Why These 18 Oklahoma Teachers Are Quitting Their Jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- In defense of the teacher you mentioned, most classrooms might have a few outlets in total. Mine has 3 outlets. So the individual chargers are pretty much useless when all 30 iPads are dead or nearly dead. Nearly every night, the "cleaning" crew upplugs the cart despite leaving messages for them in Spanish not to do that. If I am here late, I will tell them in Spanish not to unplug the cart ever. A week later, they unplug it again. As for the data input systems, they are crap. Data Link is a joke and has had me and plenty of other teachers in my district in tears. Even the head of technology did a presentation on it and couldn't get it to work right in front of us. This is par for the course.

Plug a power strip into the bottom wall outlet. Plug your cart into the power strip. The cleaning crew will plug their vacuums into the empty top outlet because it’s easily accessible. Everyone will be happy.

cleaning crew?? I've worked in schools with 500 kids and 1 custodian. We basically cleaned our own rooms and just put a trash can outside our portable classroom for the custodian to empty into a dumpster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- In defense of the teacher you mentioned, most classrooms might have a few outlets in total. Mine has 3 outlets. So the individual chargers are pretty much useless when all 30 iPads are dead or nearly dead. Nearly every night, the "cleaning" crew upplugs the cart despite leaving messages for them in Spanish not to do that. If I am here late, I will tell them in Spanish not to unplug the cart ever. A week later, they unplug it again. As for the data input systems, they are crap. Data Link is a joke and has had me and plenty of other teachers in my district in tears. Even the head of technology did a presentation on it and couldn't get it to work right in front of us. This is par for the course.

Plug a power strip into the bottom wall outlet. Plug your cart into the power strip. The cleaning crew will plug their vacuums into the empty top outlet because it’s easily accessible. Everyone will be happy.

Our wall outlets have one plug. The classrooms in our mod have 2 but most of them don't work so they are lucky if they have 2 working outlets in their rooms. You are thinking from your UMC mindset. I bet you work in a clean office building where you don't have to buy your own paper towels and copy paper. Your common sense doesn't work here in my city school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- In defense of the teacher you mentioned, most classrooms might have a few outlets in total. Mine has 3 outlets. So the individual chargers are pretty much useless when all 30 iPads are dead or nearly dead. Nearly every night, the "cleaning" crew upplugs the cart despite leaving messages for them in Spanish not to do that. If I am here late, I will tell them in Spanish not to unplug the cart ever. A week later, they unplug it again. As for the data input systems, they are crap. Data Link is a joke and has had me and plenty of other teachers in my district in tears. Even the head of technology did a presentation on it and couldn't get it to work right in front of us. This is par for the course.

Plug a power strip into the bottom wall outlet. Plug your cart into the power strip. The cleaning crew will plug their vacuums into the empty top outlet because it’s easily accessible. Everyone will be happy.

Our wall outlets have one plug. The classrooms in our mod have 2 but most of them don't work so they are lucky if they have 2 working outlets in their rooms. You are thinking from your UMC mindset. I bet you work in a clean office building where you don't have to buy your own paper towels and copy paper. Your common sense doesn't work here in my city school.

I've taught for over 20 years in Title I schools in DC and VA, and some of those years were spent teaching in trailers. I have had this exact same issue in more than one school. Each time that I put out a power strip, then the custodians stopped unplugging my other electronics because they had an outlet to use. If you only have one outlet, then get a power strip that has enough spaces to plug in your stuff with one spot left open for the custodians. You aren't the only person who has ever had to deal with this.

[Anonymous]

We asked for power strips a few years ago and were told there was no money. No money for copy paper. No money for paper towels. My friend who teaches in another Title One school came to visit last week after school to help me with packing. She went to the bathroom and was gone for 15-20 minutes. I asked her what took her so long as she said she couldn't find a bathroom with toilet paper. So very tired of it all. It's a good thing this is the last week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- In defense of the teacher you mentioned, most classrooms might have a few outlets in total. Mine has 3 outlets. So the individual chargers are pretty much useless when all 30 iPads are dead or nearly dead. Nearly every night, the "cleaning" crew upplugs the cart despite leaving messages for them in Spanish not to do that. If I am here late, I will tell them in Spanish not to unplug the cart ever. A week later, they unplug it again. As for the data input systems, they are crap. Data Link is a joke and has had me and plenty of other teachers in my district in tears. Even the head of technology did a presentation on it and couldn't get it to work right in front of us. This is par for the course.

Plug a power strip into the bottom wall outlet. Plug your cart into the power strip. The cleaning crew will plug their vacuums into the empty top outlet because it’s easily accessible. Everyone will be happy.

Our wall outlets have one plug. The classrooms in our mod have 2 but most of them don't work so they are lucky if they have 2 working outlets in their rooms. You are thinking from your UMC mindset. I bet you work in a clean office building where you don't have to buy your own paper towels and copy paper. Your common sense doesn't work here in my city school.

I've taught for over 20 years in Title I schools in DC and VA, and some of those years were spent teaching in trailers. I have had this exact same issue in more than one school. Each time that I put out a power strip, then the custodians stopped unplugging my other electronics because they had an outlet to use. If you only have one outlet, then get a power strip that has enough spaces to plug in your stuff with one spot left open for the custodians. You aren't the only person who has ever had to deal with this.

