quitting

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Home : 2001 : August : 18

quitting
By Carolyn

Although your point of view sounds a bit harsh and cynical, I can see some truth in it. I live in North Carolina where it it becoming increasingly difficult to find teachers. Not just good teachers, TEACHERS. One thing
that sends many away is the salary, which doesn't begin to measure up to the private sector. In truth, many of our ambitious, young teachers work an extra job on the side to help make ends meet.
As for me, I know that many administrators (my own was a fifth grade teacher before he became an administrator) were once teachers, so they should remember what should go on in the classroom.

They take continuing education courses and workshops to keep them current on educational practices, just as we do. Sometimes the teachers I work with don't like the things he suggests that we do. However, he basically does what HE is told to do by our superintendent. Our superintendent believes in Four Block Instruction, so he told our principal to do this schoolwide. Our principal then told us to do it.

Yes, there does seem to be an assembly line approach to teaching these days. All students are expected to perform equally well on a state test, regardless of their ability level or grade level. We receive cookie-cutter approaches to teaching which are guaranteed to work and then raise state test scores. I was expected to teach fifth grade math last year, but I should have taught third, since that was where my students were at the beginning of grade 5. Sadly, I had to teach grade 5 math, since this was what they were tested on. I had to help catch them up to fifth grade level while teaching them fifth grade math. What a challenge! State tests and their coordinating standards and accountability have taken a chunk of the joy out of teaching.

Yes, we are also held accountable for our students' performance, whether or not we are at fault. My parents were not at all supportive of their children. Many of my students last year, and their parents, too, thought that all the children had to do was report to school each day. They fell far behind throughout their elementary school years, because their parents didn't motivate them enough at home to be achievers, nor did they support them when they needed help. Then they have to take a state test which proves how good (or how bad) of a teacher I am. My kids scored the lowest on the Terra Nova tests in math and reading in the district for fifth grade. If they print these in the newspaper, the general public will say that it's my fault, the school's fault, and the principal's fault. They may even blame the superintendent. For sure, tests like this can get a teacher fired. What the general public doesn't take into account is that the child had difficulty throughout his school years, consistently performed poorly each year on achievement tests, misbehaved a great deal in class, spent ten days a year in out-of-school suspension, failed to do classwork or assignments, failed tests because he/she didn't pay attention in class or study at home, had a high level of absenteeism for various reaons, etc.

I have also had principals who have held me accountable for behavior problems. It didn't matter that the child's parent was a drug addict, or that he/she let the child run wild at home. It didn't matter that the child didn't have good home influences at hom--his/her father was in jail, that sort of thing. The question is what's wrong with YOU (the teacher) that you can't control 23 children?

I began teaching in 1985. Back then, it did seem as if kids were more respectful and behaved better. I have met others who feel as I do. Kids really do seem to push the limits these days, and teachers often try to control that by rewarding them for doing what should be done without coercion or bribery.

In spite of all, I still enjoy teaching and have not considered leaving the profession.