that they are not preparing their child for challenges. No child should fail! Tell them they’re great even when they suck! Don’t push them beyond their capabilities, they might not be able to handle it!
Second, the government is manhandleing the day to day teaching in the classrooms. In the public elementary school I taught in, children choral read stories (BORING stories too! I couldn’t believe the crap that was in their reader!), the teacher had a script to follow, and there was a day to day pacing guide that was followed to the letter. The prinicple would make rounds to make sure that everyone was on page 65 of the guide and that they transititiond from language arts time to math time at exactly 10:00. Sure, there are probably some teachers who need their hand held, but the majority of teachers are smart, creative people who can gauge if their class needs to spend 15 more minutes on math today, and can come up with creative ways to get students to learn. The creative, smart ones get frustrated and leave, leaving behind the mediocre teachers who would fine with just following the pacing guide.
Now that I’m teaching in a private school, things are much better. I feel like I am valued for my knowledge and supported in my program. Because we are not under government mandate, we can take time to have student/faculty basketball games once in a while, and have a weekly all-school singalong for 10 minutes. The teachers actually have some control over what they teach instead of having to be on the same page of the same book on the same day. The pay is even crappier than in public school, but at least I don’t hate every minute of my life.
I’m basically okay with what I’m doing. Most of the time, I can have fun with it, but I often wonder what would have happened if I had chosen a different career path. I had a lot of different interests and was talented in many areas, so I could have chosen anything. I don’t have time or money right now to go back to school for something else, but if I had it to do over again, I would love to try something like physical therapy, nutrition, or athletic training. I would not encourage anyone I know to go into teaching.
Colleen Vernon said,
April 15, 2008 at 3:31 pm
PS It is fine if you want to talk further, just shoot me an email.
katyf said,
April 17, 2008 at 12:52 am
Colleen,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful post. Your candid thoughts ring so true and so real, and I will definitely be able to use them in this book project. Thank you for taking the time to submit this, hopefully we can get the message from teachers like you out there so we can work to change many of these problems.
More and more folks are submitting too, by email. Feel free to use either format, readers. Thanks again Colleen!
Patrick Vernon said,
April 24, 2008 at 3:57 am
I just found this blog tonight. Collen your commenst are right on. I am a 35 yr teacher and we were discussing what makes a great teacher stay. I will post more later.
Pat Vernon
Clair Dickson said,
May 1, 2008 at 5:30 am
I’ll just hit the big ones.
Pay. I couldn’t support myself as a teacher. For all that low pay, there’s a lot of responsibility and hours. People don’t think about how long it takes to plan, prep, and grade students. I don’t want to think about how many hours I work in a week.
Problem students (and often problem parents.) I think one of the reasons I’m not close to quitting is that by the time kids into my alternative high school classroom, their parents have often given up on them. (Not that most of these parents were really involved, anyway.) Many of the students are used to getting their way, through bullying or other tactics. So many students are slimy, lying, manipulative, lazy little shits. But underneath all that, they just want someone to care about them. They think they want their way, but they really want someone to love and help them.
let’s remember that, shoot, even 20 years ago, students who were clearly not scholars would drop out and get jobs. They’d get factory jobs or something and go into the workforce instead of sitting in class disrupting others. Those students today are REQUIRED to be in class (if not by law, then by parents or expectations.) They don’t have the skills– such as automotive repair or construction or other trades– to get a decent paying job. They have no hope or plan for the future, no ambition, no worries. We’d do well making sure that every student had something they could use– either trade or college prep. Not every student is going to college. Some of those kids might learn how to be a plumber or an auto mechanic or some other crucial job. And good for them. I can’t do it and some one has to.
And of course, there is plenty of blame to go on parents. Parents who are too busy dating to teach their kids about safe sex. (There’s a bad example of do as I say, not as I do.) Parents who supply their kid with drugs or alcohol. Parents who don’t model good behavior. Parents who try to bully or threaten everyone they come in contact with, from retail clerk to school principal. Parents who think their kid can do no wrong, even when he’s parked the car on the lawn and is puking on the sofa after binging at his pals party. Parents who think that school isn’t important or who bad mouth teachers. Parents who think that making their child unhappy by denying some want of the kids is somehow wrong– hey, I firmly believe that if your kids (be it students or offspring) dont’ get mad at you sometime, you’re not doing your job.
Teaching is often one of the hardest, least rewarding jobs. No one applauds you when their kid learns something new or does well. But they’ll vilify you if the kid doesn’t.