You're very fortunate that your mod's outlets were able to handle that many electronics without blowing a circuit breaker or fuse!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:* the teachers in the video are going to be very sad once they start their new jobs and realize that all most all professionals jobs require you to work way beyond your job description! with additional hours non compensated especially when you are new, funding is always an issue and budgets get cut,

* class sizes were often bigger back in the previous decades. I went to Catholic school in the 80s. We had 34 kids per class, 2 classes per grade. Public schools in my fairfax county neighborhood did not have smaller class sizes.

* most teachers I have encountered suffer from a basic lack of understanding of how to use technology at all,or efficiently. They have difficulty use the data input systems, can't figure out how to run reports and on a more basic level many can't figure out their own classroom technology. My kids teacher said over and over that the laptops were "broken" bc they would not turn on. No they weren't broken. I pointed out that the battery was not charged so she needed to use it with the charger. Amazingly they turned on! She was truly amazed and she was really young so not an age thing. The laptops were on a charging cart which I pointed out May or may not get plugged in. The individual chargers were stored on a self on the cart.

- most teachers believe they need a ton of supplies. They don't. Neither do the kids. Reduce supply requests to what is actually used.

Not one of my non teacher friends works more than 50 hours a week.
Class sizes were bigger. Differentiation didn't happen. Kids either learned, or were lost. Kids were hit if they misbehaved. Kids with special needs were kept home or ignored. Expectations were a LOT lower. Kids didn't have to read in kindergarten or have to write fully formed 5 paragraph essays with text evidence in 2nd grade with virtually no help.
I purchase my own paint, glue sticks, an entire 1000 book classroom library ( you cannot run a classroom without one, btw), furniture (did you know you need shelves for books?), games, borders, paper, scissors, all my own office supplies, laminating film, laminator, paper cutter, 3 hole punch and far, far more. I purchase ALL of my own science supplies. I also purchase much of my own curriculum because my district doesn't have any. I teach first grade and cannot run a classroom without those things. I suppose I could just hand everyone a shit ton of worksheets and get a "needs improvement" on my eval and get fired at the end of the year, but, yeah, no. Come to my classroom sometime and you can tell me what isn't actually used. Seriously, please.

[Anonymous]

Not one of my non teacher friends works more than 50 hours a week.
Class sizes were bigger. Differentiation didn't happen. Kids either learned, or were lost. Kids were hit if they misbehaved. Kids with special needs were kept home or ignored. Expectations were a LOT lower. Kids didn't have to read in kindergarten or have to write fully formed 5 paragraph essays with text evidence in 2nd grade with virtually no help.
I purchase my own paint, glue sticks, an entire 1000 book classroom library ( you cannot run a classroom without one, btw), furniture (did you know you need shelves for books?), games, borders, paper, scissors, all my own office supplies, laminating film, laminator, paper cutter, 3 hole punch and far, far more. I purchase ALL of my own science supplies. I also purchase much of my own curriculum because my district doesn't have any. I teach first grade and cannot run a classroom without those things. I suppose I could just hand everyone a shit ton of worksheets and get a "needs improvement" on my eval and get fired at the end of the year, but, yeah, no. Come to my classroom sometime and you can tell me what isn't actually used. Seriously, please.

I taught as many as 35 kids one year--back in the day. I agree with much you say --but, not all.

Differentiation DID happen. It took a lot of effort, but good teachers succeeded. Sure, there was little direct individual instruction on a daily basis. Sometimes, kids would stay after school for that. But, that is not the meaning of differentiation.
Sure, some kids were lost. Guess what? Some are still lost. One thing for sure, they were not ignored.
None of my 35 kids were hit--at least, not in school.
No, kids did not have to read in K. That was one of the GOOD things about "back in the day."

I purchased lots of things--but, certainly not as much as you indicate you have done. I, too, had a large library--but, much of it was built with Scholastic bonus books. I also purchased lots on my own which was great when I had my own kids and stayed home for a while.
I guess I was lucky that we had a paper cutter in the teachers' lounge--along with the ditto machine (yes, I started teaching in those days) I did not purchase borders--I cut them out myself. But, they are not really necessary to run a first grade.
Not sure what you mean about purchasing "curriculum." I assume you mean materials to support your curriculum.

As far as office supplies, I had most of that provided. I did purchase materials to have on hand. But, from time to time, my school ran out of paper. I made small chalkboards for every child with blackboard paint. Just like in the waaay back "good old days."

And, yes, I worked very long hours for very little pay. However, I knew plenty of people who worked far longer hours. Weekends, etc.

[Anonymous]

No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

[Anonymous]

So when you say differentiation did happen, you did individual reading and writing conferences with each kid once a week and you saw every kid at least once a day in a reading group? Or sometimes twice to ensure they catch up? These are today's expectations. Same for math. One teacher, sometimes an aide for an hour if lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

Same here. I probably spent around $400 this year on curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

Which school district is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

Same here. I probably spent around $400 this year on curriculum.

Which school district?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

Same here. I probably spent around $400 this year on curriculum.

Which school district?

I’d like to know too. Which district doesn’t have a program created to support state standards?

[Anonymous]

District 45 in Illinois.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No I meant that I purchase actual curriculum. We have none, zip, zero for science, social studies, writing and reading. None.

Same here. I probably spent around $400 this year on curriculum.

Which school district?

Think of a large urban district in Maryland.