2023 Teachers | What Everyone Should Know
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2022
- Why isn’t the government doing more to save teachers and maintain the quality of education students receive? Instead of implementing solutions to sustain the teachers we have now, they are minimizing the qualifications to become a teacher and offering bonuses in a variety of districts for new teachers. That might be okay if our current conditions were being addressed, but they are not. Teaching is greatly rewarding, but this just might be the hardest time to be a teacher. We need support and society to understand how education really works!
My name is Alexa Borota and I teach High School English. I also taught Middle School ELA for 7 years. Without a doubt, education is my passion!
Instagram: teachingwithalexa
IG Link: / teachingwithalexa
Email- teachingwithalexa@gmail.com
Teachers Pay Teachers (Free Resources)- www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
I've been a teacher for 22 years. Regarding teachers quitting: Can we address the elephants in the room?...........STUDENT MISBEHAVIOR AND OUTRAGEOUS PARENTS.
Exactly! Thank you.
That’s why I left!
YES!!! Students have virtually no consequences. It is a REAL issue . Misbehavior is blamed on the Teachers and it gets exhausting and exasperating in a very short time = Then there is the Parents too many ( not all ) are unappreciative and very demanding . It's almost unbelievable ......
I have two masters degrees and a PhD, and quitting teaching was the best decision I ever made.
And I am sure it wasn’t easy to walk away. I’m glad you found a new path that serves you!
SAME! I moved to IT & it changed my world.
M.Ed and MBA here. Left teaching after 10 years in middle school math last December. Went into revenue audit. I work in a cubical all day and don’t interact with anyone unless there is a problem. It’s far less stressful and I gave myself a $500 per month raise.
omg so hard to leave…I’m debating. Feel like I’m letting the kids down, but I’m dying…..never thought it’s gonna be this hard
@@missmaryjanegreen congratulations 🎊
We do NOT have summers off! Stop saying that!!!!
We are employed for 10 months and are then out of work 2 months per year.
(Even if our paycheck is spread over 12 months, we only get paid for 10.)
Everyone thinks teachers have paid summer vacation because "teachers have summers off."
You are right, you are right. Good point there! Some schools though do not have have summers off though and have longer breaks sporadically throughout the year. When I look at it from that perspective, it does seem we have “off.” But you’re right, we don’t.
@@teachingwithalexa Sorry I sounded so scolding--it's not aimed at you, just sick of everyone saying "you gave summers off" as tho it's a perk, not unpaid forced time off. Your video put everything in words so well.
@@vickyintexas3358 Thank you!
I am contracted for 190 days with a daily rate that is based on my education level and years of service. Multiply that rate by the contracted days and then divide by 24 to calculate bimonthly pay.
If you can do that, thank a teacher. 😉
In Greece public servants get 1500 a month while teachers get 1250 max. The government's explanation for this is because we don't work summers. Therefore we are not paid during summer break.
After almost 20 years as a teacher I have concluded that what they really want from me is no parent complaints, to not bother the office or administration with student problems, make sure to have all students pass regardless, and to get high end of level test scores. Anything else as a core teacher should be done away with including academic extracurriculars like science fair or math competitions (only support for sports or fine arts). Oh, I almost forgot, don’t ever complain, always smile, never miss any days of work, and make sure to be available for every summer collaboration meeting including those announced at the last minute sometime deep in June 😐
Exactly true ! Teaching for 19 years and my mental health has been ruined !
We’ll said!!!! You said it ALL!
You my friend are spot on! I can tell you have been in the trenches…this is my 25th year teaching and you have spoken nothing but facts!
Total facts
And have low energy. Definately do not out shine the principal.
Honestly, as a student I think Teachers deserve the same respect as CEOS and Lawyers. They have to educate an entire generation and they have to deal with other people's kids for 6-8 hours. Honestly, I wanted to be a teacher when I was little but now that realize how hard it actually is and how much they need to go through, not anymore. I don't wanna work anywhere that deals with kids and it's not because I hate them, I love little kids but I just don't have the patience to deal with them, let alone my own siblings.
There are other countries who value their teachers in that way; China, for example. Teachers are revered. It would be easier to handle students if we were offered support in other areas. It’s a lot to work with, day in and out. I think you were smart to choose another path. Teaching is anything but ideal right now.
@@teachingwithalexa My custodian shared this same information with me about how they respect kids overseas. He said the students do not misbehave. They will sit and listen to the teacher attentively all day long.
@@girlgonetalk2u321 Without dosing them with something?
I left the teaching profession the hard way...by having a nervous breakdown due to overwork and burnout via the emergency room.
I’m sorry! How awful, I hope you’re in a better place
So sorry that you had to go thru that, but happy you got out alive!
I hope you are doing better now. It's a stressful job for sure.
😭
After 15 years as an engineer and manager working in heavy industrial, I can honestly say my new career as a high school math teacher is the most intensive job I've ever had.
I was in engineering most of my life. I teacher 8th grade. It's the most exhausting job I've ever had. It is grueling.
I've got a two year bonding period for a scholarship I received, and after that, I'm out. Teaching teenagers is just too draining I'm finding and leaves me with no energy left for other things in life. What is your long term plan? I'll likely go back to engineering, possibly teaching in higher Ed.
Teaching is grueling because you’re on stage literally all day with perhaps only one prep period. And being on stage as it were you are also isolated from the other adults. And this is based on the false notion that it is possible to learn the material for the kids by demonstrating that you the teacher know the material thoroughly which strikes me as being ridiculous. For one thing, this is not the classic English tutorial approach as practiced at Oxford and Cambridge. And then also the utility of continually quizzing the kids strikes me as equally ridiculous. Standardized finals impartially graded to determine class rank strike me as being more valid. In other words I don’t care what someone’s point average in high school was. I want to know what they got on their SATs or their GRE. And if I had to be employed in education again I would major in school librarian, not prepare to be a subject instructor. Or better yet, I would get a regular master’s degree in library science and find a job in a public library serving everyone, and not get tied down as a “herder of worms” as we called inner city school teachers in grad school. In a system with social promotion the older the kids the further behind they tend to get so you end up feeling like you’re “herding worms” as we would joke.