Katy said,
May 1, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Thank you, Clair!
You hit the nail on the head when you said, “Parents who think that making their child unhappy by denying them some want of the kids is somehow wrong” You’ll be happy to hear I have a section describing how many parents today are mistaking loving their child with constantly defending them, even when they are wrong, or need some guidance and teaching. This is endlessly frustrating!
Thank you so much for your thoughts. I will certainly have your ideas in mind as I write this book, and I deeply appreciate you taking the time to write.
Lydia Joiner said,
May 9, 2008 at 1:43 am
I love being in education. But, I am tempted to leave many times. I am currently a school counselor. In my state that requires 2 years of classroom experience (so I have my bachelor degree) and I must have a masters in education with an emphasis in counseling. Now, many univerisities are switching to different accred. and are requiring counselors get a 40 hour + masters. Meanwhile, administrators only have a 30 hour masters. When I worked on a year round contract I made $5,000 less than an AP that did not have to work in the summer. Plus, all I am is a highly paid secretary. When report cards are finalized I get to stuff them instead of calling students in to talk about what they can do about their grades. That’s crazy!
I guess my frustration with education is the way they use resources. I think that personnel that are not classroom teachers should focus on trying to take ANY burden off of the classroom teacher so that they can help the kids. I sit in meetings and I hear “the teacher can do this, the teacher will do that” and none of the conversation is in reference to lessons.
Now, we have our core teachers doing PE tests???? That is nuts too! Why do we need fitness tests in high school? Parents that do not know if their student is overweight and not physically fit by now will not do anything about it anyways.
I see teachers quit due to: lack of respect from everyone (administrators, parents, media), salary, time (for example principals love to say that this is not a 9-5 job, but when you need just an hour for a Dr. appointment they can’t give you an inch), discipline, and testing requirements.
PS- I’ve gone back to school for my principal’s certification
katyf said,
May 11, 2008 at 1:09 am
Lydia,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
I feel your pain about stuffing report card envelopes- I do this as well for my class and it takes well over an hour every trimester, especially with divorced families and multiple copies. And this is after 20 plus hours (not paid and not teaching) of preparing the report cards themselves.
I absolutely agree about lessening the burden on teacher so they can actually teach- something that is lost as the expectations build up.
You seem to have a good understanding of the current teaching reality, so I am thrilled to hear you will be a principal. I wish you good luck and I fully appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
Katy
Kim said,
June 19, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I quit due to lack of parental support and parental harassment. It is hard enough to do your job and be the best teacher without “Joe’s” parents constantly questioning why their child is getting negative comments about behavior and/or that child is failing because they fail to be involved in class and/or do assignments. They feel that I must be wrong, because their spoiled, violent and incredibly rude child is an ANGEL and there is no way on Earth they could possibly behave the way I describe. Even when the parent sees it themselves they ignore it and then wonder why their child is in jail, is pregnant, and/or is on drugs, or the like by the time they are 14. If the parent shows no respect for the teacher, why should their child??
Katy said,
June 26, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Kim,
Thank you so much for your comments. Your thoughts echo countless teachers I have interviewed. There seems to be a lack of respect from parents and students that has been growing in the last 20 years. It is emotionally exhausting day in and day out for teachers. Thank you for sharing these thoughts, and I hope to draw more attention to this problem.
Jonathan said,
July 10, 2008 at 11:33 pm
1. What were your main reasons for getting out of teaching (or considering it)? What
specifically drove you to look for other opportunities?
MY main reason to go into teaching was because I like teaching. I had a before school class that the kids paid to be their at 6 in the mourning and it was heaven. The kids respected me, parents were involved and supported the teacher. Kids worked hard and showed enthusiasm!
however this is not the case for most non honers classes that are full of normal students. I believe the answers to the teaching profession are very simple.
Give the power back to teachers, kick any kid out the interferes with your teaching or other kids learning. I think a zero tolerance policy is what these kids need. Kids know what they can get away with and will do as much as they can get away with!
Pay does matter! Teachers do not enter the profession because of pay however PAY is associated with respect. If teachers made 130000 a year it would help greatly in people respecting them because we live in a capitalistic society. If teachers did not have to worry about surviving they could put more energy into their jobs instead of a demeaning second job as a pizza driver that time could be used on teaching or getting involved in the community.
In conclusion I left because of respect for the profession. People say they respect it, they need to put their money where their mouth is. Kids need to be put in their place or else adult life will be much harder for them. Know I work half as hard, get twice the pay, more respect, and I can feel safe at work. Also I received a death threat and was not happy with how they handles it! Also too much pointless paper work.
