A letter from a disgusted teacher:
I QUIT
Kris L. Nielsen
Monroe, NC 28110
Union County Public Schools
Human Resources Department
400 North Church Street
Monroe, NC 28112
October 25, 2012
To All it May Concern:
I’m doing something I thought I would never do—something that will make me a statistic and a caricature of the times. Some will support me, some will shake their heads and smirk condescendingly—and others will try to convince me that I’m part of the problem. Perhaps they’re right, but I don’t think so. All I know is that I’ve hit a wall, and in order to preserve my sanity, my family, and the forward movement of our lives, I have no other choice.
Before I go too much into my choice, I must say that I have the advantages and disadvantages of differentiated experience under my belt. I have seen the other side, where the grass was greener, and I unknowingly jumped the fence to where the foliage is either so tangled and dense that I can’t make sense of it, or the grass is wilted and dying (with no true custodian of its health). Are you lost? I’m talking about public K-12 education in North Carolina. I’m talking about my history as a successful teacher and leader in two states before moving here out of desperation.
In New Mexico, I led a team of underpaid teachers who were passionate about their jobs and who did amazing things. We were happy because our students were well-behaved, our community was supportive, and our jobs afforded us the luxuries of time, respect, and visionary leadership. Our district was huge, but we got things done because we were a team. I moved to Oregon because I was offered a fantastic job with a higher salary, a great math program, and superior benefits for my family. Again, I was given the autonomy I dreamed of, and I used it to find new and risky ways to introduce technology into the math curriculum. My peers looked forward to learning from me, the community gave me a lot of money to get my projects off the ground, and my students were amazing.
Then, the bottom fell out. I don’t know who to blame for the budget crisis in Oregon, but I know it decimated the educational coffers. I lost my job only due to my lack of seniority. I was devastated. My students and their parents were angry and sad. I told myself I would hang in there, find a temporary job, and wait for the recall. Neither the temporary job nor the recall happened. I tried very hard to keep my family in Oregon—applying for jobs in every district, college, private school, and even Toys R Us. Nothing happened after over 300 applications and 2 interviews.
The Internet told me that the West Coast was not hiring teachers anymore, but the East Coast was the go-to place. Charlotte, North Carolina couldn’t keep up with the demand! I applied with three schools, got three phone interviews, and was even hired over the phone. My very supportive and adventurous family and I packed quickly and moved across the country, just so I could keep teaching.
I had come from two very successful and fun teaching jobs to a new state where everything was different. During my orientation, I noticed immediately that these people weren’t happy to see us; they were much more interested in making sure we knew their rules. It was a one-hour lecture about what happens when teachers mess up. I had a bad feeling about teaching here from the start; but, we were here and we had to make the best of it.
Union County seemed to be the answer to all of my problems. The rumors and the press made it sound like UCPS was the place to be progressive, risky, and happy. So I transferred from CMS to UCPS. They made me feel more welcome, but it was still a mistake to come here.
Let me cut to the chase: I quit. I am resigning my position as a teacher in the state of North Carolina—permanently. I am quitting without notice (taking advantage of the “at will” employment policies of this state). I am quitting without remorse and without second thoughts. I quit. I quit. I quit!
Why?
Because…
I refuse to be led by a top-down hierarchy that is completely detached from the classrooms for which it is supposed to be responsible.
I will not spend another day under the expectations that I prepare every student for the increasing numbers of meaningless tests.
I refuse to be an unpaid administrator of field tests that take advantage of children for the sake of profit.
I will not spend another day wishing I had some time to plan my fantastic lessons because administration comes up with new and inventive ways to steal that time, under the guise of PLC meetings or whatever. I’ve seen successful PLC development. It doesn’t look like this.
I will not spend another day wondering what menial, administrative task I will hear that I forgot to do next. I’m far enough behind in my own work.
I will not spend another day wondering how I can have classes that are full inclusion, and where 50% of my students have IEPs, yet I’m given no support.
I will not spend another day in a district where my coworkers are both on autopilot and in survival mode. Misery loves company, but I will not be that company.
I refuse to subject students to every ridiculous standardized test that the state and/or district thinks is important. I refuse to have my higher-level and deep thinking lessons disrupted by meaningless assessments (like the EXPLORE test) that do little more than increase stress among children and teachers, and attempt to guide young adolescents into narrow choices.
I totally object and refuse to have my performance as an educator rely on “Standard 6.” It is unfair, biased, and does not reflect anything about the teaching practices of proven educators.
I refuse to hear again that it’s more important that I serve as a test administrator than a leader of my peers.
I refuse to watch my students being treated like prisoners. There are other ways. It’s a shame that we don’t have the vision to seek out those alternatives.
