Half of Teachers Quit in 5 Years

[godiva]

In school all i really wanted was for a teacher to care.

If a teacher showed an interest in me and took the time to treat me as more than a recycleable student, I also excelled and did very well.


Up until my Junior Year from 1st Grade to 11th I was a straight A student in line for a possible valedictorian run and then a bunch of shit went wrong in my life and I got extremely depressed and lost my mind for a couple years and I started flunking out.

Not one teacher ever asked me what was wrong.

to me if u got a student that aces every test, answers every question and then all of a sudden sleeps through classes, blows off homework, fails tests, u would think they'd care enough to see if they c ould help.

Maybe that isnt there job but it sure wouldve helped just to know someone cared.

That most definitely is their job. When the parents come to school for the obligatory parent/teacher meeting I always ask questions about the kids that don't necessarily have anything to do with my subject (which is English). I ask the parents if there is anything going on at home I need to be aware of, if they think their children feel comfortable at school, of they have friends, etc etc, so I get a clearer picture of the people I'm teaching. If I feel that a student is flunking when he shouldn't be, or if I have the feeling that he's not feeling all right, I ask him if I can see him after class in a way that he doesn't start to worry about being in trouble and without letting the rest of the class know I want to talk to him. I have about three or four of these talks every week. Sometimes I'm chasing ghosts and I see things that aren't there and the student is fine, but most of the time I'm right.

I would even go further and say that that is my primary job. You can be shit at English and still have a successful life. But getting through pubery can be quite rough on some people and it's nice if someone takes the time and effort to listen to them.

Problem again is time. I probably work 1/3 more than I get paid for, because I do these things. But on the other hand, when I come home, I had a fullfilling day knowing I did something worthwhile.

[D]

Thats great Godiva and I wish I had teachers like that.

All I ever needed was to be motivated properly.

And it would piss me off how the rich kids or jocks would get all the encouragement and help but the poor kids were just irrelevant and forgotten.

[Jim]

The teacher definitely makes a difference, but how the teacher teaches is based on the attitude of the class.

I see teachers as I should; people who are doing their job and teaching us.  Other kids seem to see them as these horrible people out to ruin their lives, as if they're the victim, which is stupid.  So they disrupt the class and in turn the teacher gets pissed.

Its a cycle, a horrible one for the kids who genuinely want to learn.   

Dear dear, this won't do at all, you are capable of much better than this. D+

Well, your teacher is clearly rubbish.

Which, you'll be pretty pleased to hear, proves your point! From idiotic tendancies, your education has been sacrificed and as such you are the product of a crappy educational system, ie. an idiot.

Seriously though... You're not. You make a good point. I've heard, first hand, of what teaching up in some parts London is like. You live in happy land, the UK is full of arseholes. While you are having to put up with Dennis the Menace ruining your lessons with his catapult (or is it a biro and some paper these days?), we have to put up with want-to-be, wannabe gangsters beating up the teachers. Though, while the pay is bad, I've passed about three or four teachers on my way up that clearly have such a passion that it has been little of their concern. Teachers should be paid more, but as it is right now... They probably earn a lot more than you think. It isn't slave labour, not just yet at least.

[SLCPUNK]

I used to build cars for a living at a Subaru-Isuzu plant and made over 50k........

I would think that could become mind numbing work pretty quickly.........

Did it?

[godiva]

Thats great Godiva and I wish I had teachers like that.

All I ever needed was to be motivated properly.

And it would piss me off how the rich kids or jocks would get all the encouragement and help but the poor kids were just irrelevant and forgotten.

Thanks D. That's a great compliment. I think you had some bad luck with the teachers you had. I can see both sides of the story. I have some amazing colleagues who are very passionate about teaching and who are trying to do a good job. But the majority of my co-workers I'm afraid are just going through the motions and lost that passion years ago. It's a spiral. You loose the spark, so you are not interested in doing the best job possible, so you loose even more interest because it just isn't fun anymore. I've only been teaching for a couple of years and I've already seen a lot of young, motivated teachers quit for several reasons. It really is too bad, because I think it's an important job and it needs to be done right.

