By: Diane Benjamin
Last night I saw a teacher in Florida comment on Facebook that teachers were leaving in droves. I asked her why, below is her response. Is this what teachers here have to deal with?
It’s not just Florida; it’s a nationwide problem. Student behavior is out of control. Many parents have not taught their kids proper behavior. Teachers are being assaulted or abused by students. I personally know two teachers who were punched in the face by students. A couple of weeks ago, a group of kids in Iowa followed a teacher out of school and beat her to death with a baseball bat.
Secondly, at many schools, admin will not support their teachers. Kids do no work all quarter, teachers do what they can, but cannot force a student to do his work. Teachers call parents to let them know, and the parents do not seem concerned. So, when the student fails, the parent is angry and calls the principal to complain and the principal tells the teacher to change the grade. No accountability for the student.
Student cussed out the teacher. Teacher sends him to the dean. Ten minutes later he’s back in the classroom disrupting the class again.
Fistfights between students in the hall or sometimes the classroom. Kids having sex in the bathroom. I actually de-escalated a situation that was heading to a fight in one of my classrooms.
Teachers want to teach, but with all of the disruptions and behaviors, it’s difficult. Many kids cannot learn because teachers are too busy dealing with behaviors. I found a way to work around that. It was pathetic, but at least the kids who wanted to learn, could learn. Then, to top it off, teachers are evaluated by how much a student has learned during the year. Under normal circumstances, it would make sense, but these are the new normal circumstances.
Last year was so difficult with Covid: no lunch break for teachers; no break all day. Teachers thought it would be better this year, but the behaviors are off the charts.
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves and going into the private sector where they are respected and have better pay.
I love teaching, but it is the hardest job I have ever had. I have had some of the most wonderful students and they are the reason that many teachers do stay.
I know of some teachers in Champaign Urbana that are retired and have done some substitute teaching and they comment on how out of control the students in the classroom are and that it is not just one or two students. This has been building for years and will only continue to get worse. Anyone that thinks any differently has their head buried in the sand!
Just my opinion but I don’t think this is a locational thing, its a societal/moral thing. And sorry for repeating myself.
Progressive parents make progressive kids who enter progressive schools that reinforce –
Disrespect for authority and it’s OK to subvert others.
Have no concept of sanctity (beliefs outside of the laws of man) and become degenerate.
Want only liberty for themselves and become oppressive.
Care only for people they agree with and willfully harm all others.
Are loyal only to people they agree with and will betray all others.
Want “fairness” only for people they agree with and have no problem with cheating all others.
Concepts taken from J. Haidt – The Righteous Mind.
So, our schools are falling apart, our cities, nation and world are falling apart, but that is no surprise for some of us, is it? “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2Tim 4: 3-4
It all got a good start years ago with the influx of illegal foreign children that were not brought up with the same values as per my cousin who retired as a life long teacher 15 years ago from big city schools in the southwest. The planned destruction of America has been going on for quite some time.
This is exactly why vouchers are necessary so parents can us a voucher to send a student to a better run school instead of being stuck in poorly run public schools. The same applies to good teachers who would get better schools/students and better pay. Teacher unions are against vouchers so we need parents and teachers to insist on vouchers. Good luck!
Great teachers could earn more, instead unions want the worst paid the same as the best.
I can verify that the Florida teacher is correct and that this is nationwide.