I refuse to watch my coworkers being treated like untrustworthy slackers through the overbearing policies of this state, although they are the hardest working and most overloaded people I know.
I refuse to watch my family struggle financially as I work in a job to which I have invested 6 long years of my life in preparation. I have a graduate degree and a track record of strong success, yet I’m paid less than many two-year degree holders. And forget benefits—they are effectively nonexistent for teachers in North Carolina.
I refuse to watch my district’s leadership tell us about the bad news and horrific changes coming towards us, then watch them shrug incompetently, and then tell us to work harder.
I refuse to listen to our highly regarded superintendent telling us that the charter school movement is at our doorstep (with a soon-to-be-elected governor in full support) and tell us not to worry about it, because we are applying for a grant from Race to the Top. There is no consistency here; there is no leadership here.
I refuse to watch my students slouch under the weight of a system that expects them to perform well on EOG tests, which do not measure their abilities other than memorization and application and therefore do not measure their readiness for the next grade level—much less life, career, or college.
I’m tired of watching my students produce amazing things, which show their true understanding of 21st century skills, only to see their looks of disappointment when they don’t meet the arbitrary expectations of low-level state and district tests that do not assess their skills.
I refuse to hear any more about how important it is to differentiate our instruction as we prepare our kids for tests that are anything but differentiated. This negates our hard work and makes us look bad.
I am tired of hearing about the miracles my peers are expected to perform, and watching the districts do next to nothing to support or develop them. I haven’t seen real professional development in either district since I got here. The development sessions I have seen are sloppy, shallow, and have no real means of evaluation or accountability.
I’m tired of my increasing and troublesome physical symptoms that come from all this frustration, stress, and sadness.
Finally, I’m tired of watching parents being tricked into believing that their children are being prepared for the complex world ahead, especially since their children’s teachers are being cowed into meeting expectations and standards that are not conducive to their children’s futures.
I’m truly angry that parents put so much stress, fear, and anticipation into their kids’ heads in preparation for the EOG tests and the new MSLs—neither of which are consequential to their future needs. As a parent of a high school student in Union County, I’m dismayed at the education that my child receives, as her teachers frantically prepare her for more tests. My toddler will not attend a North Carolina public school. I will do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.
I quit because I’m tired being part of the problem. It’s killing me and it’s not doing anyone else any good. Farewell.
CC: Dr. Mary Ellis
Dr. June Atkinson
All i can say is this- Welcome to the realities of public education, as it stands, in most of this country today.
I too resigned from “the system” after but only after 3 years of teaching. My family is grateful for it. I now have more time for my kids, husband and myself since I have a career with “normal” 40 hour/week hours and don’t have to bring my work home. Not to mention-it comes with a better paycheck.
I worked for the system in three roles simultaneously- a teacher, case manager, and strategist for my grade level. Working upwards of 70-80 hours a week (while only getting paid for 40). As a parent, it is almost as frustrating dealing with the system. My oldest has graduated public high school 2 years ago (though i home schooled him for some of elementary and all of middle school).
Now i am considering “virtual schooling” for my youngest through a private school program. Suffice it to say, nowadays, there are many alternatives to public school.
There’s a reason why so many teachers (upwards of 70%) stop teaching within the first 5-10 years. So much so, that districts seem to operate on a “churn and burn” methodology.
Those numbers are simply going to escalate in proportion to the unrealistic demands placed on them by administrators, districts and the government.
My advice is to parlay your skills and education into another comparable career that offers some “flexibility” in terms of schedules and a better work-life balance.
For example, I know of many teachers that have their Insurance license and are doing well in that industry working in sales, as an adjuster, counselor or adviser. Since the insurance industry is so heavily regulated and complex having the skill and ability to be able to take information and simplify or effectively “teach” a customer is of huge benefit.
Other areas were teachers have done well do to their skills is in counseling, occupational therapy, human resources, nursing, academic advisor (college), admissions and the like.
I wish you luck in all your endeavors.
I made it 13 years before I quit. I feel lost, like one of my arms has been ripped from my body. I just couldn’t take it any more. One thing the letter didn’t mention was the violence. It is as if schools have become their own version of bloody video games. The violence in most high schools toward staff and other students is overwhelming.
Anoteher Typo. I should have written 2002 instead of 2001.
Congress passed the bill in 2001, and Bush signed it in January 2002
When I talk to any teacher in 2013, I get the same responses over and over.
“I do not teach.I teach to a test”
“I teach a Test”
“I do not look forward to going to work anymore”
“I am looking for something more relevant to my degree as I was trained to teach, not test”
“My principal told me to cover all of the standards, no matter what.”
