teachers and anti anxiety meds and or therapy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anybody else noticed a huge increase of posts on dcum about disruptive, disturbed and violent students this school year? I feel like this is new and really becoming a huge problem!

I don't think this is a new problem in terms of this year. We may be seeing more posts, but this has been an issue the past few years in my area. I'd say the last 5 or so has been particularly hard. I suspect teachers are less willing to be silent about it than in the past. In my area, we are seeing staff organize around the issue, including in their contracts and board policies. Teachers are also more willing, again in my area, to call the police. In the past, I've heard principals pressuring or even threatening teachers to be quiet, to not report, etc. For whatever reason, we are seeing some principals be more supportive. It is a good change. (not the disturbed kids, but the response)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anybody else noticed a huge increase of posts on dcum about disruptive, disturbed and violent students this school year? I feel like this is new and really becoming a huge problem!

I don't think this is a new problem in terms of this year. We may be seeing more posts, but this has been an issue the past few years in my area. I'd say the last 5 or so has been particularly hard. I suspect teachers are less willing to be silent about it than in the past. In my area, we are seeing staff organize around the issue, including in their contracts and board policies. Teachers are also more willing, again in my area, to call the police. In the past, I've heard principals pressuring or even threatening teachers to be quiet, to not report, etc. For whatever reason, we are seeing some principals be more supportive. It is a good change. (not the disturbed kids, but the response)

I agree with everything you said, except for the part about principals being more supportive. In my area at least, they're really trying to force teachers to handle more and more problems in the classroom and make fewer administrative referrals. This has made a lot of teachers and staff very frustrated, especially in schools like the OP's where parents are less likely to complain about missed instructional time and classroom disruptions.

I know several excellent, experienced teachers who are seriously exploring other careers, including the move to private schools. They are willing to tutor during the summers and after school some days to make up for the pay difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anybody else noticed a huge increase of posts on dcum about disruptive, disturbed and violent students this school year? I feel like this is new and really becoming a huge problem!

I don't think this is a new problem in terms of this year. We may be seeing more posts, but this has been an issue the past few years in my area. I'd say the last 5 or so has been particularly hard. I suspect teachers are less willing to be silent about it than in the past. In my area, we are seeing staff organize around the issue, including in their contracts and board policies. Teachers are also more willing, again in my area, to call the police. In the past, I've heard principals pressuring or even threatening teachers to be quiet, to not report, etc. For whatever reason, we are seeing some principals be more supportive. It is a good change. (not the disturbed kids, but the response)

I would agree that is has been increasing. I returned to teaching 3 years ago after staying home for a few years. I assumed I had a couple of bad years but now it feels like the new normal. I think there are at least 3 of us who have been posting lately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did therapy and took drugs. I also tried part time. The only thing that worked was changing settings. I now teach in a private school. I don’t need therapy or medication anymore. I am a new person. No job is worth falling apart for, and even the small pay cut I took is insignificant now that I don’t need regular therapy and psychiatrist visits!

This is sensible, but the frequent posters don’t want to hear it. It takes guts and effort to leave a bad situation. Easier to stay and complain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did therapy and took drugs. I also tried part time. The only thing that worked was changing settings. I now teach in a private school. I don’t need therapy or medication anymore. I am a new person. No job is worth falling apart for, and even the small pay cut I took is insignificant now that I don’t need regular therapy and psychiatrist visits!

How long did you work in public schools before making the change?

[Anonymous]

I mean that my students go home and tell their parents about what is going on every day in class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things only happen at my school when parents flood the administration with complaints. Has this happened?

Oh yeah, no. Parents have no idea. This is a hard working, blue collar, lower to middle income community. Most parents are working a job or two to make ends meet and are really good people, but they aren't able to be volunteering in the school to get a taste of what it happening. I'm not allowed to say anything to them either. I've talked to my union president, hell, I've been to the assistant superintendent. No one cares about anything but the test scores. I have been keeping data on the lost instructional time and showed that to the asst. sup. and *that* did cause her to raise her eyebrows. I have invited her and a few other people from central office to come and see what is happening for themselves. That was 2 months ago and no one can be bothered to stop by. It is stunning.

OP, move to a high income school. Parents at my school (including me) have and would go bat$hit crazy if this were happening in their kid’s classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did therapy and took drugs. I also tried part time. The only thing that worked was changing settings. I now teach in a private school. I don’t need therapy or medication anymore. I am a new person. No job is worth falling apart for, and even the small pay cut I took is insignificant now that I don’t need regular therapy and psychiatrist visits!

This is sensible, but the frequent posters don’t want to hear it. It takes guts and effort to leave a bad situation. Easier to stay and complain.