@@alanparedes2034I teach kindergarten in a title 1 school and I’m literally drained at the end of the day.
For the first time, I just filled out two job applications to get out of teaching. This saddens me that I am at this stage. I intended to be a teacher for the rest of my working life. It was my dream as a child. I worked hard, as a single mom, to get this career. I have enjoyed every minute with my students, even the difficult ones. I just hate the useless paperwork that is expected, but never even looked at. I hate the lack of support, when a parent complains about how we disciplined their misbehaving kid. I hate the fact that they don't pay me enough to get school supplies for my students, that they should already be providing. I hate the parents that just make excuses for their lacking kids. I hate that the government officials fund wars, more than they fund education. I hate that parents do not realize that we actually love their kids and want the best for them, so we offer mental health resources that they never want to receive, because they never want to admit that their kid needs those resources. I hate the rare kid that doesn't want to be in my class, so they run around the campus, and no one brings them back to class. Sigh...
May I ask what job applications you filled out? I recently resigned from my teaching position for those same reasons and trying to figure out where to go from here...😩
I made it to retirement but it was touch and go for the last few years. Everything you say about teaching is the truth. I loved being a teacher but what was being done to my profession was and is awful. My daughter was thinking about being a teacher and I always thought I would encourage her to do so. Nope. When the time came I told her to not even think about it and find another profession. I still feel sad about that.
The thing about requiring teachers to enter 50s instead of 0s is absolutely true and doesn't get discussed enough. And yet we are still expected to maintain "high expectations." Just one example of how teachers are undermined in the classroom.
And it’s misleading to some kids who think they ready for college. We don’t want them to get there and think they’re suddenly unfit. It’s quite easy to receive an 80-85 these days.
Your point at 2:30 is what needs to be publicly discussed. Most Americans do consider an unqualified doctor to be a problem. Whereas they don’t see unqualified teachers to be a problem. As evidence, a less qualified substitute can be called in place of a qualified teacher, but a less qualified doctor substituting for a doctor isn’t an option. As a former MS/HS teacher, I can attest the public believes most skills acquired in public education aren’t necessary to function and thrive in society. I mention this as one rationale as to why voters and politicians don’t go to bat for teachers.
What should be discussed is how unnecessarily difficult the job is. The folks like me who’ve left the classroom can tell you how almost any corporate job is easier than being a classroom teacher.
Teaching is not taken seriously because the public schools are obviously a custodial system for warehousing kids during the day ostensibly to keep them out of mischief hence, it’s a given that half of them are borderline uneducable anyway, so what good would genius teachers do when they’re given mental midgets to work with? And then the end result is that the average adult in society only has a sixth grade reading level. The average high school graduate has perhaps an eighth grade reading level, and then the only cohort that scores 12th grade on reading tests is college graduates, perhaps. One reason the current crop of teachers is doing badly could be because as college graduates they are essentially over-qualified to teach public school, so low are the standards in effect. This can be objectively demonstrated owing to the all pervasive phenomena of “social promotion”, or faking grades to appease anxious parents.
I have recently resigned as a Classroom Teacher after 17 years. I taught in the same district, same admin. We aggressively paid off our largest debt (our home!) so the idea of work can look how we choose. I am super passionate about what I did for those 17 years! It’s sad to see outstanding, high quality teachers leave the profession because of burnout. I hope there are changes soon. It’s not worth your mental health to have such unrealistic expectations given to you every single day. It’s exhausting.
Wow, 17 years. That was a tough decision, I’m sure. It’s going to take time, but I think there will eventually be some shifts. Prob won’t see it until after I retire though!
I left once my house was paid off, too. Twenty-one years. Too much aggravation; I was labeled as a problem because I would point out the problems. As a consequence, my classes had been stacked for the last two years with every over-aged, behavior problem, English-as-a-second language child they could throw at me. And if they did NO work? My fault. I’m obviously a bad teacher because I can’t motivate them. (Hey, I couldn’t ever get ahold of their parents, either!) I had the largest class load and absolutely no support. My grandson goes to a private school. I will help pay for that if necessary. Kiddos are coming out of high school more undereducated every year. I bounce around the WWW and find dozens of spelling and grammatical errors in articles written by Americans… who are very smart, maybe… but they write like high school sophomores. So funny it’s sad...
@@Marty1857 The way you get ahold of parents even if they’re not in the phone book is to call everyone else in the phone book with the same last name, especially if it is an uncommon ethnic name then when you find someone who’s a close relative you leave them this message to relay to the parent: “I am your daughter’s home room teacher, she disappeared from school three weeks ago at the same exact time as her boyfriend so and so. Please get back to me to let me know if she still lives with you.” I got a call within 24 hours from the mother who after speaking with me said “I’m going to kill her”. The mother dragged her daughter into the principal’s office and demanded that she be transferred from a high school ninth grade class to a nearby middle school’s ninth grade class. This request was complied with immediately. Subsequently all of her girlfriends informed me that the girl in question was “really mad at me.” As the leading petty officer of the quartermaster division on a nuclear submarine I learned how to fix people’s asses by gong to the NIS circumventing the chain of command. If you want results it’s imperative to be a sneaky bastard is all I can say.
@@marcmeinzer8859 That only works if the parents care. I’ve done dozens of “home visits” and overheard parents (while I’m waiting outside on their porch) tell their kids to say they weren’t home. I’ve had parents look at me and shrug. “What can we do?” Early in my career I had mostly good results with home visits. As the years went on, fewer and fewer addresses were valid, or parents just didn’t want to talk to me. Officially, tickets can be written and uncooperative parents taken to court - but it rarely happens unless the student is 18+ y/o; in 21 years I’ve heard of that happening only a few times, in my district, at the middle school level.
@@Marty1857 Obviously not everything works. Of course that’s pretty sick when parents just don’t give a shit. They just get tired of trying. I had a girlfriend who was a voc rehab counselor and her kids were totally impossible high school dope dealers who were stealing money from her out of her purse. She was a periodic drunkard. I got so disgusted I canceled our wedding and moved out. Never spoke to her again.
THE ACCURACY!!!! Why hasn't this video gone viral!!!
Good question. LOL.
Because people don’t care & they don’t want to hear it.