Here in this country, it is very difficult to fire a teacher for doing a lousy job. There just aren't enough inspections, but at the same time the less important stuff is overregulated. Every test you give has to fullfill a shitload of standards, but I never had anybody in my classroom to observe just how I deal with the children. Of course, they come into my classroom to see if I know what I'm talking about, but if I just told the kids to start doing their homework and not bother me while I'm reading a newspaper (I don't do that), I wouldn't even get a slap on my wrist for that. It's silly.

[D]

I think a lot of power has been taken away from teachers also.

When I was in Elementary school, I never wanted to be paddled. So I always had myhomework finished, never acted up etc etc.

As soon as they took Corporal punishment out and replaced it with detention, I became the class clown and didnt care anymore about the rules the way I did cause there was no point.

Teachers dont have the authority over the kids like they use to have, and I say that has a lot to do with it as well.

[Jim]

... I'd take a sound beating over a saturday morning detention any day of the week.

[gilld1]

SLC, absolutely it was mind numbing, thank God for mary jane!  Body got into shape, mind wasted away.

D, you are right on as far as I am concerned.  Kids don't have that fear anymore.  I got paddled once in the 5th grade and it was humiliating.  Plus I got it worse at home.  Now parents want to be their kids best friends and not let anything happen to their little precious.

[Jim]

How far down that road would you be willing to go? I'm undecided on the matter (it's somewhat difficult to when you're still in education; that said, I'm far beyond punishment these days...), but, if you are in favour of corporal punishment, then to what what extent? Is good behaviour bred through fear really the right thing to do?

... Actually, if you must know, I'm all in favour of a nice solid beating. It keeps everybody on their toes. Though to be completely honest, I don't think that it would deter me, at least, any more than detention did. It isn't like you're going to get beat to within an inch of your life. Maybe laps around the playground would be a good thing...

[D]

How far down that road would you be willing to go? I'm undecided on the matter (it's somewhat difficult to when you're still in education; that said, I'm far beyond punishment these days...), but, if you are in favour of corporal punishment, then to what what extent? Is good behaviour bred through fear really the right thing to do?

... Actually, if you must know, I'm all in favour of a nice solid beating. It keeps everybody on their toes. Though to be completely honest, I don't think that it would deter me, at least, any more than detention did. It isn't like you're going to get beat to within an inch of your life. Maybe laps around the playground would be a good thing...

Sat detention would suck, but we just had 30 minutes after school. I mean who gives a shit about stayin 30 minutes extra? much better than getting paddled and have all your classmates tease u.

Jim i dont know what is wrong with invoking good behavior with fear.

I know I turned out well and never got into trouble growing up thanks in part to that fear of my mom and dad whipping my ass when i got out of line.

Now days kids get time outs. Big deal, u sit in a corner and if u scream and cry really loud, most parents just get annoyed and let u do whatever anyway so I think a nice ass whipping works great for kids. U have to teach them fear and respect for the rules somehow.

[Queen of Everything]

Well, your teacher is clearly rubbish.

Which, you'll be pretty pleased to hear, proves your point! From idiotic tendancies, your education has been sacrificed and as such you are the product of a crappy educational system, ie. an idiot.

Seriously though... You're not. You make a good point. I've heard, first hand, of what teaching up in some parts London is like. You live in happy land, the UK is full of arseholes. While you are having to put up with Dennis the Menace ruining your lessons with his catapult (or is it a biro and some paper these days?), we have to put up with want-to-be, wannabe gangsters beating up the teachers. Though, while the pay is bad, I've passed about three or four teachers on my way up that clearly have such a passion that it has been little of their concern. Teachers should be paid more, but as it is right now... They probably earn a lot more than you think. It isn't slave labour, not just yet at least.

Yeah -- Im a shocking speller.  I admit it.     I know I'm not an idiot.  I'm alot more intellegent than most of the kids in my classes... and I say that in the least egotistical way.  Australia isnt *happy land*,  it has about the same amount of morons and 'Denis the Menace's" that the UK would have.  I love it when you have passionate teachers, sadly there are so few of them now.  I would love to be a teacher, but some of the kids wouldnt be worth your effort.

Recently, a teacher came to school in Brisbane with 30kg of explosives strapped to his chest.  Do I blame him, not really.  Some children make teachers lives hell, and they say sticks and stones.  I know it isnt 'slave labour' but keep in mind the kind of shit kids give out these days. 

