part 5 - A change

Now for a serious post. I think I'm ready to change my career path or at least my current situation. I love my coworkers, but I'm not feeling admin from central office all the way down. I feel like the basic goal of a teacher has changed. It seems like we have simply become classroom managers instead of educators. The admin seems to be more worried about not angering a parent than trying to make sure students are getting the education they need. They try to stop things or block things trying to keep from upsetting a parent before things even get a chance. This is ludicrous.

I signed on to try to educate America's youth, not to be an under-appreciated babysitter. I'm sick of having to give a kid work that's not trying to do anything all semester, but has "paperwork" that says they need extra time. A whole 5 weeks??? Is that extra enough? That's ridiculous and admin just keeps letting these kids work them and the system. I've seen students pass without having done a lick of work but the teachers can't fail them because admin doesn't want to have to "deal" with the paperwork or the parents so the teachers are urged to let them pass. The amount of paperwork on the teacher to fail the non producing student is immense. I'm done with this foolishness. These kids are allowed to skate through while you have some students that actually do their work and try and they are the ones who really suffer. The knuckleheads are given numerous chances and the good kids are being punished for dress code violations. What sense does that make? I'm lost. I need something else.

I've already started talking to some contacts and my placement for next year is uncertain at this point. I would hate to leave my coworkers, but it seems like the culture at my current location is changing anytime soon. We have too many personal agendas going on and the kids get lost in the shuffle. It's sad. We need to do better as a society if this is what education has come to. I see why people leave the profession....