@@missmaryjanegreen It’s the “If I don’t acknowledge it, it’s not there” philosophy.😔
Truth!
And let’s not forget that while administration insists that students who do nothing still get 50% credit, teachers’ evaluations are partially based on the scores the students get on standardized tests!
🤷♀️
Most admin who I know understand the irony, but say there’s nothing they can do. Something will have to change eventually.
Not to mention to all the damn professional development we haven’t to do, the favoritism, systemic racism, low pay, administrative duties, behavioral issues with no support, they want them to have centers and etc… but don’t provide us adequate funds to do that, not even a color printer, lack of effective resources and too many resources that aren’t effective.
Administration siding with parents
The most glaring example of “systemic racism” is the over-tolerance of deviant behaviors in large urban schools which are predominantly attended by students of color such as African Americans and Hispanics. And then this is locked in place by simply passing kids who haven’t done their work so even if they do get into college they will typically flunk out freshman year since they never learned to type or to write an essay that makes any sense. Kids with low reading scores need to be steered into programs like Job Corps starting at 16 so that they can get their GED while learning a trade. Faking high school just enables them to flunk out of college instead of learning how to do something.
I'm not going to lie. They don't care about quality. They just want a teacher who won't complain or cause trouble. Most jobs are like this. They will take the person who keeps their head down and never complains over the superior worker who complains about others not doing their fair share. For teachers, there is also a long line of people waiting behind you. When they get burned out, then the school tags in the next one and it starts all over again. It doesn't take much skill to get a job as a teacher, but being an effective teacher takes an incredible amount of skills. Like I said before, they don't care about quality, they just need a warm body to watch the children. I've worked "low skill" jobs, and it's always the same. They hire tons of people who don't care, so the ones that do eventually leave and never come back, thus making the quality drop off. If they would take care of the quality and not be so quick to hire shite, then I think the overall quality of life would improve drastically.
Exactly.you cannot shine your light in an interview. The insecure principal absolutely does not want anyone to take the spotlight.
What you say was absolutely typical of what went on at Job Corps, which is federal department of labor vocational boarding school including basic literacy and numeracy plus equivalency diploma or GED. The teachers were paid at least 25% less than public school teachers but had to work fifty weeks per year. The social workers were paid even less than the teachers. The instruction was all programmed down to the nth degree so the administration was utterly indifferent to who taught there. Literally all they cared about was getting their money from the US Department of Labor. At the Cleveland Job Corps center two contractors in a row were charged with embezzling funds from the federal government and arrested and removed from the building[s] in front of all the kids. I heard about this after I’d quit to ship out with the merchant marine. They would literally fire teachers who’d been there for fifteen years just so they could replace them with a new hire for less money. After all, if someone was truly incompetent then how did they manage to survive there for that long in the first place? It should come as no surprise that teachers always get treated like a disposable commodity when they are not unionized. Because teachers are not management, they’re labor.
But more fundamentally you’re no longer permitted to discipline the kids. Hence, it is inevitable that they will be poorly behaved. And then of course you the teacher will be blamed for their shitty behavior. This is a classic double bind. The job has been rendered undoable. Everyone should just quit. If no one wants to discipline kids anymore then they should be left at home with a free laptop and the web address of the free online academy. Then when they’re 18 they can take the GED exam. It’s really that ridiculous. Abolish the public schools. The central reason they don’t care about quality is because in universal public schooling for 12 years the average student is basically an imbecile anyway. They figure that the bright kids can fend for themselves anyway so who gives a shit? I know that I don’t. I quit after teaching for seven years.
@@marcmeinzer8859 yes, it has turned into a kammunist system. That is why it sucks.
@@Richard-vq7ud Specifically it’s degenerated into mass child care with a mere presence of academic study, which has been undermined by social promotion and indiscipline since the belief is that no one can be culled from the herd, so to speak, because the kids are to be maintained as a collective, which is even worse than communism, because at least in communism they had a belief in elite education. We no longer have any sense of elitism below the university level in public schools.
It still makes me want to cry every time I think about how I had to leave the profession I was (and still am) so passionate about. I hung on for my school babies (I taught K) as long as I could. Unfortunately, after being told by a psychologist that I was 1 step away from a mental breakdown, and being told by my GP that my body wasn't going to take the stress I was putting on it much longer w/o some serious detriment to my health, I had to make a choice. A choice between being here for my family, or continuing to wreck my mind and body 24/7 by trying to satisfy the increasingly impossible expectations that were being thrust upon me as a teacher. I love my family w/ all my heart, and am glad I get to be w/ them and take care of them each and every day! I know I made the right decision to leave teaching, but that doesn't take away the pain and guilt, as I feel I have let so many sweet, deserving children down by not being there to serve them.
I am so sorry. It’s easy to say “don’t take your work home” or “do less” but then you feel a strain on your class or as if you’re struggling because you’re unprepared. It’s a lot. I go through seasons. You’d know when I’m going through a season because I won’t put a vlog out for a while. Did you get into another career? You could try subbing for a bit. They pay very well in my district, you can still be with the kids…just an idea.
@@teachingwithalexa
Thank you so much for your caring reply. Unfortunately, my situation is a complicated (and hopefully rare) one. For the sake of being as brief as possible, I'll make a generalized list of the biggest factors in my leaving the teaching profession.
1. Lack of administrative support, and verbal abuse by my direct supervisor (i.e. the principle)
2. The ever increasing responsibilities and unrealistic expectations being thrust on us as professionals.
3. The new curriculum being implemented was beyond developmentally inappropriate, and we as teachers were not allowed to individualize in the way we knew was best for each child.
4. The physical abuse I endured each day (bruises, welts, bite marks, a bloody nose, and bruised internal organs as confirmed by MRI) in my attempts to protect the majority of my students from the violent 3 or 4 students who would be put in my class each year.
I have since been diagnosed w/ several physical illnesses, as well as C-PTSD, thus making it basically impossible to go back into the working world. As devastating as all the above things are, I am very blessed to have a husband who now supports my being a stay at home wife and mother. I suppose I shouldn't complain though, as I have it much better than most.
