"Disrespect and insecurity." Exactly why I took my retirement three weeks ago, not even able to finish my 29th year of teaching. Felt utterly demoralized by a governor who intentionally withheld vaccines from teachers, state legislators who bad-mouth teachers on the assembly floor, school board who listen to to the crazy anti-masker pa…
"Disrespect and insecurity." Exactly why I took my retirement three weeks ago, not even able to finish my 29th year of teaching. Felt utterly demoralized by a governor who intentionally withheld vaccines from teachers, state legislators who bad-mouth teachers on the assembly floor, school board who listen to to the crazy anti-masker parents without once asking their teachers how they feel about safety during Covid, school admins who barely ever taught making decisions about what I do in my classroom and how I deliver content, laughing at my objections. That was the disrespect. The insecurity came not only from being surrounded by maskless students and faculty who kept getting sick, but from a change in student behavior I'd never seen that actually had me feeling scared at school for the first time ever. I lost a lot of money leaving at this time, but got to where I didn't feel like I had a choice regarding physical and mental health. The quality of my own work was pathetic to me compared to past years, and that killed me more than anything else.
Janet, I'm sorry you had to end your teaching career for the reasons you did. In my book, teachers should be honored. They're doing just about the most important of all jobs. They and nurses deserve more respect, far better pay, and much better working conditions.
My wife loved her job as librarian in an elementary school in Virginia. At my insistence she resigned in 2009. For the past two decades the unraveling of the teaching profession has followed that of other professions. Janet's issues seem insurmountable to me and are a canary in the coal mine kind of indicator that life in the US coming apart. My hope is that dems wake up and follow the Robert Reich method of getting out positive messaging. At the time I graduated high school in 1965 it was apparent what needed to be done for health care, education and most other pillars of life. We had the means to get it done and I fully expected to be living in a sort of democratic utopia within a decade or two. Looking back I can see the right wing was invisible to me and yet they have been there at critical times to knock back progress.
This is a sobering and poignant comment. I used to teach in high-school and I am saddened to see the situation only getting direr in so many "developed" countries.
Janet, Years ago, I taught (non-tenure track) for two years at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. It was for me a very positive experience with a few downsides. One of those downsides was the realization that the students (most of them, anyway) were in my course for the credits (units) and could have cared less about learning anything. Their focus was far from the humanities and generally on their computer science major--and I was the essence of humanities and arts education. However, my colleagues were great and supportive, my department was the premier one in my field, and I managed to learn a lot myself. When I left Wisconsin, I also left Academe but for a few post-docs and a lot of writing and publishing. Still and all, I had to survive too so I took jobs in retail, generally, and watched retail slide into an appalling and--in the end--dangerous enterprise, one in which people of genuine value and integrity were routinely disregarded and disadvantaged so that those with wealth and power could get ahead. Retail ended up being similar (entirely similar) to Academe--or maybe it was the reverse and the head ceo and his underlings were the inspiration for what happened in the schools. The students who did not care about education and learning new stuff in Madison had become ceos and department managers who denigrated their employees and endangered employee lives. I finally left retail at the very start of the pandemic (not a moment too soon!) as the customers had turned rogue, threatening, shop-lifting, arguing, always trying to get a better deal for cheaper stuff. I would be happier--far happier--but for the financial duress. Still and all, I would choose where I am financially over an environment that imperiled my general well-being. I am sorry you were forced to choose but I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you chose wisely to leave. It sounds as though education lost a fine teacher and great human being in you. And some of us are more than willing to acknowledge that.
"Disrespect and insecurity." Exactly why I took my retirement three weeks ago, not even able to finish my 29th year of teaching. Felt utterly demoralized by a governor who intentionally withheld vaccines from teachers, state legislators who bad-mouth teachers on the assembly floor, school board who listen to to the crazy anti-masker parents without once asking their teachers how they feel about safety during Covid, school admins who barely ever taught making decisions about what I do in my classroom and how I deliver content, laughing at my objections. That was the disrespect. The insecurity came not only from being surrounded by maskless students and faculty who kept getting sick, but from a change in student behavior I'd never seen that actually had me feeling scared at school for the first time ever. I lost a lot of money leaving at this time, but got to where I didn't feel like I had a choice regarding physical and mental health. The quality of my own work was pathetic to me compared to past years, and that killed me more than anything else.
Janet, I'm sorry you had to end your teaching career for the reasons you did. In my book, teachers should be honored. They're doing just about the most important of all jobs. They and nurses deserve more respect, far better pay, and much better working conditions.
My wife loved her job as librarian in an elementary school in Virginia. At my insistence she resigned in 2009. For the past two decades the unraveling of the teaching profession has followed that of other professions. Janet's issues seem insurmountable to me and are a canary in the coal mine kind of indicator that life in the US coming apart. My hope is that dems wake up and follow the Robert Reich method of getting out positive messaging. At the time I graduated high school in 1965 it was apparent what needed to be done for health care, education and most other pillars of life. We had the means to get it done and I fully expected to be living in a sort of democratic utopia within a decade or two. Looking back I can see the right wing was invisible to me and yet they have been there at critical times to knock back progress.
This is a sobering and poignant comment. I used to teach in high-school and I am saddened to see the situation only getting direr in so many "developed" countries.
Janet, embrace and enjoy your freedom, you deserve it.
Janet, Years ago, I taught (non-tenure track) for two years at the University of Wisconsin--Madison. It was for me a very positive experience with a few downsides. One of those downsides was the realization that the students (most of them, anyway) were in my course for the credits (units) and could have cared less about learning anything. Their focus was far from the humanities and generally on their computer science major--and I was the essence of humanities and arts education. However, my colleagues were great and supportive, my department was the premier one in my field, and I managed to learn a lot myself. When I left Wisconsin, I also left Academe but for a few post-docs and a lot of writing and publishing. Still and all, I had to survive too so I took jobs in retail, generally, and watched retail slide into an appalling and--in the end--dangerous enterprise, one in which people of genuine value and integrity were routinely disregarded and disadvantaged so that those with wealth and power could get ahead. Retail ended up being similar (entirely similar) to Academe--or maybe it was the reverse and the head ceo and his underlings were the inspiration for what happened in the schools. The students who did not care about education and learning new stuff in Madison had become ceos and department managers who denigrated their employees and endangered employee lives. I finally left retail at the very start of the pandemic (not a moment too soon!) as the customers had turned rogue, threatening, shop-lifting, arguing, always trying to get a better deal for cheaper stuff. I would be happier--far happier--but for the financial duress. Still and all, I would choose where I am financially over an environment that imperiled my general well-being. I am sorry you were forced to choose but I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you chose wisely to leave. It sounds as though education lost a fine teacher and great human being in you. And some of us are more than willing to acknowledge that.
Good for you, Janet!