“My principal said that if my scores did not improve, I would be put on an action plan,”
My principal said, “When I walk into a classroom , the standard you are teaching had better be on the board, and, you had better be teaching that standard and not something else.”
Teacher said, “the opening may be a review so may not be the standard of the day.”
Principal said, “You will be put on an action plan if the standard on the board does not match the content you are teaching!”
Principal said, “You had better be on the same page as the other teacher(s) in your subject areas, you should be teaching the same content on the same day”
Teacher said, “You do it, I quit”
Your list is what I’m hearing from my friends who are still teaching. I retired in 2005 after thirty years and yes we taught to a list from the state.
But where did this all start?
Washington D.C. with the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in 2002 when George W. Bush was president.
In 2001, the GOP held the majority in both the House and the Senate. The Senate was split 50-50 but with a Republican VP casting a deciding vote, that gave the GOP control of the Senate.
In the House, they held 221 seats to 212.
The GOP has had an agenda for years to destroy the teacher unions and the public education system so that tax payer money could be turned over to private schools—mostly religious—-where the kids will then be brainwashed to be faithful Christian conservatives.
Bush also launched two wars and increased the national debt by several trillion dollars while he was supported by a GOP majority in both Houses of Congress.
BACK to teaching to the test. Although the NCLB Act was signed into law in 2001, it took a few years to get it up and running. By then I was gone. For thirty years, I taught and not to a test. I was fortunate.
I’m sorry, a mistake slipped by me. The NCLB was signed in 2001 by G. W. Bush—not 2002.
NCLB was passed by Congress in 2001 and signed into law by Pres Bush on Jan 8, 2002
dianerav,
Thank you for pointing that out. That 2001 was a typo. I caught it after I posted it and then wrote another short comment a minute or so later. In January 2002 when he signed the bill, G.W. Bush still had his GOP majority in both Houses of Congress.
I’ve never dreamt that I would retire at age 55. I am
crafting my letter of intent today. Thank you for posting career
alternatives. I plan to sub, but am open to other areas.
I am 56 and doing the same….as of last week:)
I am about to do the same. Does anyone know how to email Diane Ravitch or to send her information directly like Kris did?
I am sorry for N.C.’s loss. Anytime you get government involved in what they think best is for your child. Well!!! ” Houston we have a problem.” It takes support from parents and an well trained educator such as yourself. combined together, to make to make the process work. Some just want test results. NEVERMIND WHAT’S BEST FOR EACH CHILD. I am sad that I am from North Carolina if this is what they are doing. Wake Up People!!!! Change it.
Look deeper than government involvement. Much of what guides education comes from legislation or the courts and behind the actions of the legislation or what happens in court—sometimes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court—is an individual or group with a scientific, political and/or religious agenda.
Once there is a law—one way or the other—then there are elements of the government that are duty bound to enforce that law. If you read the oath of office for President of the United States, you will understand what I mean.
The oath of office of the President of the United States is an oath or affirmation required by the United States Constitution before the President begins the execution of the office. The wording is specified in Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Because the government of the United States was set up with three branches, each branch is supposed to watch the others to make sure they are within the law as defined by the U.S. Constitution.
The President is limited in creating laws. Laws come from the courts and the Congress. Even the budget comes from the Congress and the courts may rule that parts of the national budget are unconstitutional. Each state government also has powers over the public education system in each state as long as the state laws do not conflict with federal laws that were enacted by Congress or defined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The government is not causing the problems in the public schools. It is the political process as defined by the U.S. Constitution. That process even defines how we can change things but once a law exists there is almost always someone or some group that stands behind that law and is willing to fight to keep it.
Thanks for this worthless and somewhat slightly condescending history lesson, Chief.
blandly,
unenhanced
I am a 3rd year NC Teacher. I am a DAMN GOOD teacher and I love my kids more than anything. Fortunately for me I don’t have any children at home. If I did, I would have to quit. I work 65 – 70 hours a week for a pittance. I am told how to do what I know how to do and spend many many hours in professional development that is below my professional success. I will be out of the system in 2 years when I reach 5 years and will go into private industry. Too bad, my students love me, my principal loves me, and my county loves me. I produce results. The state sees me at sucking the system dry. Outta here in 2 years.