In conclusion, I pray the rest of your teaching career goes well, and maybe you'll one day get the appreciation and recognition you deserve as a dedicated and caring educator.
This needs to go viral because it is not just an American education problem but also seen here in Australia 🇦🇺 More people need to listen and understand.... So thank you for saying what MANY teachers are experiencing and feeling...
Thank you! I enjoy listening to what teachers have to say internationally, and you’re right, it’s ubiquitous.
Sing it sister! I’m 24 years in and have left and returned twice. I’m still just trying to survive literally and financially. It still amazes me that teachers may be asked what their opinion is about the teaching profession but teachers never get an actual seat at the table when solutions are being discussed. Also I am in Texas which has this cute little title for labor has no rights: it’s called a right to work state. Labor has the right to work but no right to strike or bargain collectively.
It just isn’t right. I feel it partially has to do with the misconceptions people have about what we do and lack of care when we open up about it. I feel we are in this bubble where only teachers care and others think we are being overdramatic. We needs parents and the rest of society to want change. Pretty every teacher I’ve ever talked to about the profession contemplates another profession. I know countless who left.
Definitely find another field - nothing is improving, only getting worse.
That’s not what right-to-work means. It means that joining a union must be optional, and may not be a condition of employment. You can and may join a Union if you choose, but under the current circumstances it may not be actually worth it. It has become so bad that leaving the profession is a better move for you as an individual.
You said it all in the first 30 seconds, but the entire video was spot on. Thank you.
The accuracy! I'm not even a core content teacher and I'm still working toward transitioning from a foreign language teacher (Spanish) to ESL. This will significantly lighten my workload, there will be far less students, immigrants tend to place a high value on education, they are rarely obnoxious, success is important to them, and I have a deep love for the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. Besides, judging by the way the crisis at the border is going, I should be in business for a long time. I've already completed my ESL endorsement program, so now it's time to pass this Praxis. May God bless and give special favor to both the teachers who are choosing to hang on, as well as those who have left the profession.
Best of luck on your Praxis! With all of the craziness, I still love teaching. Praying for a better system. Do not get comfortable in a school where you feel administrators do not support you. There are so many wonderful administrators out there who empathize…they will help you get through the hard times that we all experience. In every profession.
@@teachingwithalexa Thank you! It to me a while to realize it, but I now understand why God allowed me to work and witness so many mishaps within the public education system. As each year passes, the more I feel God calling me in the direction of education policy and leadership. I can't wait to see what he has in store for me in the future. It's taken a bit longer than expected but I am definitely learning what my purpose is in life. Education policy is definitely within my near future. Many blessings to you!
retiring early at 28 years. Burnt out, exhausted, sitting in my car dreading coming into the building. A mentor told me I would know when it was time. Yep. I retire in two days.
Happy retirement! I can’t say how I’ll feel 20 years from now about teaching. Nobody should ever dread walking into work. I have low vibe days, or sometimes weeks, but overall still have a strong passion and enthusiasm for it.
Congratulations 🎉
LOL!!! Love it!! (Big smile)
But the scary thing is trying to sell myself in non-education fields when all I know is education
That is definitely one of the hardest parts about leaving. I do not plan or want to leave, but I have set so many new boundaries for myself. I will never go back to working around the clock again and if I cannot get to an email or paperwork in time, so be it. My teaching and positive relationships speaks for itself.
Preach!!😂
I care less about compensation than my time! What is about to drive me out is the lack of time and increasing demands. I would walk out even if they somehow offered six figures. Money can't replace the time I don't have with my loved ones or the time that I don't have to be rested and energized enough to teach or the time I don't have to plan and prepare the amazing engaging lessons that are the reason I want to teach. No amount of money can fix this issue of no time. And if it doesn't get better, I am walking out.
I agree. If I don’t batch plan a ton of lessons, I feel like I’m treading water and it takes a toll on either my body or my mood. Batch planning takes a lot of time and involves me working weekends. Crazy how much we do for the pay. I have started to let some of my responsibilities go in order not to go crazy. I no longer volunteer the way I used to, cannot connect with families the way I used to, etc. I go through seasons, and when it’s crazy season, I only focus on a handful of things. If I was ever ridiculed, that’s when I’d leave. 100%. Luckily, my administration has been empathetic to our work load.
Administration does make a huge difference. We got new administration this year and I feel slightly more supported than last year. I also have to say that our district has been good about giving pay raises and retention bonuses first to those who have been there the longest. And those things definitely matter! I am hoping that our new administration is just making changes slowly and they build in more time for us next year. I am not unappreciative of the pay increase or the bonuses either. I just know schools still need to focus on burnout that occurs from teachers who have no time. At least our district has realized that it's easier in the long run to keep your qualified teachers than to get these new random people and try to get them all trained. It ends up being more work for everyone in the district.
And this video doesn't even discuss the deterioration of student behaviors in the last few years. That's one of the main reasons I resigned from being a para. Education is one of the few careers where you are gaslighted into accepting being treated poorly and disrespected because "it's part of the job." 🙁
Yeah, it can be challenging. I’m lucky to have a supportive admin. Should the day come I am not; I do not know if I could do this every day for the rest of my career. It
It’s because nobody can imagine what to do with the misfits other than keeping them in school and expecting everybody to just fake it. It’s kind of like the Catholic church where clergy can get away with anything just so long as they’re sneaky and don’t get themselves thrown in prison. The same applies to students in public schools; you’re stuck with their nonsense until they get caught robbing a liquor store and end up in the juvenile prison.
I totally agree!! (smile) Great post!
Thank you!
