New Study Out About Teachers

[Kirby]

I heard about a new study that was completed about teachers today on the radio.

It found that a number of teachers were contemplating changing their profession.

And the reason behind their decision was because that they spent more time dealing with misbehaving kids than doing what they were hired to do - teach.

Imagine that.

And the study also found that the reason quite a large number of the kids misbehaved was because their parents didn't teach them how to behave.

Could this be true? Maybe they are on to something!!!!

 

[cynsaun]

Sad but true! I give the teachers at my girls' school so much credit! There are a few children in the classrooms that I would like to bomp on the head, I don't know how they do it!

 

[wendyl]

I assure you it's true. Unfortunaely, most parents are not like the ones here on the DIS. DISers seem to understand that parenting involves things like boundaries and life lessons. People would really be shocked at the lack of support and personal attacks teachers have to put up with each day. Teachers have the absolute LEAST control over anything that goes on in school--Students have the most control, Parents come second (if they were all good parents that wouldn't be so bad), Administration third, Athletic Directors/Coaches fourth, regular classroom teachers--last.

That, my friends, is sad.

 

[Sonya]

I know it's true for me. I've thought of giving up many times. It's hard when you call home and the parents say "Well I'll talk to them but it won't do much good."

I can handle the mood swings and hormones of teens, just not their misbehavior!

 

[CBRorBust]

Not surprising at all.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I have to agree. I actually have an education degree, one of my friends is just finishing one, and my little sister will be finishing one next year and none of us wants to teach. We see what my mom & aunt go through as teachers and it's just sad. There are more and more mis-behaved kids and less and less parents who care. I actually am doing marketing for and directing an after school program and I find it with my program as well. The parents seem much more wrapped up in their own lives than in their children's and they don't see that they are creating larger issues for themselves down the line. I'm definitely not saying this is all parents, but I see it more than I did even 3 years ago when I graduated. Unfortunately for teachers the schools are all about making everyone feel special and important instead of making them better people. I totally agree with making kids feel good about themselves, but when they threaten someone's life or hurt someone they SHOULD be told it's wrong! Just my humble opinion

 

[Ratpack]

I could have told them that and it wouldn't have required mega bucks (as most studies do). DW is a teacher and I hear all the stuff that she has to put up with. There is more politics in the schools than there ever was in business. One of DW's roommates in college didn't even make it to the classroom, she changed after her last sememster as a student teacher. Got her degree in education and went into Insurance. I will let DW voice her opinion on this but my hat's off to those that do stay in teaching. If it were me, I would be looking at a career change.

 

[ckay87]

I only teach Sunday School and am quitting for this very reason. So this does not surprise me in the least. I'm having trouble dealing with this issue one hour per week - don't know how school teachers do it. Actually they deal with these things a lot better than me because they are, after all, professionals. But still, it must get so tiring!

 

[Disney's Deluxe Princess]

It's true. I taught for 5 years before I had DD and discipline was a major part of the stress. I taught in a wealthy community too. The majority of the kids will behave, but it's that 1 or 2 that make it bad for everyone. I was really discouraged because I LOVE teaching. I spent hours planning only to have lessons disrupted by children who obviously are getting too much attention (spoiled) at home, or not enough. Don't get me wrong, I did a good job keeping the class in order, but it really took a lot of my time. I decided to be a SAHM after DD but I know that if I were really satisfied with my careeer choice, I would have gone back to teaching.

God bless my sister. She teaches in the inner city and I would say 80% of her time is spent on discipline. She teaches children who were crack babies, fetal alcohol syndrome babies, abused, or neglected. She has to find ways to teach some children who are incapable of sitting still and listening. Parents actually ask her advice on how to help raise their children.

I volunteer at DD's school once a week and I see that her school, which is highly rated, has it's share of major discipline problems too. My hat really goes off to the teachers!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Just had to put in my 2 cents... I'm a highschool teacher and I've taught in Italy, the UK, Toronto (Scarborogh) and here in London, Ontario and I have to say it depends on the schools. But I absolutely think that there are lots of people who have ed degrees who want out and/or who never teach.