How does the school system not realize that they are loosing good teachers who are just getting their feet wet. I don’t blame you for for choosing that plan of action. I had 22 years of mostly wonderful years I understand your decision. I have 22 years of teaching experience with students and parents however in the end it was the disrespect of administration that led me to leaving the system 4 years prior to full retiree. The principal had to let go positions at our school so she targeted me who was placed in her school after my baby leave of absence. She did not know me so she made up a lot of trivial false accusations about me and place it in my professional file. This is a valid way for the system to get rid of veteran teachers they can’t pay for. I was told by local NCAE rep that this is what is happening.I case you are wondering…I did request a hearing for which I prepared long for. I was cut off half way through my defense. Although I was very professional and respectful to the panel and administrators they did no review of my stack of supportive documentation. Two days later I received a letter from my school system that was only one sentence. It stated ….YOU ARE NO LONGER EMPLOYED WITH…..And the date. No specifics. I had always dreamed I would celebrate at a wonderful retirement party but those dreams are gone….The truth is no matter how difficult teaching got I was willing to trench deeper into the front lines…I was proud to overcome all that was thrown in my path and that made me happy to overcome,learn, and make a difference In children’s lives, but that was unjustly taken away. Now I am a mother of 2 one who is autistic ….and with this loss off income my husband and and family may loose our home!
I retired from the NC School System in July 2012 after 25 years. Today I have been on line looking for a possible teaching position because I miss the actual classroom teaching so much. I happened to run across your blog in my search and now I remember why I retired. Thanks for the reminder!!!!! NC Legislature you are missing the mark!!!!!!!
I am deeply sorry that you are leaving your career in NC.I understand everything that you wrote, and I can identify with all of it. I retired on Jan.1, 2012 from education.I loved my students, and they loved me.I was an English teacher for many years. I later earned my master’s in library science and moved into the media center.I missed the classroom, and I hope to work with students again to promote reading skills on a part-time basis. Why did I retire? I felt that my family really needed me more than the school.I became burdened with too many leadership changes, technology initiatives that sounded great-but had a lot of kinks, and a feeling of lack of respect.What matters to me most about my career is the fact that I touched the lives of many students so their lives would be successful.I am concerned about so many things in the world of education that I could write a book.Mainly, I am concerned that our children and teachers are the losers when a teacher like you resigns.I have watched it happen over and over. I a wondering if our new governor will take a long hard look at education and see what you and I see.There are a lot of good things happening, but there are even more things that need to be addressed. For example, the “testing” frenzy is frightening! We need leadership from people that believe in the power of the basics and value of really good, dedicated teachers. God bless! Wendy
I just want to teach. What the hell am I supposed to do?
Rob, all teachers teach—hopefully—but politics is part of the public education system in the US and those politics tend to intrude sometimes in BIG ways.
There is actually a battle waging from Washington D.C. to state capitals to district offices and into the schools over who will control the methods and content that teachers are allowed to use to teach.
This battle is being waged between scientific, political and religious groups and some of these groups want to control the direction young minds may go.
However, once the door is closed and the class starts, it is usually just the teacher and his or her students. That’s when most of the teaching takes place. The politics creep in outside of those few hours.
But be warned, be careful what you say to your students in class. There may be spies among them. If you pay attention to the media/Internet, a wrong word to students may result in the kind of national attention few teachers really want and a job loss.
Are you a politician of the type which you speak? Administrator of some mold? Your ability to simplify and repeat what you hear on your particular ‘media’ outlet, then add condescension is truly a gift for you alone. don’t dominate the rap jack if you’ve got nothing new to say.
This letter made me weep. I LOVE my children’s teachers; they are some of the most sincere and competent people I know. What I hate is the meat grinder this system has become. I hate it that the people causing the problems are the ones who receive the most financial benefit.
I got out my calculator and figured:
$100,000 annual (tax-free) salary for one good teacher
20 kids in one class
= $416.00 per kid per month. I could pay that. Probably less than the taxes I pay that goes into the state coffers for “Education”.
Parents have a lot of b.s to do too. A simple transaction between parent and teacher allows the teacher time to teach and me the time to properly raise my kids.
Reblogged this on whisper down the write alley and commented:
Teachers are not happy, students aren’t happy. What might happen if more teachers quit?
You all have it wrong..In the year 2013….
You do not QUIT TEACHING ..YOU QUIT TESTING…
When you write your letter of intent..make sure you do not even mention the word TEACHING…….
MYTH…TEACHERS ARE TEACHERS..
FACT..NO TEACHERS TODAY… JUST TESTERS..
neanderthal100,
I agree that the testing culture in state capitals and Washington DC that mandates it as a way to measure student growth is wrong, but TESTING is not a daily function. Testing only takes place a few days a year and the rest of the year, teachers teach the skills that educators/experts decided students should learn.
The testing process is a poor way to measure if the students were taught those skills.
I taught for thirty years and testing was not a factor in how I taught. I never felt any pressure from the testing to teach this way or that or this subject or that one.
We used a state curriculum that lists the skills we were to teach and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, Finland is a great example of how the state sets the standards with a curriculum guide that teachers follow and in Finland almost 100% of the students attend public schools and almost all of the teachers belong to a strong teacher union.
