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Every Teacher’s Story (If They’re Really a Teacher)

Deja’vu.

My wife spotted this video yesterday and even though the video is new to us, the message is not.

Every single word in this video has come out of my wife’s mouth in recent years and I suspect that the truth represented here is so universal that anyone who knows a teacher well will attest to hearing these things as well.

What do you think? Is this the new reality for all teachers?

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 24th, 2013 at 10:05 am and is filed under On Our Side. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

2 Responses to “Every Teacher’s Story (If They’re Really a Teacher)” »

  1. Kristi Schultz Says:
    Posted on Monday, June 10th, 2013 at 8:46 am

    So sad. I have taught third grade for 13 years. For the last 3 I have tried to transfer to a higher grade, but with no success. Even though I have written our districts curriculum, never have had a child fail the state test, and have no parent problems at all, my district does not seem to see any value in me.
    I can’t quit. I have kids in college and really want to teach. So I’m taking the summer to relax and refuel. I’m so sorry you quit. I’m sorry you had a difficult year. Wish I could have been there to help. We teachers need to support each other, nobody else will.

  2. Anonymous Says:
    Posted on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 at 10:14 pm

    Wow this sounds exactly like my story. Unfortunately I have never been in education during the “good years”. I only know education as the stuffy, mandated, and curriculum mapped way. This year I was chosen to be on the leadership team at my school. I was so excited! This was my first year at this particular school, but I had previously taught in the same system. Unfortunately, just as this woman, I was pulled into the principals office and told I was negative and not the teacher which they hired. I was shocked, I had spent time and money all year. The principals had complemented me all year and I had never had a problem. All of the sudden I’m being chewed out and not sure why? The principal told me other teachers felt that this particular school was not for me and I was transferred. Fortunately I am going to a much better school. I have many times thought about going into a different position. Teaching makes no money for the 10 or 12 hours that are put in daily. Most people that do as much paperwork as us are making at least $50,000. I will never see that amount. The frustration is growing and people are being discouraged from going into education. We are forcing teachers to pass failing students, we are allowing students to become violent in the classroom with no discipline, and we are treating teachers as if they have no common sense and lack the four year degree they have! Students have little free/play time, rush through lunch and are rushed through lessons in hope of meeting with small groups and stations for every subject. Every year that I’ve taught I’ve been forced to teach a different subject and grade level. I’m tired of moving all of my classroom supplies into my home every summer, and considering I live an hour away from my job turning in my keys is becoming redundant. I don’t know how much longer education will go on this way. We are already seeing the down fall of America. Don’t you think education has something to do with that? I asked a sixth grader what time it was and they looked at me and said, “I don’t know I can’t tell time.”Wake up America, you’re raising a generation that you will have to pay for!

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