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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Because teachers are busting their ass to teach your little snowflakes, and parents do nothing but complain. Administration kowtows to central office, and doesn't support teachers. Some kids are disruptive, and no there's no consequences allowed, others are hungry, and living in not great situations.

Low pay with benefits that keep getting hacked away.

Sounds fun right? Everyone complaining that it's such a great job, why don't you do it?[/quote]

If you're struggling that much, perhaps it's time to find a new job.[/quote]

Most of us are looking for other jobs, thanks! But it is a pandemic right now. There’s literally ex teachers trying to help teachers get out because they know how hard and unhealthy the job is. I’m in a group online with all teachers trying to get out and I see a lot of success stories of teachers leaving for other fields! You don’t have to stay stuck and let this job slowly ruin your life.

If you think teaching is easy, please do try. Let us know how it feels. I’ve done office work and I’d rather go back to feeling bored compared to extreme stress. Thanks! https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/treating-the-new-ptsd-postteaching-stress-disorder-were-trying-to-survive-a-career-thats-destroying-us-155043903.html[/quote]

That article hits the nail on the head. This is my 28th year teaching and it would be very difficult and possibly foolish to stop at this point and switch to something else. Since I can’t realistically stop I try to make it day by day and contstantly plan for ways I can whittle off the number of years I have left to do this.[/quote]

And this post almost perfectly illustrates how and why our schools are in the mess that they are. There are a bunch of teachers who stay at their jobs not because they want to teach, but because they don't have any other marketable skills. As they countdown the days to retirement, they're trying to as little as possible to get by. And there's no way to hold them accountable, since a teacher with tenure is nearly impossible to fire.[/quote]
You don’t seem to understand at all. The problem originates with a the job conditions, not the employees. You aren’t going to be able to attract ANYONE to do an increasingly unappealing job with stagnant wages. I had to work my way through my masters degree by taking classes at night and teaching full time. I cried every single day. I had no time to spend with family or friends, between grad school work and planning lessons for five subjects. My school had no curriculum and no resources that were appropriate for my special education students. I was scratched, hit, and bitten at work. There were kids in my class who couldn’t recognize numbers and kids who were working on division. Some kids could write independently and some couldn’t hold a pencil. I was responsible for managing five adults as well, but had no real “power” over them if they didn’t do their job or broke school rules, like being on their cellphone while students were in the room. I could only request they stop, but would get written up and told I was ineffective if they didn’t listen (to someone much younger and with much less seniority than them). I had parents texting and calling me at midnight to complain about things like the school play or how their child’s sweatshirt got dirty. My planning time was regularly taken away. 
I thought that it would be much easier once I finished grad school, had some experience, and had more resources built up. In some ways, it is. But in others it is not, and the constant changes to our responsibilities and class rosters, last minute demands, delivery of state tests to students for whom they are not an appropriate measure of skills or growth is draining. COVID has only made it more difficult, as I’m teaching both online and in person. There’s an extra layer of stress and responsibility and vigilance necessary now to ensure everyone is following protocols. We’ve also dealt with threats of layoffs (while simultaneously facing a shortage of thousands of teachers) and the lack of funding means the resources we did have are now decimated. It’s a lot. I’ve been reconsidering my options this year because I don’t want to turn bitter, and I don’t want unhappiness at work to run my life. I adore the kids and working with them is one of my greatest joys. I just don’t know it that’s enough to cope with the chronic stress. [/quote]

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