How teachers teach those skills that experts and other educators decide is important to teach is up to the teacher. Testing does not decide how a teacher teaches.
But, multiple choice testing is not the way to measure student growth and decide if teachers or public schools are doing a good job. Multiple choice testing only tests the students memory and does not test if the teacher actually taught the skills being tested.
Most teachers teach those skills in class but many students do not remember them because of the way memory works and in the US rote learning, which works best if you want to remember important facts that may be tested one day, became unpopular in America long ago.
There are three areas to test that do not test memory. The international PISA test also includes these areas besides remembering facts.
1. Literacy skills (writing and reading)
2. problem solving ability
3. and critical thinking.
Those are the only areas that should be tested—not if some student remembered the name of the 23rd president and if he did this or that during the Civil War.
It’s getting to be this way in far too many situations and states. Like every other teacher who wants to “TEACH” what the hell is supposed to be done. I am so glad I am retired. This teaching to the test crap is totally insane.
Teaching is my third career. I went back to school @ the age of 47 and got my master of Ed. so I could teach and make a difference in this world. I was working 60 hrs. a week for the first few years but the district got caught up in a financial squeeze of their own making and I was laid off. With the lay off I began to really question if I was making a difference and was I really teaching what I knew to worthwhile ideas or just teaching so children could pass a test for politicians. Needless to say, when I was rehired, I changed my tune and now work 40 hrs a week and try to slip in real education when I can. my student and I are a lot happier and are both gaining knowledge that can be used in the “real ” world.
This letter is very discouraging to me because I want to teach in NC. I went through the CMS system and my mother was a teacher in this system as well. I know it treats teachers like crap and students like prisoners. I don’t want to teach in CMS, but I still want to teach in NC because it’s my home. Is there no county in NC that is better than others? And isn’t it because the state education system is so bad that good teacher leaders should stay and try to change it?
I am at the same place in my life – I want to teach, I want to be close to my parents, the answer seems to be North Carolina. But I’m getting incredibly discouraged reading this blog! I have the same questions and concerns as Rhackney… any comments/suggestions?
Do NOT come to NC. People are leaving like crazy. Teachers have no respect here. Salaries have been frozen for the last 5 years. Between Common Core, Race to the Top, and VAM for evaluating teachers, I would never tell anyone to come here. And I’ve been teaching since 1973. I’m leaving early.
I quit over two years ago in the middle of the school year when I realized I (and my classes) were being used to get students through the system. In other words, students I never had in class were being added to my roster and given passing grades. Administrators and counselors were also going in to my electronic grade book and changing F’s to passing grades so our graduation rate would meet NCLB. There were other things going on, but this is what directly happened to me.
I quit, and went into higher education and have never looked back. I wrote a book about all the nonsense, unethical, illegal behavior that occurred in schools I worked for, tried to get it published, but was unsuccessful.
My heart aches for the public school system in our country. It is being destroyed before our very eyes, and I am amazed at how blasé people have been about it. When I share stories about what I saw and experienced, people just look at me, shake their heads and change the subject. Few seem to really care, and I think those that do are on this forum.
unheardofwriter,
Getting a book published taking the traditional route is not easy for most writers unless you are already a national celebrity of some kind—good or bad.
The rejection rate is probably higher than 99% and there are stories of many books that eventually were published that turned out to be bestsellers after having been rejected sometimes more than a hundred times by agents and publishers. James Lee Burke, the New York Times best selling author, is one example. He had one book rejected more than 100 times and then after it was published by a small university press, it was nominated for the national book award and went on to become a NY Times bestseller. He’s had about sixteen best sellers now.
I heard a seasoned agent husband and wife team say that they rejected 99% of the books that came into their agency and of the 1% they decided to represent, 99% were rejected by traditional publishers and it sometimes took years to sell a book they really believed in.
However, if you have a book that is well written and safe from the libel risk—check with a lawyer to see because of your topic—there is the indie, self-published choice.
And it has been gaining respect. If you haven’t heard of Amanda Hocking’s success story, I suggest you Google her name. She is not the only example of an indie self-published success story. There are many now.
As for promotion, it doesn’t matter how an author is published, they ALL have to promote, have a Website, have a Blog, network socially on the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Building a platform is a given for authors these days. If you do not have a developed Internet platform with an audience already built in and you are an unestablished author, then the odds are that no publisher will consider you no matter how well written or how hot the topic may be.
I think the fact that you could not interest a publisher wasn’t because of the topic of your work.
