I've been out of the classroom now for almost five years, but before that, I spent a decade teaching mostly high school English and journalism courses. And when I say that this action is necessary for the state of Indiana, action is NECESSARY, before it gets any worse.
I know there are haters out there - believe me - I already hear your arguments. "Teachers get three months off in the summer!" "Teachers only work 8-3!" "Teachers knew what they were getting into when they went into this field!" "If you can't do, teach!" Thank you, y'all, for the same, tired arguments. Maybe decades ago, teachers got three months off and could do all their work in the workday. But this just isn't true anymore. It's not even CLOSE to true. There are so many reasons each individual educator has for why Tuesday is so important to him or her. And my list probably won't even scratch the surface. But here, in no particular order, are some of the biggest obstacles in teaching right now.
The lack of respect in our field is startling. And Lordy, I wish I was just talking about students. The lack of respect can certainly be there among the people we teach, but I can't even begin to describe the lack of respect that comes from adults who think they know all the things. The general public has OPINIONS, y'all, and they're strong (and largely unfounded). And often times, it's parents who spread the disrespect. Almost every teacher I know has been disrespected in a major way at one point or another. My last week of teaching, I had a parent of a student come in and accuse me of not telling her child when a GIANT PAPER WE'D BEEN WORKING ON FOR WEEKS WAS DUE. Nevermind the fact that we'd already had peer edit and rough drafts due, that it had been discussed in class no less than 20 times, that it was written on the board where the class agenda ALWAYS appeared daily for the last three weeks, that the due dates were on our online gradebook that both the student and parents had access to, and that every other child in the class knew the date. My credibility and professionalism was called into question - simply because the parent COULD. It was infuriating (clearly, because five years later, I think it still raises my blood pressure).
The system is totally biased. My last few years of teaching, I was blessed to teach journalism and our newspaper course - both electives. I also taught Junior Honors English - a required class (some form of English was required all four years). So when it came time for testing that literally determined if I would get a pay bump or not, guess what? I was always found Highly Effective and given the highest bump, if you will. Guess who sometimes didn't fall into that category? The teachers who taught remedial classes or were working with students who were literally GRADE LEVELS behind for whatever reason. The system is totally skewed, friends. Do I think I was a good teacher? I do, actually. But my students would have tested well whether I was there or not because they WANTED to. That's not always the case, and for this to be a part of a teachers pay is absolutely ludicrous.
There aren't enough teachers and subs to go around. When I graduated college, I truly worried about getting a teaching job. I was lucky enough to score a middle school position my first year - but I knew many, many college grads who didn't get a job their first or second year out. In order to keep that job, I had to get a certification added to my license to teach middle school because I was only licensed to teach grades 9-12 Teaching jobs were hard to come by, so I happily obliged. Before I even finished that course work, I was laid off from my first teaching job in April of my first year of teaching, and by the grace of God, I went to another district where I was hired to teach English and journalism. But guess what? I wasn't licensed to teach journalism even though I'd spent time working as a journalist at our newspaper, been an editor at our college paper, and had spent countless hours working with the same programs and curriculum I'd be teaching. So back to school I went to get my Master's of Education degree. I tell you all of this to show you the hoops I was willing to jump through to teach. It was my sole passion at the time, and I wanted to be in the classroom. And if I didn't get certified, there were plenty of other people out there who WOULD do it.
In 2019, this just isn't the case. I know SO many districts that STILL haven't filled all their openings for the school year (in November, there are still classrooms operating with subs), and there just aren't enough subs to go around. When too many teachers are out, and not enough subs are available, teachers are the ones who end up having to sub for one another, which means they don't get a prep period that day to plan lessons, grade, attend their required meetings, or do one of any number of things they do on a daily basis. So the work comes home. Oh, and did I mention that they don't get compensated for teaching extra classes? Many districts have the "all hands on deck" mentality, and therefore teacher work time suffers greatly.
Teachers are essentially forced to teach to the test, and it's not working. I could go on and on about this one, but I won't. Instead I'll say this. Is it working? Is all this teaching to the test working? Schools are under so much pressure to put up good numbers, and for what? Are our students coming out of school smarter and better prepared for life? Are they seeing more success in college and their careers because of these tests? Is ANY good coming from this?! I'm all for accountability, but there HAS to be a better way.
The new requirements are insane. In the event that I haven't made the point yet, teachers work really freaking hard. I can only speak to English teachers here, because it's all I know, but I rarely, if ever, completed my work during the school day. Papers came home. Projects were graded in my classroom on the weekends. And summers were spent prepping new curriculum, going to conferences, or taking course work. So, lobbing on a 15-hour unpaid externship so that teachers can gain "real world experience" is just ridiculous. I'll say it louder for the people in the back. TEACHERS HAVE ENOUGH TO DO WITHOUT THIS REQUIREMENT. It's insulting to suggest that teachers aren't professional and don't know what they need to do in order to prepare students. It's demoralizing that as a whole, teachers are lumped into this category of being ill prepared to teach.
Things have changed, dramatically. If you haven't been inside a school lately, I'd like to politely remind you that straight up everything has changed. We're a society that literally does everything digitally. We expect everything to be done on demand. Technology rules, often more so than actual conversation. Society as a whole seems to be skeptical. There's a lack of responsibility all the way around. Homes have changed - BIG. Family life looks different than it did 20 years ago.
So why am I sharing this? What do I hope to accomplish. It's simply this. Now more than ever, there is a need for incredible educators.
Our society needs it - because we need students in ALL fields to be able to go out into the world and change it for the better.
We need those incredible educators because oftentimes, they're the most stable forces in a child's life. They're a safe space to land when life is spinning out of control.
And we need those incredible educators because who will teach when those still there get fed up enough to leave it altogether? I've seen it happen with so much of the former staff I worked with. Who will be left to teach our future?
So on Tuesday, I'm standing with every single educator who's marching down in Indy or sharing the cause locally. Because chances are, when those educators get home Tuesday night, they're STILL going to do work to be ready for school Wednesday.
And they deserve better.
 |
| Join me in going Red for Ed, friends! |