I'm not complaining; I love my job and I love helping kids. Sometimes the ones with the behaviour problems are the ones who need you most. However, the constant output of emotional energy and prepping new courses, and marking, and then calling home when there's a problem, and maintaining a homework website...the list goes on. Then there's the stuff that nobody's really 'paid' to do but someone has to do for these kids, like setting up extra curricular programs, trying to help them pass a battery of ridiculous standardized tests... It really is wearying. And sometimes it's so hard to tell if you're making a difference, or you're sick and you don't have any plans to give a supply teacher and you question whether you're helping the kids at all... THe holidays are great, and I know that's what someone will say but let me tell you, your kids' teachers are earning their money.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

It doesn't surprise me. I was doing my student teaching at a high school my 3rd year or so at college and I gave up on becomming a teacher after dealing with the obnoxious behavior of the students.

 

[CRB#33]

You know I substitute in the regular school district and also for our County Intermediate Unit (I.U.). The I.U. is the organization that has classes throughout the public schools in the county that are "Special Education" in nature. This ranges from speech, vision, autistic, emotional to the severely mentally, physically disabled.

It's gotten so bad in the public schools, and believe me I teach in the "good" districts, that I almost never sub in them anymore.

Most of the jobs I accept are with the I.U. If there are behavior issues there, they are so understandable.

I walk into a public school classroom and the students think, "free day!" By the end of the day, I have a tired voice from trying to quiet them and I'm so aggravated with their behavior, I don't want to go back.

People keep asking me why I don't get a full time position. I tell them I can't handle the behavior issues and the parents who promote them by claiming their child is innocent and an angel.

I have so much more compassion for the disabled. That's where I'll go if I ever want a full time position. But oye, the paperwork!

 

[floridaminnie]

I currently teach at a wonderful school where the adminstrative backs the teacher and deals with discipline issues in the classroom. This year has been a hard year, but without the adminstrative I have, I probably would have left. I love my job and it's one of the best jobs I have ever had. I actually left the business world to go into teaching.

 

[Winka]

This is so sad and disturbing.

So it's not JUST low wages driving people away from the profession? I can't imagine that there's enough time in a school day to be a teacher AND a disciplinarian.

 

[leighe]

I'm in my 2nd year and as soon as I finish my doctorate in history(about 3 more years) I'm out of here! Yes - I spend a lot more time dealing with disruptions and students with bad attitudes then teaching - and I'm a very strict classroom manager. My second block was so bad today that I actually cried when they left!

Here in KY the statistic is that the average new teacher teaches only 5 years before changing careers. (Of course, a lot of that is due to the ridiculous regulation and testing system of our DOE also.)

Under our current testing practices - students have virtually no accountability for their performance - the entire burden falls on the school - so the teachers. I have no problems with teachers being held accountable - I think that's completely necessary. However, the kids have no stake in it at all. The test doesn't affect thier grades or graduation. The scariest thing we can tell them is that the scores are kept on thier record and a college or employer may ask for them. That seems so far away to most kids that it's not really all that great of an incentive to do well.

 

[Kirby]

Wouldn't it be cool if the parents of the consistantly misbehaving children had to serve two weeks in the classroom (not necessarily their child's). Maybe they would see things differently and do something with their children.

 

[Sirius]

Really...how shocking. It's amazing that people actually think that some parents aren't parenting. I for one am truly appalled at the very idea. However, aren't teachers supposed to fill every void in a child's life? Moreover, aren't they supposed to raise these children during the day for 12 years? Parents have enough to worry about. Teachers need to quit complaining and earn their salaries.

PS...I'm a teacher and I love it. I have the occasional misbehaving idiot (It's okay to say that - I teach high school) but no real problems. I do, however, see it every day - teachers overrun with problem students and no parental support. How can a teacher teach and a student learn like that?