Lloyd
General comments on my book seemed to be “well written, but you lack a national platform.” I started a blog where I’ve included some of the book, but have failed to get that out into the public forum. Moving, re-establishing my teaching career into higher ed, starting to work on my doctorate, and adding this element of research to my career has taken a lot of focus and time off trying to promote myself and my work. I have looked into self-publishing, and will most likely go that route. I have a friend who just got published doing that, she also is busy promoting herself and her website and doing well, so I have faith I can get my story out there…it’s just a matter of taking the time.
Thank you for your comments and your advice. I will look into Amanda Hocking’s success.
unheard of writer,
You are busy, I can see that. I’ve been there—not for a doctorate but for an MFA. Back in the early 1980s, I had two jobs, and I was working toward an MFA. I taught days full time and the part-time job was nights and weekends. In addition, I attended classes for the MFA nights for two days a week—my part time job was flexible and worked with me. That was back in the early 1980s, and I survived on about three hours of sleep a day. No way, back then, could I have done what I’m doing now. In fact, I doubt that I could be doing what I’m doing now if I was still teaching. Full time teaching is a demanding hours eating job.
But I’m getting off topic.
I thought you might be interested in what I read last night in Writer’s Digest Magazine’s March/April 2013 edition on page 13.
“How Much is Enough?” was about what it takes to build an Internet platform that will catch the attention of publishers and agents—something I’ve been curious about (not attracting publishers and agents but what it takes to built a platform).
There were four categories (It wasn’t clear to me if an author only needed one of these four or all four. If all four are required, I failed. However, I scored in two of the four but if I was grading it based on all four categories, I might be lucky to earn a D-. That is if each category is weighted equal to the others.)
1. Blog Page Views – I scored a Notable here—the lowest of the three ratings.
2. Newsletter Subscribers – zero for me (I don’t even have a newsletter with no plans to post one.)
3. Public Speaking Appearances – zero for me because I don’t even try to arrange public speaking any more. Done that already and prefer the silence of my small home office where I can work at building the Blog platform without traveling.
4. Sales of Self-Published Books – “Very Notable” here and approaching “Impressive by Any Means”.
For example, Writer’s Digest says for:
1. Blog Page Views
Notable: 20,000/month
Very Notable: 100,000/month
Impressive by Any Means: 500,000/month (I don’t think any of my Blogs will ever come close to this. Even Very Notable could be a challenge.)
Unheardofwriter:
I am going through the same thing…even down to the F’s being changed to passing grades. I am quite disheartened at the news that your book was turned down because I, too, was going to expose them all.
It seems that money is in control of everything–even our children.
We have no future if this keeps up.
Olivia,
I haven’t given up getting my story out there, and it sounds like you have one too that needs to be told. Start writing your book and maybe we can promote together.
For those of you who do care, there is something that can be done. My name is Stephen Round and I’m the Rhode Island teacher who quit on YouTube just before Christmas. Soon after my video “went viral” I was asked if I’d be interested to speak in Washington at the “United Opt Out National occupation of the Department of Ed in April. This was the first I had heard of it, and that may be the case with some who are following the discussion here. Simply GOOGLE “United Opt Out National” for more information. The goal is to do away with High Stakes Testing in it’s present form and hopefully replace it with something that makes more sense.
Kris Nielson, Diane Ravitch and a host of other notable speakers are slated to take part in this three day event (I’ve also been asked to speak on Day 2).
Of course, High Stakes Testing is just a small part of what has gone wrong with Public Schooling, but it’s a good place to start…
I’m a new teacher living in New England….there are basically NO jobs up here. Everything is down in the southern areas and I was hoping to relocate to NC in a year or so to try and find a job. What I’d really like to do is become a reading specialist/interventionist. Only problem is I have to work a minimum of two consecutive years in a school before I can enroll in the classes! Ugh. This is very discouraging. :/
I taught for eight years. Three years at the university level as an assistant instructor and five years in public high school grades 9-12. My students loved me. Once I was subject to a total lack of integrity by a colleague. My principal did not complete my evaluations according to the letter of the procedure. She had a consulting teacher stand in and complete the evaluation. The consulting teacher blasted me on the evaluation because I did not employ her english literacy strategies in a spanish class to her satisfaction. According to the letter of our educational agreement, it MUST be the principal who conducts and completes evaluations. Our principal was unable to comply with completing my evals because she was not present at school. She was brought up on domestic violence charges and the district suspended her. The consulting teacher stood in and completed the evaluation under the principal’s name….a total forgery and dereliction of duty. I contested the evaluation with the support of the MNEA but the committee upheld the forged and illicitly executed evaluation. I took my greivance all the way to the state department of education of the state of tennessee. The lead attorney for the state department of education’s legal affairs office told me that they don’t get involved in local matters and that I would have to go back to the local district level committee and ask them to hear my case again. Since exercises in futility are not what I am into, I dropped the matter entirely. The principal I told you about earlier in this post was temporarily replaced by another with integrity, common sense, and compassion. She wrote me a glowing letter of recommendation despite the negative evaluation on my record. The school was closed down entirely at the end of 2010 due to the fact that the state welched on their contract with us. We had a three year opearating agreement in place but it was not binding. The state had the right to pull the foundation out from under us at any time. And they did. I got hired into another district, spent my 8th year in the classroom with a nice bunch of kids and worked on project based learning to try to interest them in Spanish. Some days were great, other days were so-so. I resigned voluntarily to seek other employment o opportunities and have been working as the executive director of a business. Unfortunately the business is going bankrupt. My fiance is finishing her PhD at Vanderbilt this May. We will be moving from Tennessee to Boston, both applying for teaching jobs…. her in political science and me in middle school Spanish.