How to destroy the American Education System! 1. Core curriculum standards and associated testing 2. School Administrators and Parents blame the teachers for students' poor grades and behaviors. Whatever happened to putting the accountability for grades on the students. My grandmother raised me and always said that I was not to make excuses for my poor grades by saying the teacher was terrible, the teacher doesn't like me, the teacher is unfair, the teacher is mean. Instead my grandmother said, you have a book, you have a hand to raise and ask questions, you can stay after class and ask for assistance, but I never want to hear it is the teachers fault. 3. Absolutely zero negative reinforcement for bad behavior or performance. We are not doing these students or America any favors by blaming teachers for student performance. Education starts at home, in my case with my grandmother. Scapegoating teachers doesn't help the student or America be able to compete. 4. With all the administrative overhead for testing and tracking various metrics most students get maybe 20 minutes of instruction time. And that's if there lucky. And because of shortages and various other factors most teachers get essentially zero time for class prep. Try planning a 30 minute instruction period and see how long it takes you. I have several teachers in my family and they all got out. They love teaching, but the school administrators and parents made the job anything but teaching. Basically the administrators and parents don't give a crap about taking responsibility and making sure the teachers have the proper resources from the school, and an attentive and well behaved student from the parents. Don't blame the teachers, blame the parents and the system their whining has created. Oh my Susie or Tommy would never do that, it is the teachers fault, if they can't control my child they should be fired. It's not my child's fault. Blah, Blah, Blah. Parents, you want someone to blame for poor Susie's and Tommy's performance, just look in a mirror. Why do so many non-US cultured families have the majority of children who perform above average if not at the top of their class. Because the parents insist that their child work hard as a student and to garner as much as they can from the process in the form of good grades and acceptance by excellent colleges. Same schools, same teachers, different approach in placing the responsibility to learn and perform on the student/child.
The fact remains that there are no standards for the kids hence the all pervasive use of social promotion and this in tandem with the indiscipline has rendered the kids unteachable. The curriculum needs to be automated and the teachers need to be replaced by child care workers with 2 year degrees. If you’re going to treat the teachers like idiots then the job needs to be converted into an idiot’s job. Then all the current teachers need to find something else to do which isn’t so futile or pointless.
Before teaching I was in Bioinformatics. I went from fresh analyst to director in 7 years, 4 promotions. I work about as hard being a teacher.
Preach girl
I quit teaching after 19 years. Everything you said rings true. The burnout from admin, parents and outstanding behaviors eroded my love for the field. I remember accepting a teacher of the year award for my county and while up on stage thinking I am out. I can't do this anymore and I resigned after my contract was up. It's been the best decision for me and I am so happy I did.
Wow, a teacher-of-the-year quitting soon after, that’s unheard of! I am so sorry. People do not know how hard the decision to leave is. You invested so much time, love and $ into your career. Hats off to your bravery and I hope find (or have already found) something better.
The district I teach in put out a survey on our mental health. 23 years that is a first for me…how is my mental health …maybe mental health workers will have support groups for teachers. I felt like this falls into the teacher is the problem. Every initiative feels like the focus is to improve the teaching and than everything else will work….kids will all meet the state test and all of society’s ills will be fixed. Admin in our district $4000 raises each year over three years. Teachers got 0% and 2% for a two year contract. The pay for taking on so many roles and taking care of so many kids need to go way up along with feeling valued through collaborative activities focused on team building and comradeship. During teacher appreciation week our PTSO does little things for teachers….not district leaders, sadly. There is a large divide.
I feel one day we will see some major shifts, but it won’t be for another 20+ years. No way teachers will continue to put up with it. Many are fighting back and that group will grow stronger.
That’s not because they value your mental health. It’s because of the push for teachers to carry guns. Administrators are worried for THEIR safety from the teachers they’ve literally tortured past the point of sanity.
Because there are no standard FOR THE FUCKING KIDS it’s rendered the teachers all over-qualified for what they’re being made to do, which is babysitting the uneducable. The way public school is currently organized it really should only require a two year child care worker associates degree and the curriculum should be entirely automated like online academy so that virtually anyone could monitor the kids. Not only are teachers no longer allowed to discipline the kids but they’re no longer permitted to design their own classes hence the imperative to simply automate the entire curriculum. If all you’re really doing is babysitting then it’s time to switch to hiring professional babysitters instead of academics.
Well said (and entertaining!)
Thank you; that is what I was going for 😆
I do get it that teachers are only paid for nine or ten months and then laid off without pay, basically. And after my first year with the Cleveland schools I was literally pink slipped and had to forego renting an apartment which I had found. When I was teaching public high school in Cleveland I found out that it was virtually impossible to make extra money by teaching summer school if you had no seniority. But the real reason why teaching is so stressful is because the vast majority of the kids have no real academic ability. What does it really mean when we discover that the average adult in society has a sixth grade reading level? What that actually means is that for at least half of the population virtually nothing whatever was absorbed during the entire period of their secondary schooling. And then of course others benefited partially perhaps, if for instance they attained say a tenth grade reading level. But there is simply no other occupation where you are expected to work with people who have no real aptitude for what they are being asked/forced to attempt to do. So it should come as no surprise to hear that there is finally a mass exodus from teaching. And neither should it be surprising that certified teachers will simply be replaced by permanent substitutes without regard to what they earned their degrees in, or that such stop-gap teachers could also be given signing bonuses as an incentive for agreeing to teach these vast legions of dullards who have so little academic ability or intellectual inclination, such as it is, which leans heavily in the direction of nullity, in point of fact. So considering how dumb the average school kid really is perhaps it makes no difference who teaches them since plainly they will end up having learned virtually nothing of substance anyway.
I quit teaching in 2021. It was the best decision in my life. I hope more quit.
The government needs to instill laws and funding that dramatically improve teaching quality and the parents need to generally back the teachers.
That would change everything. I think there is a great misunderstanding about what teachers control and what actually happens in a classrooms. Many parents still see teaching as a “sit down” job 😂 with paid summers off (false). Parents also need to see beyond their one child and see the larger picture of a classroom. A single teacher cannot meet every need, it’s impossible with 24+ kids in one single class.
for such a sad and stressful topic, I laughed a lot watching this video! Here's hoping for education reform.
Thank you, and yes, reform.
That’s understandable but the way things got to this sad impasse can be objectively explained. But on the most basic level teachers should all quit once they realize that they are not permitted to discipline the kids but that perversely, they will also be held accountable for the resulting chaos. This is having lots of responsibility but no commensurate authority to get the desired results. It is a double bind which will make any normal person crazy eventually.
I'm in year #20. If my current position didn't offer teacher housing, I couldn't afford to be a teacher without have 2-3 other jobs to make ends meet. I haven't left yet, but in a matter of just a few years, the teachers in my age bracket will retire. things will get super serious then.
