Burnin' Out

[TN Bucknasty]

Some of you have heard my occasional rants and whining about things going on in the world of education, but I'm really burning out here. There is a lot of BS going on in TN because of Obama's Race to the Top. Mostly a bunch of hollow paperwork and formalities that don't amount to much. That is just par for the course.

What's pissing me off is that this week alone, I've had to attend four meetings with families and social workers because of things going on outside of the school with these kids. This week, I've found out that two of my students have been getting raped by their fathers for years. Another student is in witness protection. Another is losing his vision because he was thrown through a wall as an infant. What in the **** is wrong with people? How am I supposed to teach algebraic expressions to a kid who is worried about getting murdered in their sleep? What am I supposed to say? "I'm sorry you got molested, now back to the Revolutionary War." I'm just finding it really hard to focus on making my "quotas" for the standardized tests and designing lesson plans that fit all the criteria listed in our 8 page rubrics.

I get so ****** sick and tired of politicians and administrators looking at kids as a test score. I'm dealing with REAL HUMAN BEINGS HERE! Yes, they need an education, but there are too many things that we're taking out of school to replace with academics. I don't recall having 2 1/2 hours of math per day in school, but I do remember having teachers who had a couple of minutes to see how things were going in my life. Don't get me wrong, I had some piss poor teachers in school. I also had some teachers who taught me things that weren't on any test that I still use daily. Most teachers who spent all their time teaching me to well on the standardized tests gave me very little that has stuck with me.

I wonder how many parents would classify the best school as the one with the highest test scores. I have a son of my own. I want him to leave school with appropriate social skills and a broad base of things to help him in every day life. I don't really give a rat's hairy hind end if he knows how to find the square root of 47,567 as fast as the Chinese. Somehow, I don't see that type of thing improving his quality of life.

Basically, I love the kids, but I hate everything about the education system. My list and my students' list of priorities is a lot different than the list that big brother keeps sending us. I wish our lawmakers had been at those meetings this week.

Edited October 5, 2011 by TN Bucknasty

[wtnhunt]

I wish our lawmakers had been at those meetings this week.

Let them know your thoughts, might even encourage them to get to one of these meetings.

Unfortunately it is legislators and ignorant regulations passed by them that keep a lot of good people from doing, and not just in the education field.

[PotashRLS]

Wish there was an easy answer. It seems that teachers today are not supposed to care about a kid's life outside of school. The more "educated" our teachers become, the less education our children get.

You have my respect and gratitude for rejecting the status quo.

[stevebeilgard]

i hear you. the politicians in charge want good test scores because they get more $$$. it's not about the kids anymore, to them. it's only dollars. pretty sad.

keep up the good work and just do what you think is right. you're better than those making the rules.

[dbHunterNY]

i hear you. i saw issues even when i was back in highschool almost a decade ago. new teachers would come in that wanted to help and did whatever they could, but then they'd be canned as quick as they came in. a couple had tears in their eyes when they left. it seems like school boards that are composed of multiple individuals, are only one voice and opinion. there doesn't seem to be much discussion about issues. new out numbered board members are either with the "board" or against it and stifled. more politcs are involved in winning school board seats than a presidential election.

i turned away from buying a home and bought one minutes down the road, because the once very good school was now facing more and more problems with the kids like you mentioned. the other was in a different district that was better. the info was based off aunts of mine that happen to teach in each of those schools. it's too bad, because if the school doesn't turn around many people will do the same thing i did. that district might then go down hill i'd imagine.

don't give up... schools need more teachers that care like yourself!