The Exhaustion of the American Teacher
 

Ran across this article making it's way around facebook.
I thought it was very interesting, especially considering my wife is an elementary teacher. This really hits the nail on the head.
What are your thoughts?

I don't venture into the DC forum too often, sorry if repost.

And the article won't let me Copy/Paste.

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2012/09/...erican-teacher

Exactly.

We have met the enemy and it is us.

Of course it's harder to educate and socialize kids in our schools. Education and socialization begins in the home with the parents, as the article points out. Progressivism has destroyed the family with both parents out chasing the buck and no one home. Then mommy is too tired after a hard day's work herself.

Wait, isn't that what public school is for according to the progs in this forum—socializing the child? Can't have it both ways.

But I don't think it's just teachers that are tired—there's other professions too. How about when ambulances line up on 5th Avenue in NY to pick up collapsed art directors in a top design firm after annual report season? Yup! I was told that at a job interview at that very same place. It's a burn out profession too.

Studies show that teachers who quit and go into other professions very rarely make more money in their next position. That is a pretty clear indication they are not underpaid. Now, to this article's point: are they overworked? Maybe. I'd like summers off and 2 weeks at Christmas and 1 week at spring break though. Unfortunately my boss doesn't grant it to me

I work in technology and I am exhausted as well by the constant needy nature of people that refuse to do things for themselves.

Well, if you're a teacher they probably can't outsource your job to India, so there that much at least.

Think again. Why do we need people to present the same lesson over and over again?

They vote.

Can somebody provide the cliff notes here?

Parents thinking teachers are supposed to teach their children discipline and manners was part of it. I'm sure that's true in a lot of places. Teachers in some districts probably waste tons of time with kids who don't get taught right from wrong or how to behave.

I've never understood this.

I have a teacher friend that works all day and well into the night gathering information that administration should handle and I was floored to realize that in extreme discipline situations she had to deal with it. She's the talent, the administration of the school should handle it.

Both of my parents are retired teachers and couldn’t be happier with leaving the profession back when you could actually flunk a kid and/or send them to the principal’s office to get their little smart asses straightened out.

yeah, for most teachers, it isn't about the money, overwork, or anything else. It is about out of control kids.

That's what this article is saying as well.

My 3rd grade son's teacher this year transferred from Dallas public schools. She told us that in Dallas her day was (something like) 90% discipline 10% teaching, and now it's 95% teaching 5% discipline So, obviously kids in those school districts aren't learning much during the day. And not only that, they're probably being trained to get away with what they can until the teacher says stop. My other son's kindergarten teacher last year had transferred from Baltimore and said similar things.
I don't know who else you could blame except the parents.