I consider them super serious now. I can’t imagine teachers having to cover classes any more than we already do. I see the same jobs reposted again and again. To add, there’s a lack of security guards, us drivers, etc., as well. We have got to change the narrative around education and it will not happen until teachers can take their power back. Everything is left up to parents and the opinions of KIDS. There’s always a good idea to fix a problem, but not enough staff to implement the solution. Another bandaid.
Where do you teach that offers housing for teachers? What a great incentive 😊
@t.terrell7037 Arizona on Navajo reservation. It was an amazing experience. Much honor and respect to Native Americans.
Left after 28 years… even took less retirement. For me, it was the complete disrespect from students, parents, and especially administrators. We got no support ever.
It's the thumbnail that got my attention also I just covered the "Amazing Teacher Exodus" on my channel too.
I had a student with 84 unexcused absences this year. I was not allowed to retain that student.
This is exactly what I mean. I understand this is not every school, but it’s too many. This is particularly an issue in urban school districts.
That’s insane.
I’ve dealt with similar experiences.
Somehow it would fall on “teachers not doing the necessary paperwork.”
That’s the way it is everywhere. It’s because public school has been reduced to a daycare for working mothers. This is also why you can’t get anyone suspended from school anymore. The only way to get a high school kid expelled anymore is get something on them criminally then rat them out to the police so they get thrown in jail. But obviously it would have to be something really heavy. My weirdest experience teaching ghetto high school was the time these police detectives asked me to verify whether a particular boy was in class on a particular day in question. I had to admit to them that my attendance records weren’t 100% reliable because I had a student taking attendance for me. When they left I asked them which division they were with. They said “homicide”.
Worth noting that a lot of these less qualified teachers are not unionized. So down the road they can be payed less, worked more, and put in more stressful and dangerous situations. It's happening to pretty much every unionized industry. Inflation is so high it's hard to strike because one missed paycheck could land you on the streets. Don't be fooled, this is calculated and intentional.
👏👏👏
I hope the media starts to express it as “violence-free classroom shortage, competent admin shortage, fair pay shortage, reasonable workload shortage, ethical practice shortage, and respect shortage.”
I like that, a lot. I have to say my admin have been pretty practical overall, but the fact that they seem to have no power over these other issues is a concern. I understand we all have different experiences with our admin.
This was hilarious!
Lol, thanks
I didn't just "leave" teaching--I ejected from it!
Lol.
Me too! I literally walked out of a meeting with a toxic parent and that was my last day.
i am in the process of getting my masters in secondary English. I am so unsure if I should do it or not. Any suggestions? Pros and Cons?
"WHY" are you getting a masters is the question.
The teaching shortage isn't just an American problem. It's an issue in every English speaking country (at least). But your idea of striking has merit. Check out NSW Teachers strikes on UA-cam. In a 20 year first, Public AND Private School teachers went on strike together.
Yeah, it’s definitely international. Most recently I’ve been diving into education in Australia and they have the same problem. The trending complaints continue to be student behavior, disrespect from parents, and low pay.
theres no shortage;the issue is low pay no respect
You are so funny! 😊
Thanks 😊
I'm questioning if leaving mid year on my first year is the best decision. I'm having panic attacks, I'm not confrontation with misbehaving students. I get no help from administration, and I feel my health is deteriorating. I want to help but I'm not good with classroom management (and I have tried). My plan is go back to retail to handle my finances and go back to school for something else. I debating between business management or something with computers.
Support from administration is key. Without it, stress is magnified. Nobody knows better than you, but I might first consider another school district or grade level before leaving entirely.
Get out as soon as you can. If you stay a few years you will be trapped.
Update: I left last month and I'm much happier. I'm taking things slow and deciding between getting a masters in history or getting a business degree in community College
@@historian909 good that you got out; the longer you are in, the harder it becomes to find another job outside of education. Spread the word & tell everyone you know. People need their eyes opened to how ridiculously stressful & unrealistic that profession has become!
@@teachingwithalexa sadly your advice is flawed. The longer one stays in Education, the harder it is to find a job outside of it as NO ONE seems to think of it as a ‘real’ job. If teachers want to leave we should all encourage them to find something else, not move to another space with the same problems.
This video popped up on my feed at the worst possible time. I just drove home from work (I'm a teacher), muttering to myself about how lowering the bar on education so much is going to contribute to societal collapse. The world had indoor plumbing before Rome collapsed...now imagine how much worse OUR collapse is going to be after everyone who built the Internet dies.
What kicked-off this pessimistic musing was our school board's new "equity statement" that aims to "eliminate the achievement gap between students". So either I need to turn my low-achievers into high-achievers (something EVERY good teacher is ALWAYS trying to do!), or else reign-in my high-achievers. I fear it's the latter.
Yes, it is frustrating. I’m always trying to find the balance between the political aspect of it all and my then just doing my own thing (meaning teaching what I know is practical). I do not want to think about and talk about the negative every day because that’s when teaching becomes the most frustrating. I hope your administration is supportive of your methods and ideas.
Imagine if we had less qualified doctors? If this is what's going on in the schools we'll see less qualified doctors in the next 10 to 20 years because that's when they're going to be graduating and moving on become doctors.
American medical schools are so unrealistic about what sort of grades one needs to become a physician that already you see most doctors in many areas being foreign born and trained and much of the work being done by physicians assistants and nurse practitioners instead of MDs or comparable degrees at the doctoral level.
@@marcmeinzer8859 on the flip side there are arguments that school is becoming too easy and Americans are getting too soft and uncompetitive and thus unprepared for handling medical school. I'm hearing more and more about how parents are putting pressure on teachers at not just the K-12 level but also at the college level where teachers are afraid to fail students who don't even do their work.
@@aaronbono4688 The problem is bifurcated. In other words, academic schooling is too easy, but has been ruined by including too many who are not suited to it. Kids who are going nowhere academically need to be shunted off into manual arts training, therapy for the disturbed, or in many cases juvenile lock up even. The current notion that no one is stupid is in and of itself profoundly stupid.
