Leaving The Profession

 

After I left the classroom, I started to see things all over social media about other teachers leaving the profession. It got me thinking about the state of education in this country. What are we doing? Behaviors are out of control and like it or not, covid pretty much destroyed education. Do I know how to fix it? Not really, but I do have some ideas to make it better, if anyone is listening.

First of all, let's stop rewarding bad behavior. Do kids really need a prize for walking down the hall, doing their homework, etc.? No, that is expected and should not be rewarded. In the real world, you don't get rewarded for showing up and doing your job. We are raising a bunch of privileged kids who expect a prize. That is ridiculous. 

Secondly, most of our professional development in the last few years has been about trauma. We are so concerned about feelings, that we are forgetting to do our jobs. Teachers are not therapists, and it is not their jobs to figure out why a kid is acting up. It's their job to make sure they know how to read, write, do math, etc. We are so hung up on feelings that we are essentially forgetting discipline. 

One child in one of my schools had a bad temper. He would kick the principal's desk, scream obscenities down the hallway, and punch the walls. The principal's response, "Oh, I feel so bad for him. It's sad." No, it is not sad. It's crap! He does not need a snack. He needs structure and discipline.

Let's stop letting the kids run the school or there will be no more teachers left. 

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