I taught for fourteen years in a Texas school district. The problems expressed in this article do not exist in only one state. We tested over and over. The students weren’t allowed to use and develop their own thoughts or ideas…there was always a test for which they had to be prepared. I now home school my granddaughter and hope she never has to attend a public school.
I am a Fine Arts teacher in CMS, and for the past 3 years have been on the team that was charged with the creation of “standardized assessments” for the performing arts. It has been a monumental waste of time and money, and yet the district and state continue to barrel headlong towards the cliff. Why? Because the state received Race to the Top monies so NC must assess all teachers in all subjects, including the fine and performing arts, yearbook, newspaper, kindergarten and more.
I can only speak to the performing arts, but what I have seen, and continue to see, is a blind determination to put SOME form of standardized assessment in place, whether it truly assesses the skills in question or not. What is most frustrating is that the teachers of these fields are not the ones who ultimately design the tests. That work is shopped out to professional testing companies, to the tune of millions of tax dollars, that have no comprehension of what competency, (let alone mastery) of these skills look like. In addition, most, if not all, of these elective courses do not have a standard curriculum, and therefore do not have a uniform foundation of terms, goals, and objectives to work from, so these tests are fatally flawed to begin with.
But the biggest, and most fundamental, obstacle standing in the way of standardized testing in the arts, is that the arts are, by nature, SUBJECTIVE. Standardized testing requires objective, repeatable analysis of the students work, but appreciation of Art and Music and Theatre and Dance are subjective, and sometimes it is the subtle differences in a performance, or product that show the greatest understanding of concept. You will never see that subtlety reflected in a one-size-fits-all test.
This is what I have learned over the past 3 years, and I will be presenting this information at a conference soon. I am very curious to hear my colleagues views on this subject as it is a trend that is inexorably spreading across the country.
Way to go! I moved to Cabarrus County from Baltimore to teach. 6 months later I quit! The state of NC has education so backwards, and treats their teachers like crap.
You must have gotten one of the Diploma Mill Doctors for an administrator that are rampant in the state..They have CLAWS ..they use them …..They have diplomas they paid for..PAID FOR…..they enjoy putting teachers on action plans for having a bad score on a test in a class of 35…half homeless..the other half ..discipline ..
Believe it or not..their are some very good and INTELLIGENT administrators….You just have to look for them as they are fading away at an alarming rate..When the diploma mill administrators get a teacher who speaks up…you are outta there..THEY WANT PUPPETS…
Neanderthal, In August I was strongly advised by my doctor (I was diagnosed with cancer, 2nd time around). As devastating as a cancer diagnosis was the timing was perfect. I taught 18 years and loved it, until the last year or so. I don’t need to explain the conditions at the high school I taught at because it is pretty much a clone of what teachers are complaining about all over the country. Your last line is what hit home. You are right any teacher who speaks up is out of there. I fear if I had ignored doctor’s orders and returned I would have been forced out anyway. I had a long successful 43 year career in both education and the corporate world. It often bothers me that my career ended on such a sour note. But it was a lose/lose situation all around.
OMG! I am thinking of moving to North Carolina and I am horrified because I am an experienced teacher. I have applied to private schools. Are they better. ?
It depends on whether you want to TEACH or to TEST..
Private = teaching…good good good schools…
neanderthal100,
You certainly have a right to your opinion, but …
Reputable, non-biased long-term studies show that when we compare private to public over a long period of time, the results from private schools are not that much different from public schools.
There are many (millions) dedicated good teachers in the public schools doing a great job. The problems have little to do with a school being private or public.
Parenting is the biggest problem. Students that come from homes where there are parents that encourage reading at home from an early age, as they do in Finland, and also support teachers while the children are in school, as they do in Finland, students do just find.
