Reply to What can be done for FCPS teacher BURNOUT right now?

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Reply to "What can be done for FCPS teacher BURNOUT right now?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Teachers, do you think that dealing with a much more diverse population than, say, 20 years ago, adds to your stress? [/quote]

Yes. I teach in a high FARMS school and so many students don't come to school ready to learn. They aren't ready socially, physically or mentally. 
     Their language skills are delayed (native English speakers; I'm not referring to the ESOL students). A lot of them are screamed at when they are at home so they don't respond to less aggressive forms of discipline. I remember when I first started student teaching, my students would furrow their brow at me when I gave them "the look" from across the room. I actually had to tell them what "the look" meant because their parents started off and ended screaming at them. "The look" wasn't something they had experience with. Calling parents means nothing to these kids. When I was in school, all a teacher had to do was say they were going to call home and the students got scared. Not at my school. Many times when we call home, the phone numbers are disconnected anyway. 
     Physically the kids are in bad shape. Overweight and have trouble going up and down stairs. Kindergarteners shouldn't be huffing and puffing after two flights of stairs. They are extremely sleep deprived. Most of them have their own phones/tablets/gaming systems in their rooms. They don't have bedtimes so they are up half of the night. They look hungover especially on Monday mornings or after a break. They are often late so because they overslept. I try to schedule observations on Monday mornings because they kids are the calmest they will be all week.
     Academically, they come to school with very little. Most haven't had exposure to books. Some kindergarteners hold them upside down. They don't know concepts of print. Some of them don't recognize their name in print when they have to pick their name tag up off their table (they sit at tables of 4 or 5). They have been raised on electronics but they don't know letters and letters names despite a million free apps. They don't know how to use scissors and some haven't held a pencil or crayon. 
     I could go on forever. All of this is exhausting. My friends who teach at low FARMS schools have their own issues. They mostly revolve around helicopter parents. The parents at my school are mostly non-existent but my friends are bombarded with emails all day long. My students' parents rarely show up at conferences but my friends have parents who want a ton of meetings about their kids. I'd love to find a school in the middle.[/quote]

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