[Jim]

Recently, a teacher came to school in Brisbane with 30kg of explosives strapped to his chest.  Do I blame him, not really.

Me neither. I blame the dynamite shop...

I'm alot more intellegent than most of the kids in my classes...

You can get away with that once, but it's such a turn off. In future, just say that everybody else in your classes are stupid.

[Queen of Everything]

Recently, a teacher came to school in Brisbane with 30kg of explosives strapped to his chest.? Do I blame him, not really.

Me neither. I blame the dynamite shop...

I'm alot more intellegent than most of the kids in my classes...

You can get away with that once, but it's such a turn off. In future, just say that everybody else in your classes are stupid.

Why is it a turn off?  If you bothered to ask the rest in I actually said "and I say that in the least egotistical way" Because I do.  Most girls I know just act stupid to look 'hot' for boys?!  Or they just couldnt be assed learning.

[Jim]

The rest of the quote wasn't necesary; "intelligence" is relative, and as such whether or not it really is the least egotistical way is impossible to gage. Yuk yuk yuk.

[Queen of Everything]

The rest of the quote wasn't necesary; "intelligence" is relative, and as such whether or not it really is the least egotistical way is impossible to gage. Yuk yuk yuk.

   Yes, Jim.

You obviously didnt understand what I was trying to say.  And I also said "most of the kids" so you really took it out of context and tried to make it into some kind of "Oh, I am so much smarter than everyone I know."  Which, it wasn't.  I was just saying that most of my classes of kids couldn't give a shit -- dont try -- and I end up learning more than them... making me... smarter.  Well -- at least in a classroom sense.  They may have more common knowledge, common sense, street smarts... what ever.  I just apply myself alot more than most people in my classes.

Which was the point I was trying to make.  Now -- I feel like a wanker -- and I shouldn't because I was trying to make a point that kids these days sometimes don't care about school -- just the social side and they don't realise why they're there, and why their parents are paying.

[Jim]

Look here missy, if I didn't understand what you were trying to say it was because you started talking Australian:

If you bothered to ask the rest in I actually said "and I say that in the least egotistical way" Because I do.

 
... And then something about Paris Hilton. What the hell is that supposed to mean, eh?

But seriously. Don't feel like a wanker. I thought that you had learned not to take what I say too seriously, unless I put on serious face.

(As a side note, I was under the impression that street smarts and intelligence (Smartness... Smarties) negatively correlated? Yuk yuk yuk.)

Jim i dont know what is wrong with invoking good behavior with fear.

Well, neither do I. Not with any certainty at least. I just feel that, as Yoda would say were he here, fear leads to hate, hate leads to the... Hate can lead to rebellion. If you are using fear as a way of, quite literally beating it into your children, then I don't think that it works as an extremity... There's a fine line, I guess.

[Brody]

How far down that road would you be willing to go? I'm undecided on the matter (it's somewhat difficult to when you're still in education; that said, I'm far beyond punishment these days...), but, if you are in favour of corporal punishment, then to what what extent? Is good behaviour bred through fear really the right thing to do?

... Actually, if you must know, I'm all in favour of a nice solid beating. It keeps everybody on their toes. Though to be completely honest, I don't think that it would deter me, at least, any more than detention did. It isn't like you're going to get beat to within an inch of your life. Maybe laps around the playground would be a good thing...

Jim I agree with you a good solid beating keeps you on your toes.. Im in the navy.. im a submariner and we have to go through a little qualification period.. learn damage control, and all the stuff that makes a sub a sub.. during my check outs if i would miss a question my sea dad would whack me with a wrench!! it hurt so i quit missing questions..

[journey]

during my check outs if i would miss a question my sea dad would whack me with a wrench!! it hurt so i quit missing questions..

Isn't that unnecessary roughness? Did you have to go through a hazing too?

[Brody]

Yea but i knew the stuff i needed to know.. theres a lot of hazing.. that goes on in subs.. its a way of testing whether or not the person will be able to handle it! you life depends on 130 other guys so..

[journey]

its a way of testing whether or not the person will be able to handle it! your life depends on 130 other guys so..

That's understandable. I just worry about hazing getting out of control to the point of killing someone. But I'm sure it's kept under control.