2. What did you find to be the most challenging about working in a
public school? What would you change if you could?
The most challenging thing is trying to teach will dealing with behavior. IT all boils down to respect again. Kick kids out that do not let you teach instead of putting all your energy into the bad apples and not teaching. Also the physical amenities in most schools are third world.
3. What are areas you think need improvement in schools in order for
motivated, creative teachers to stay in classrooms?
Merit pay on top of a good salary! A good teacher should be able to be as famous and rich as a good basketball player. PEople need to be rewarded for their job:)
4. What organizational or national issues in education really frustrated or concerned you as a
teacher?
School violence, lack of respect, and non education people waiving a magic wond talling us the solution!
5. Why do you think there is a nearly 50% teacher attrition rate in some places of the U.S.? It is simple.
They leave the profession for a more rewarding professions that give them respect. In any other profession if there is a shortage you have to compete for workers. If we paid the teachers as much as it took to get them to stay (like other professions do), and took meeting their demands seriously we would be better.
For example a teachers refusing to teach more than 20 kids at a time, demanding good equipment, a secretary and demanding they compete with the salaries of the competitors then we could compete. The education system does not seem to understand the concept of competing for their workers our politics will not let them compete.
I think a massive teacher strike across the USA of teachers refusing to work for less than they are worth would force education into crisis therefor forcing more pay, more equitment and so forth. teacher s need to stop complaining and just simply leave. If 90 percent of the teachers left for a better profession the school would have its eyes opened and have to compete to get them back.
katyf said,
July 11, 2008 at 12:38 am
Jonathan,
Thanks so much for your comments! You share so many good points about the challenges of teaching I don’t even know where to start. From the lack of good pay and growth potential, to lack of meaningful discipline support, your comments share many of the elements driving teachers out for good. Thanks for lending your voice to this project, and I may get back to you (if that’s okay) for some follow up questions.
I spoke with my potential publisher today and I’ve got lots of editing and rewriting to do, but progress is being made! Every one of these comments helps me share the concerns of teachers today, and I am grateful for your time and thoughts.
Thanks again,
Katy
Joanne Breidenstein said,
September 5, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I got certified to teach Secondary English in my early 30s after a dozen years in Advertising jobs. I had my son mid-way through my third year as a part-time teacher (60%). Even as a part-timer, I was continuously buried in student papers that needed my attention, and this was very stressful. But I LOVED teaching High School English and I was a GOOD teacher. I quit three years later because, as a new mom, I desperately wanted to continue part-time, but my school’s enrollment warranted a full time positon. I asked for, but was denied, a job share. After 5 years completely outside public education, I took a part-time para-educator job at my local elementary school as a reading/spelling teacher for grades K-2. The time commitments as a para are much more in line with my family goals and I feel like I am contributing a lot at my school. But this is not what I trained for, nor what I was licensed in. That’s sad. I’m very content with my decision, but it’s a shame that I was compelled to choose between my family and my career.
Anita Collins said,
October 2, 2008 at 3:33 am
In 2005 I retired from the education field. I taught 19 years as a business teacher in high school, community colleges, and a 4-year college and 10 years as a high school counselor. Students were my passion….especially the students who needed an advocate. The last 20 years I was in an inner city high school. We were the “real world”…our students were from the most affluent families in town and also from the lowest-income families in town…..our students were some of the brightest in town and some of the lowest abilities in town (we were the satelite school for special needs..all categories).
I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students. When my job responsibilites took me away from the students, I became disenchanted with my job. It became a job and when I could not help the students because the administration had me doing other duties it was time to retire.
Hopefully, my work with the students made a positive impact in their lives. When I see former students and have conversations with them, my heart smiles. I cannot think of a more rewarding profession. I am glad to say that I was an educator.
If you need additional information or comments, please let me know. My phone is 864.277.7405 or email anita.collins@charter.net
PS Julie Smart was my neighbor in Greenville, SC. I am thrilled that she is a teacher. Her students are truly blessed.
Lainey said,
October 4, 2008 at 7:42 pm
1. What were your main reasons for getting out of teaching (or considering it)? What specifically drove you to look for other opportunities?