@@aaronbono4688 Since it’s become unthinkable to not be in school schools in general have become custodial institutions which must socially promote everyone since they are divided into levels and it is considered undesirable to hold anyone back from their cohort. It’s for this reason that there is now talk of abolishing grades, even though the first four years of school didn’t used to be graded but now typically is. The book TRAVELS by Michael Crichton contains an interesting narrative of his own medical training at Harvard. Also, medical doctors have lower IQs than is generally assumed, which raises the question of how important rote memorization really is in education. In other words people fond of drilling themselves to recall factoids may not be as smart as they imagine. Another problem with education is the sheer inconsistency of it. And then also the notion that learning must be directed by “teachers”. After all, teachers cannot actually learn anything for you.
Parents are to blame too!
Parents are 100% to blame, it’s why we have these screwed up kids who’ll wind up failures as adults.
I know. Why does it have to be such a death sentence for the conversation to be around parents?
Amen! I hate that my union seems to work harder at getting starting pay for people who have never paid a dime in union dues and most likely will not join.
Yes. Union dues, another expense people don’t realize we pay. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important, but we pay so much. It’s just another reason we deserve a bit more. Between union dues and health insurance…let me stop before I rant.
My grandson is already learning about gender on Google along with every other subject he is interested in. Children have changed, but the schools have not.
Less than 50? Students at my school can't score lower than a 70
No way!! Where is this?
@@teachingwithalexa Texas
I experienced the same policies in Texas. 7 years in 4 districts. Public & charter. No child left behind - they are all passing whether they show up or not, whether they can read or not, whether they are capable of understanding or not.
@@missmaryjanegreen I'm telling you this is going to be disastrous
@@historian909 telling me? I left because it is already disastrous.
Not me looking at this while also going into teaching because I'm broke af and 60k a year is triple what I'm making now😅
60k isn’t bad! I didn’t start off making that much.
Teachers in Australia start on $85,000 a year.
Imagine if a district treats their teachers like crap... Imagine grounds, maintenance, or custodial...
Or educational assistants
Or subs
Can any educator give feedback to Ph.D. students wishing to teach post-secondary education?
Lolololololol you want us to tell them they wasted their time & money?
Post secondary education consists mostly of temporary part time adjunct positions. In other words, don’t bother.
Well, considering that there are a lot of conspiracy theories being spread about what you actually teach children, and a lot of people are actually trained since a young age to believe something that cannot be proved, so they are naturally inclined to believe without evidence, Plus, all the other problems that you listed, I'm surprised that there still is an actual education system in the USA. Not that in the rest of the world it is much different. Here in Italy we have some of the same problems, the only difference is that at the statal level, teachers usually do not leave because that is a fixed income.
Ruining the public schools promotes class stratification in society, or to eradicate social mobility, as if you can’t get a decent education unless you can afford private school then the haves will remain on top indefinitely.
I hate that teaching is so undervalued as a career. My heart wants me to be one, so I am paying cash for a teaching degree and getting one, but I honestly don't know if I will ever use it. My life as a software engineer is pretty cozy, even if I am a meaningless corporate pawn. Will I be a teacher one day? Maybe never, if things for y'all don't get better. But I at least want the potential to be one, at least one day, if things ever look up. The very core idea of teaching is an absolute dream... I just wish it wasn't wrapped in such a terrible casing
Stay in Software. I left teaching for IT & it is a dream!!!
main issue they make it super hard to become a teacher lol
@@kimberlybrowndiaz9293 Teacher here - YES!! they do and then there are soooo many meaningless workshops and classes you have to attend just to keep your Credential current . Finland should be the model for Public Education . It's hard to be a Teacher there , but you get VERY well compensated and are respected as Professionals . I have a friend that Teacher there .
Example: Indiana - 4yrs college $25,000 = $100,000 debt. Monthly payment $1,161 or $14,000 yr. Avg new, 1st yr teacher salary $40,000. $40,000 - $14,000 = $26,000. Minimum wage at gas and go 40hr x 52wk = $27,000. Minimum wage clerk makes more than 4yr teaching degree.
Maryland $43,200, Virginia $41,250, Pennsylvania $44,700, Florida $44,000, Oklahoma $38,000, Oregon $44,675, New Mexico $34,900, Texas 40,750, but this is the state average for a 1st r teacher. Many start at $34,000. Meaning after student loans, teacher make less than minimum wage in many states.
I see your point, but 25k is much more than someone needs to spend for a B.A. in a humanities, then a Teaching Credential. Cal States are 5-15 grand a year, and junior colleges are a fifth of that. Hopefully, not too many out there spent 25k a year in the hopes of being a teacher in a moderate to low-paying state.
CCSD(Las Vegas) $50125.
@@nodebt6188 my county (Calvert) in Maryland starts at $50,500 for a first year teacher with a Bachelors in Education. If you are provisional, you have a bachelors in something else, your pay is $39,770. In Garrett Co, MD it’s $46,200. In Montgomery Co. it is $63,500. Same state, varying payscales, healthcare costs and days/hours worked. Some counties work 7.5 hrs, others 8. Some work 187 days, others 190.
Thanks for sharing! For some, there are ways around tuition reimbursement. It’s still not enough and in order for it to happen, teachers do not have the freedom to leave their district. This is the case for so many professions.
@@teachingwithalexa true, my mom got through college on a grant that stated she work 1 year for each year of university. But it wasn’t a district, it was statewide. We also lived below the poverty line so she qualified for the Federal grants. This was 1968-1972. But she soon found that once in a county it was near impossible to leave because evaluations came around the time of transferring and your evaluation was held over your head to stay where you were. Nice, huh? Year 5, she transferred to a school closer to home. She had to replace income from working with scholarships and grants (SG). That was possible back then and income tax free. It became her part time job to apply for SG, she maintained a 4.0 through out university.
They only hire the teacher that match all the checked boxes
I have taught in Alabama for over thirty years. My experience is nothing like this. We have plenty of supplies and the kids are good. Alabama is supposed to be the worst state for education.
Happy for you. Sadly that was far from my experience.
There are plenty of teachers, but they don’t want to teach. I’m so excited that if the salary raise sucks this years, that I am out at the end of the year. Planning that exit is happening now. Woohooo.
The American leadership is not about funding the police or teachers or infrastructure…
My old district was recruiting and hiring from 3rd world countries.
