This teacher wrote a comment responding to Kris Neilsen’s explanation of why he could no longer teach in North Carolina. I found her note moving and sad. What are state legislatures doing to their teachers? Why do they think they will get better schools by demoralizing teachers? Why is the U.S. Department of Education encouraging this punitive behavior through its Race to the Top program?
I teach in Ohio and although we are allowed to strike, things aren’t different here. We are all tired and run down. I work in a high needs district, where nearly 80% of the kids are on free or reduced lunch and we haven’t met the state”s standards on state testing, and the state is In our district telling us if we don’t do better this year then they will take over. I am 8 years in and scared I can’t do this the rest of my life. Thank you for doing what I am not brave enough to do.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I retired after 38 years in IL and saw this coming inch by inch. I just never thought that it would get this bad this fast.
The pension problem will be resolved over time because few will ever become vested in the the pension program.
I feel this all by design.
Not sure which is brave–staying or going. Sometimes it’s a matter of health and quality of life. Before I retired, I felt as if our district and building administrators were quite pleased with a revolving door of inexperience…
This is happening everywhere…not just NC or Ohio. Maybe the comments from the I Quit!” post are the “letters to the President” that we should send. They are overwhelmingly from teachers who are ready to give up…or have given up. There are a few that question giving up…or that parrot the corporate line that teachers are the problem, but for the most part they are all similar…
We hate what’s happening to our students because of the misuses of standardized testing. Many of us would rather quit the jobs we love than continue to hurt the children in our care. Others try to circumvent or subvert the damage by continuing to teach in ways that are beneficial, or refusing to teach to the test. Some, like me, are lucky enough to have other options. Others feel trapped in a nightmare of test prep and unfair judgement.
One comment seemed to sum it up for me: “How very,very sad. And how incredibly accurate.”