I only made it a year and a half as a secondary English teacher (was hired second semester the first year, then made it one full year after that). Of course, I experienced all of the other things that people have mentioned as deterrents of continuing in the profession: NCLB, lack of administrative support, being treated like an idiot despite my MA degree from a very prestigious university, etc. The “pink slip” system is what finally did me in: being pink slipped in February, and not told whether I was being hired back next year until summer, was just too much, after an already absurdly stressful school year. I needed to know that I had a stable job that wasn’t at the whim of an ever-fluxuating budget.
However, I don’t blame all of it on “the system.” I think I had an unrealistic perception of what teaching entailed when I got into it (which, by the way, I feel largely feeds into the societal perception of teaching). I grew up with two lawyer parents whom I almost never saw, and I knew I wanted a career that would allow me more family time. I fantasized about spending summers off with my future children, getting home in time to cook dinner every night, etc. I also wanted to write part-time, and saw the time availability for that. I was NOT expecting grading papers until 2 a.m., evenings at meetings, and summers at conferences and trainings. As a teacher, I worked just as many hours as my parents had, for a small fraction of the salary.
I was never a “lazy” teacher; I worked my butt off while I was in the profession, but I was still extremely stressed, sick all the time, and never could seem to catch up. People told me it would get better after about 5 years, as if that were supposed to be some sort of comfort. Experiencing 5 miserable years to (possibly) not hate my career? I think not! Besides, I wanted to have kids, and didn’t want to spend their early years nearly suicidal about my work load. Now, I work for a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of at-risk youth. I work 40 hours per week, with a very rare weekend or evening obligation, and I couldn’t be happier. Quitting teaching was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.
2. What did you find to be the most challenging about working in a public school? What would you change if you could?
There was a general lack of administrative support that led to safety concerns (e.g., I had a gang-related fight break out in my classroom, and the students were only given a tap on the wrist). Also, I hated the absurdity of being judged as a teacher by a few random, several minute visits throughout the school year. I was totally isolated; the administrator had no idea what was going on inside my classroom, nor did she care, as long as test scores were met.
3. What are areas you think need improvement in schools in order for motivated, creative teachers to stay in classrooms?
More recognition of teachers as professionals, certainly. It’s absurd to treat highly educated people like they have no idea what the heck they’re doing. We had new “experts” come in each year to tell us how to teach, and were expected to adhere to the cureall of the moment for American education.
4. What organizational or national issues in education really frustrated or concerned you as a teacher?
The policing involved with NCLB, along with the lack of resources necessary in order to attain any results, is absolutely absurd.
5. Why do you think there is a nearly 50% teacher attrition rate in some places of the U.S.?
Here in California, the cost of living is extremely high, and respect for teachers is extremely low. I believe it’s largely a combination of those two factors.
Katy Farber said,
October 18, 2008 at 2:05 am
Anita,
Thank you so much for your thoughts and for the invitation to contact you. As I write, I know I will reach for the phone with questions.
Julie is fantastic. You are right, the children are lucky to have her, and I am so lucky she is a dear friend and colleague.
Thanks again!
Katy
Katy Farber said,
October 18, 2008 at 2:09 am
Lainey,
Thanks so much for your comments. I know many teachers can relate to your thoughts. I would love to hear more about your last thoughts on standardized testing, and about the violence and lack of administrative support. Can I email you with follow up questions?
Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
Katy
PS- what geographic location did you teach in? and what grade level?
Lainey said,
October 22, 2008 at 3:59 am
Katy,
Feel free to contact me! I taught both middle and high school English and ELD in the S.F. Bay Area.
Thanks,
Lainey
Beth Sundermeyer said,
January 23, 2009 at 4:14 pm
1. What were your main reasons for getting out of teaching (or considering it)? What specifically drove you to look for other opportunities?
I taught for sixteen years before leaving the profession, fourteen at one school in Ohio, and two (and one quarter) in Illinois before giving it up and moving on to a non-teaching job at a community college. I miss students every single day. I like my job, love the people I work with, and yet I miss my “calling” as a teacher constantly.
I left my position in Ohio to move into a family house in Illinois. I was unhappy teaching, fed up with administrators, co-workers who were going though the motions, and tired of being one of those who continued to work but was always being asked to do more (because others wouldn’t). Illinois was a nightmare job — a small school with no professional aspirations to teach well, poor leadership who played obvious favorites, and a teaching load that I could not do justice to in good conscience (7 classes a day, 4 separate preps, and an independent study during my prep). When I took a piece of writing to the principal that HE felt had to be “investigated” although it occurred outside of the school (if at all), he blamed me for the legal hornet’s nest he created and forbade me from allowing students to write about personal experiences.