Stoppp 😒I’ve heard about this but do not know anyone personally who experiences it. Desperate times! I know teachers who are getting paid more than tenured teachers as a starting salary. Talk about a slap in the face.
Would teachers be willing to put up with all the crap if they were compensated at a rate they deem ´fair´. What is that rate anyway? If the starting salary was 60K would they stop complaining? Doubt it. The issue goes much deeper than pay. Most want to stay in the field and Teach. They love their careers. They just want to stop the bs, the extra crap they have have deal with, the paperwork, the meetings, the new required rules and regs, the trainings, the forms, the forms, the forms etc. etc, et.c
A salary of 60k is NOT substantial for teaching. Period. In Dallas they start near that range & cannot afford an apartment.
@@missmaryjanegreen My daughter lives in Iowa, started at 40K and afforded a 2 bedroom apartment easily and now a house. It depends on where you live.
Damn
have a masters an am bilingual parents kids admin were disrespectful and low pay;i quit
I’m sorry. I hope you enjoy your new position! I’ve always said that a supportive administration can make or break anyone’s desire to teach.
Perhaps now with UAW strike, more workers in different industries will strike giving the push/shove needed for the nation's teachers to strike all at once and hopefully change will come. 🙏🙏🙏
You have 145, my friend has over 200+ kids each year. Yes it’s ridiculous, kid can do absolutely nothing and pass. I won’t be surprise it will get to the point where as long as the name is on the roster they pass, don’t even have to show up even once or turn in anything. The problem is the US culture do not value education. The public and parents don’t support teachers. Problem is when your invested so many years how do you get out and quit?
The main reason people ridicule educational reform proposals is that they are dependent upon the free daycare provided by the schools roughly ten months per year. This is why the kids are organized into age groups and then virtually never flunked anymore. This is also why pretty much nobody gets suspended from school either even if they’ve assaulted someone such as a staff member. But then the problem is that if you’re dependent on public education not being wealthy for instance, then all you’re really getting is daycare if your kid is forced to sit next to some disruptive imbecile in class all day.
@@marcmeinzer8859 the truth is the whole public education system is really a baby sitting system, not an academic institution. Teachers are pretending to be teaching something of value, it’s really just babysitting for parents, it’s to keep kids busy with something to do, and lying to them that their kid is being educated and giving them a good grade for learning nothing. It’s not teachers that don’t want to teach something of value, it’s just how the system is setup. Now the system is even worse. Very sad and unfortunate. Worst pubic education system in the whole world is the US.
@@jjc6530 I completely agree. It’s basically a make believe system. But simulated academics for illiterates is not good baby-sitting practice. There should be more physical education, recreational reading without onerous features such as quizzes, and a wide variety of manual arts to promote trades apprenticeships. And frankly, grades should be abolished and everyone simply awarded a participation trophy diploma so the little darlings don’t get their feelings hurt by being reminded how stupid they are. Then let the universities sort them out using the SATs. What bothers me isn’t the babysitting but the pretense that it’s more than babysitting.
Your laptop looks how I feel….
I am considering leaving because of terrible student behavior.
I don’t know all of the details, but I’d consider a number of things before doing that if it is behavioral. I’d exhaust options such as going to admin (scheduling a meeting is not the same as bringing it up in a staff meeting), disciplinarians, or possibly consider transferring to another grade level or school. That’s not always the answer, but can help in some cases.
Please don’t take her advice. LEAVE. I found life is so much brighter on the other side!
I don't think the credential program is currently worth a shit. Some people can teach, some can't. More school isn't the answer.
The fact that teachers are told to pass students that are not passable amazes me. Administration is setting those children up to fail. 😢
Are you related to someone famous?
That would be nice. 😂
Yell it out! Why were the most respected members of society turned into glorified babysitters?! This disgusts me....
I feel the same way. What’s worse, for me, is when some people make tell me that I “should just leave” then. It’s not that simple and change doesn’t happen that way. I feel teachers are the only ones who care.
@@teachingwithalexa spread the word on Facebook to all friends etc. we fix capitalism by selling all stock and refusing to participate in it Refuse to pay rent starting Jan 6th to anyone that is a corporate land owner and refuse federal taxes. even 20% of the population would be unmanageable to them and make a clear statement.
Im glad teachers are leaving. It’s a tough profession.
I’m only glad teachers are leaving to raise awareness that something is seriously wrong; but it’s not doing the future of our country any good. For many teachers, they are filled with guilt.
@@teachingwithalexa So true
Stop complaining and just get out of the profession. These cynical videos don’t help anyone.
Teachers need to reclaim their time and stop working for free. If teachers continue to work for free nothing will change.
I wouldn't say it does nothing. If nothing else, it makes me feel good that I'm not alone in quitting teaching. 🙂
I get your point to an extent, but a large audience of mine are new and aspiring teachers; they should know what they’re getting into. Also, I enjoying this style of vlogging, for better or worse. That’s just me.
It would be at the cost of student loss in learning. Not fair to them. I can’t speak for all schools, but the school I am in has packed some rooms with 40+ kids and some electives with more. Case loads have increased. A number of district unions have had to bargain for more support, which shouldn’t be that way. I’ve come to understand in education it is not about what can we do, but what is the minimum we are obligated to do.
Sure, let's let robots teach kids. We saw how well that went, when we did remote learning. If an actual human is not there to motivate, encourage, and correct a student they will not participate. America is already starting to bring in foreign teachers to combat the shortage. I guess Americans don't care that American kids learn proper English from foreign people who do not use correct English? I know I sound racist, but that is not the issue. English is the issue. If you are confused in a phone call with a foreign person, think how hard that will be in academics!
@@rebekahmontesdeoca565 exactly!
Why is everyone leaving teaching? No one likes communism.
There is no teacher shortage.
Of course. Hire random dudes on the street.
You're right. OK cut school days to 4 days a week because of its abundance of teachers. TX, SD and AZ are cutting all requirements to teach because of how many applicants they're getting.
1300 teachers short in CCSD.
Ah yes. A random dude on YT says there isn't, so it must be true! 😐
@@blugreen123 lolololol
....then, WALK......AWAY!!!!