Each of the following sentences is from a teacher posting on social media: I can’t believe I spent five hours of my Saturday checking tests. For the first nine weeks of my job (4th grade teacher), I’ve had someone in my room EVERY DAY watching and picking me apart. I’m absolutely mentally and physically depleted. I will not be a teacher after this year. I 100% will not be back to this job. I would quit now but I’m concerned I’ll be punished for breaking my contract. Why are there so many bad administrators? There is no requirement that administrators have a minimum of teaching experience. Is it common to feel gaslit by admin? And lastly: What is in our employee handbook that protects teachers from admin who are bullies?
All of the above came from social media posts by teachers who are at the end of their emotional and physical stamina. When I was forced out of my position after decades of successful teaching, I decided to write my memoir. Many of those above thoughts were my own thoughts. But my book didn’t end there. It would have been easy to bemoan the last nine years of my teaching career. But I decided to identify today’s educational problems and give viable solutions to students, parents, teachers and administrators. I’m Paula Baack, the author of Rescue the Teacher, Save the Child! Which by the way would make a great Christmas gift for teachers, parents and administrators. My book is available on Amazon (five star reviews) and Barnes & Noble.
Our country will soon celebrate the holidays which means students enjoy a break from school and teachers. And teachers…I wish I could say teachers in America will sit by the fire, drink eggnog and open their Christmas bonus checks. Most will not. The break will be used to plan for next semester’s challenges in both academia and navigating around all the rules imposed by the pandemic. These educators will dread the new year as EOY (End of the Year) evaluations assaults will be looming in the distance. The students are behind due to the lock downs, mask mandates and vaccination requirements. The government’s ill-conceived idea of making all teachers get vaccinated didn’t consider teachers are already leaving the profession in droves. Now there are not enough vaccinated teachers, hardly any substitute teachers and student teachers are jumping into classrooms as paid professional educators. What the hell?! Wake up, America! As Nelson Mandela stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” If that is indeed true, our country is losing that war.
Since my involuntary retirement I’ve been writing and speaking about the crisis in American education. NOBODY IS LISTENING. And if YOU are, please subscribe to my blog/podcast. Even better, share this with teachers. I’ve reached out to universities (even my alma mater), school districts and community groups. Most do not bother to respond. When given a chance to express my impassioned presentation, I saw nods of agreement and in some instances heard gasps from an audience, who has no idea what the education environment is in this country. So I say again, you can do something about it. Yes, you sitting, sipping your salted caramel latte!
Stop funding university teaching programs which are based on ideology and not on the fundamentals of teaching.
Stop supporting any public schools which spend more time with correct pronouns than they do teaching English.
Know your school district even if you do not have children attending! Is there a mentoring program for struggling teachers? Is there due process or are teachers just bullied until they quietly disappear? What are the academic scores, especially in high school? Is there a program to teach trades?
If you are a parent, ask real questions at the end of the day: Did any child in your classroom cause behavioral issues? What are you reading? Was there a class discussion over any topic? Did you ever feel uncomfortable?
Become well-versed and speak out on educational issues. Do not be afraid of this so called cancel culture. Your thoughts and speech are more protected and relevant than their inability to hold an intelligent discourse with opposing ideas.
TUNE IN SOON. Here’s a tease: My own personal Christmas story as a public school teacher.
PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK WITH ANY AND ALL . Read more of my thoughts at: rescuetheteacher.com. If you’re experiencing unfair practices in your teaching position, please reach out to me at rescuetheteacher @yahoo.com!