2. What did you find to be the most challenging about working in a public school? What would you change if you could?
I would never be tempted to teach anywhere but a public school, so I find this a difficult question to answer. However, I think the most challenging aspect is perhaps that not everyone who works in public education believes it should be open to everyone…or that we have to take students with that they have — whether that be emotional issues, lack of English skills, or simple poverty. Many employees of public schools assume they cannot do their jobs without a certain standard being met by the students…but they have to start somewhere. (Reminds me of the Blueberry Story — Google it if you haven’t read it.)
3. What are areas you think need improvement in schools in order for motivated, creative teachers to stay in classrooms?
Better pay would help. Reasonable course loads. Education being as high a priority as athletics, testing, and “fun.” Accountability for ALL teachers and administrators. Shared governance — with teachers playing a substantial role in decision making, budget, and scheduling. Enough time built into the schedule day to see students who need extra help, for contact with parents as needed, and fewer interruptions. Less paperwork. Standard curricula are fine, as long as HOW we get the skills across to students is more open to interpretation.
4. What organizational or national issues in education really frustrated or concerned you as a teacher?
No Child Left Behind did terrible things to our students. (One young man who came to us from another country drank bleach when he didn’t pass the state test because he felt he had failed and disgraced his family…he survived, but…) We spent so much less time on learning new skills and ideas in order to prepare for this poorly written standardized test that almost entirely relied on mulitiple choice answers.
I waffle on the ideas of tenure and merit pay. I never had tenure — didn’t finish any of the master’s degrees I started. Watched a lot of teachers give up and turn off long before they retired. Watched many others burn out and leave long before they could retire. And saw just as many coast along doing an “adequate” job without challenging students at all…
5. Why do you think there is a nearly 50% teacher attrition rate in some places of the U.S.?
Many people go into teaching with the wrong idea of what it will be like. Many of my student teachers and field experience students entered teaching as a way of having a job in a field they loved (ENGLISH, not education), thinking they would still have time to write and read a lot of books in their free time. I discouraged many of them from finishing. I told them that their passion had to be these students they would encounter…they had to love the idea of motivating these people as much as they loved the literature. Teachers who don’t LOVE to be around their students should leave ASAP.
That said, I have seen many good teachers leave despite this passion. (I was one of them.) Great teachers do not often become administrators — often it is the poor teachers who do so. And great administrators do not often stay in the school districts that need their passion the most. Paperwork, meetings, committees, inconsistent discipline, fighting the wrong battles, budget cut after budget cut….these things drive people out of education. Education — real education — is NOT a priority in America. We don’t fund it properly or fairly. We don’t support it fairly. We don’t have clear learning expectations.
katyf said,
January 27, 2009 at 3:04 am
Hi Beth,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I will gladly add your thoughts to the book, as I discuss many of the concerns you wrote about.
Thanks again, and is it okay if I contact you with any follow up questions?
Katy
Beth Sundermeyer said,
January 27, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Feel free to contact me with any further questions.
If you cannot see my email address, let me know and I will post it.
Beth
Karen said,
May 21, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Katy: I just saw your blog for the first time today and was very interested in the book you’re writing. I was a teacher for four years (working mostly with lower-income and/or specials needs students) at the junior high and high school level.
I left teaching for some of the reasons posted above. The biggest issue for me was student behavior/discipline. Unlike my memories of my own days as a student (in the 80’s and 90’s), students in the schools in which I taught were frequently rude and disrespectful to each other and to the teachers and administrators. Parents often (although not always) took the student’s side in dealing with performance or behavior problems.
My biggest surprise as a teacher was realizing how much work there was to do as a teacher apart from actually teaching! I usually worked after school, at night and on weekends to grade papers, create lesson plans, complete paperwork, contact parents, and handle discipline issues. I routinely put in well over my 38 hour contract week.
Similar to Colleen Vernon’s comments (above), I was frustrated that I was continually exhausted and had little free time. It bothered me that I was not able to call in sick at 7am (without significant planning) or take an extra day off around the holidays (every school in which I taught forbade using one of our personal days next to a holiday weekend). I saw my friends and relatives working many fewer hours with more respect (and higher pay) and finally thought: Is this really what I want to be doing in 10 years?
In 2004 I left teaching to become an attorney. I now work reasonable hours (for more pay) and do not spend my nights and weekends stressing about my job. I know several teachers who love their jobs, but I know many others who feel as I do.
Good luck with your book! Feel free to contact me by email anytime.
Karen