In my area, the only private schools available are Catholic schools. Currently, I make 80K a year. If I were to leave for Catholic school, I'd make 30K and instead of my pension being about 50K a year when I retire, it'll only be about 30K a year. It takes more than guts and effort to leave a bad teaching situation. It takes a wealthy spouse which some of us do not have! This isn't like complaining that one's commute it too long. I have two kids headed to college, a mortgage and need to continue to add to my retirement (on top of pension contributions).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things only happen at my school when parents flood the administration with complaints. Has this happened?

Oh yeah, no. Parents have no idea. This is a hard working, blue collar, lower to middle income community. Most parents are working a job or two to make ends meet and are really good people, but they aren't able to be volunteering in the school to get a taste of what it happening. I'm not allowed to say anything to them either. I've talked to my union president, hell, I've been to the assistant superintendent. No one cares about anything but the test scores. I have been keeping data on the lost instructional time and showed that to the asst. sup. and *that* did cause her to raise her eyebrows. I have invited her and a few other people from central office to come and see what is happening for themselves. That was 2 months ago and no one can be bothered to stop by. It is stunning.

OP, move to a high income school. Parents at my school (including me) have and would go bat$hit crazy if this were happening in their kid’s classroom.

Happens in Ws as well. And the parents threaten lawyers if their child is disciplined.

[Anonymous]

I'm the poster just above. To add, the problem isn't that we don't have the guts to leave. The problem is too many seriously disturbed kids in classrooms, full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the poster just above. To add, the problem isn't that we don't have the guts to leave. The problem is too many seriously disturbed kids in classrooms, full stop.

You can’t halt the supply of kids. They have a legal right to attend. You can NOT be the person who is overwhelmed by the disturbed kids who arrive. You have a legal right to quit your position and seek employment somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things only happen at my school when parents flood the administration with complaints. Has this happened?

Oh yeah, no. Parents have no idea. This is a hard working, blue collar, lower to middle income community. Most parents are working a job or two to make ends meet and are really good people, but they aren't able to be volunteering in the school to get a taste of what it happening. I'm not allowed to say anything to them either. I've talked to my union president, hell, I've been to the assistant superintendent. No one cares about anything but the test scores. I have been keeping data on the lost instructional time and showed that to the asst. sup. and *that* did cause her to raise her eyebrows. I have invited her and a few other people from central office to come and see what is happening for themselves. That was 2 months ago and no one can be bothered to stop by. It is stunning.

OP, move to a high income school. Parents at my school (including me) have and would go bat$hit crazy if this were happening in their kid’s classroom.

Happens in Ws as well. And the parents threaten lawyers if their child is disciplined.

But they can afford drugs and therapy. Also, at our school all IEP kids go in one class per grade and they rotate which teacher gets that class, and that class is always the smallest (under 20.) Also we have several full time resource teachers and IA’s that push in and pull out the IEP’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did therapy and took drugs. I also tried part time. The only thing that worked was changing settings. I now teach in a private school. I don’t need therapy or medication anymore. I am a new person. No job is worth falling apart for, and even the small pay cut I took is insignificant now that I don’t need regular therapy and psychiatrist visits!

This is sensible, but the frequent posters don’t want to hear it. It takes guts and effort to leave a bad situation. Easier to stay and complain.

In my area, the only private schools available are Catholic schools. Currently, I make 80K a year. If I were to leave for Catholic school, I'd make 30K and instead of my pension being about 50K a year when I retire, it'll only be about 30K a year. It takes more than guts and effort to leave a bad teaching situation. It takes a wealthy spouse which some of us do not have! This isn't like complaining that one's commute it too long. I have two kids headed to college, a mortgage and need to continue to add to my retirement (on top of pension contributions).

Is public school teaching the best job in your town? What do your kids get if you have a debilitating stroke from the extreme stress? Do you know that antidepressants can affect your liver and kidneys?

[Anonymous]

Guided meditation everyday OP, along with therapy and meds until the meditation kicks in.

People don't understand how hard it is to work with the general public, whether you are a teacher or someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did therapy and took drugs. I also tried part time. The only thing that worked was changing settings. I now teach in a private school. I don’t need therapy or medication anymore. I am a new person. No job is worth falling apart for, and even the small pay cut I took is insignificant now that I don’t need regular therapy and psychiatrist visits!

This is sensible, but the frequent posters don’t want to hear it. It takes guts and effort to leave a bad situation. Easier to stay and complain.

In my area, the only private schools available are Catholic schools. Currently, I make 80K a year. If I were to leave for Catholic school, I'd make 30K and instead of my pension being about 50K a year when I retire, it'll only be about 30K a year. It takes more than guts and effort to leave a bad teaching situation. It takes a wealthy spouse which some of us do not have! This isn't like complaining that one's commute it too long. I have two kids headed to college, a mortgage and need to continue to add to my retirement (on top of pension contributions).

^ This! 100% this!