In Finland, the almost all the teachers belong to a union and almost all the schools are public.
The second biggest obstacle to public schools achieving even better than they are is politics and the culture of testing to measure student growth. Testing does not show what one learns. Testing only shows what one remembers and the memory process is out of our hands.
Studies of the brain show that our brain works harder when we sleep than when we are awake and it is during sleep that the brain makes decisions without our conscious thought of what is important to remember.
If a child comes from a home where there is little or no importance placed on education and reading (homework, study, etc) then the memory reacts accordingly during the sleep cycle and what was taught during the day is not stored away as the brain sees it as unimportant.
Then there is diet. The average child in America consumes more sugar annually than his or her body weight and studies show that too much blood sugar messes with energy, mood, memory function, etc.
Most children today hate water and love sugary sodas.
As a parent in UCPS how can I help? I know Teachers have a up hill climb and are very under paid. I let teachers know I am available to help and assist and how much I am grateful to them. It is obvious that they have to teach to the tests and I hate that. What, as a parent, can I do to help?
Get an organized group of parents and OPT out of the test.
Get as many parents as you can..
On another blog on this site is a link…
Think it was on the AdultTest in Providence..
Wow…I could’ve written that letter myself; I resigned (4/1/13) after almost finishing my 14th year in the Boston Public Schools. There seems to be a trend emerging lately of a different group of teachers exiting the profession from the traditional group of 0-5yrs experience….it’s the teachers representing the younger side of a “generation” – those of us who aren’t close enough to retirment to suck it up & ride it out, but who began our careers prior to the disease of NCLB infecting it. Years ago, you’d never hear a teacher who was near- or in -her 40s leaving the profession. Never…they were advancing their careers administratively, taking on leadership roles in the school or district, teaching college or graduate level courses, or even just excelling at what they did…regardless, their professional status was @it’s peak, & they were highly regarded as being the “experts”. They weren’t leaving. Why would they leave?
Today we are leaving. & I’d just walk away and take a job at Yankee Candle, except I have a 6, a 7, & an 8 year old boy to think about, who have a lifetime of education in front of them…This year I experienced MCAS for the 1st time as a parent, & It brought my rage to a whole new level. Bc I saw the true level of harm we’ve brought these children as we force them into complying with these truly outrageous, in fathomable, & TOTALLY ILLOGICAL sanctions that people who don’t even know what they’re talking about – who haven’t set foot in nor thought about a school since their last day as a student – have decided to impose upon us for their own financial gain. & seeing the kind of “Learner” & Thinker my oldest son had turned into with the Drill & Krill that’s been suffocating him since New Year’s made me want to vomit. Knowing I was part of that problem – seeing the consequences of what I was helping turn children into over these last many years disgusted me. So last Monday I resigned, & this coming Tuesday I’m testifying for the 1st time at the Senates Joint Committee on Education Hearing regarding some MCAS bills. & that’s where I’ll throw my efforts in.
I am proud of you.
This teacher hit the nail on the head!!! I day dream about being able to walk my key to the office, walk out the door, and NEVER look back! Unfortunately, I am middle aged and not in a position to do so. There is another letter a N.Y. teacher recently wrote that is even more compelling than this one! The saddest thing is the bureaucrats and politicians, who have ruined education, could care less about it!
The previous post is merely a vent. I do love my students,but teaching has become truly an almost impossible task!
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I quit. After 14 years I’ve had enough. I will never teach the test again. I can never quit teaching because I love what I do, but I have decided to teach what I believe my students need to learn, not some “prioritized” curriculum that force feeds a one-size-fits-all set of standards. This concept of a federally mandated body of knowledge that is the same everywhere in the nation means that we’re going to lose critical and divergent thinking. What’s next, Federally approved uniforms? I can’t decide which metaphor to use because we might be the Borg, or products of US Robots and Mechanical Men, or we might just be an ant farm. In any case, we will never again be the great nation that put men on the moon. Such achievement requires out of the box thinking, which will no longer be possible because everyone will be thinking the same thoughts.
And for those who want to teach in NC, it’s not much different anywhere else. You just have to work for less, and you probably won’t get tenure. Public education everywhere is the whipping boy for every half-witted wannabe politician hoping to claim a sense of self-importance before next election. But we deserve this. We thought running a school like a business was a great idea. Listen to Arne Duncan talk about efficiency and logarithms while he tells teachers to chose battles carefully when we complain about standardized testing. He should know what he’s talking about because he was the CEO of Chicago’s schools.
Standard Six is going to thin the ranks for us, so prospective teachers take heart–you’ll find a job. If I get “thinned” by Six, I’ll go knowing that I did what was best for my students.