One of the great myths of the current corporate reform movement is that they want to elevate the teaching profession. They want to change it so that future teachers are drawn from the top third of their college graduating class. They advocate merit pay tied to test scores to create high-paying positions (always a small minority of all teachers). They push to fire teachers whose students get low scores or see small changes in their scores (even though researchers find that such teachers usually are teaching students with disabilities, or ELLs, or gifted students). They insist on eliminating all job protections for teachers, presumably to make it easier to fire those they consider laggards (and at the same time, removing any academic freedom from teachers). They demand longer working days and longer school years. Will their ideas make teaching more or less attractive to those they expect to attract into teaching? It seems impossible to imagine that they can elevate the teaching profession by their methods, their rhetoric, and their indifference to teachers’ voices.
A reader commented in response to an earlier post:
What the Public Needs to Know about Teaching
As a first-time commenter, I need to preface with how grateful I feel for Diane’s tireless advocacy (and blogging) and the spirited debate it inspires.
Now, what I think the public needs to know about teaching. I began my first full-time teaching job this fall. I soon realized that teachers work harder than anyone outside the profession, or without direct ties to someone in the profession, can appreciate. The majority of the teacher’s workday occurs before or after the students arrive in the classroom. For the first two months, I spent nearly every waking hour rearranging my classroom to be at least somewhat kid-friendly. Now, I plan constantly, muddling through and adapting cumbersome and, frankly, developmentally inappropriate canned curriculum. In addition to that, I try to keep parents in the loop, calling and writing notes and newsletters. Most days, I rack up between twelve and thirteen hours. I also work Sunday afternoons, planning for the week to come.
And let me be clear: I am not a great teacher. I am not remotely adequate. This is my first year, my first classroom, and I struggle almost daily. Furthermore, I receive very little support. The people tasked with providing support to teachers and students in the district constantly fall through on promises. I initially became frustrated with them before realizing that they faced the same professional challenges I do: everyone in the district is spread thin and overwhelmed.
To make a bad situation worse, the national dialogue dominated by the so-called “reformers” seems determined to remove the only mechanisms of support available while blaming me for not working hard enough. Let me tell you, me working hard enough is not the problem. Nor are my credentials. I went to a fancy school with name recognition that makes people do a double take after I tell them I teach kindergarten. But here is the truth. The students in my class do not care what school I went to. They need more, and I need more. We both need more support staff, smaller class sizes, developmentally appropriate curriculum, organized outreach to families, learning materials, playtime, recess longer than 10 minutes, snacks subsidized by someone other than the teacher, while I’m at it, let’s add preschool to my wish list…
…not to mention a well-rested teacher. I cannot wait for the day when someone with influence realizes that what is good for teachers is ALSO good for students and vice versa.
Teachers are not martyrs. The profession should not be one of continual sacrifice and exhaustion. I hope conditions improve, for our students’ sake.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is reality. Thanks to this teacher. Why has it gotten to this point or maybe I should ask, why has it taken this long for this reality to get out? And, is anybody really listening still?
speaking of martyrs, sacrifice, and exhaustion: in the state of Delaware, and within my district, there seems to be no end to what is required.
For example, a portion of our evaluation (tied to RTTT, of course), requires teachers to state what they do “above and beyond” within the realm of education. During a PLC, a bewildered young teacher asked for examples that could be included.
“Coming to evening concerts, school dances, tutoring after school hours”. Someone offered, “you know, any one of the things we do that we don’t get paid to do.”
There is nothing new about teachers going above and beyond. In fact, most do. And many do so when their personal lives allow more “disposable” time.
What IS new is not only the expectation that we go above and beyond, but that we must also document what it is we do, and be evaluated on it.
I retired in June after 17 years in public school classrooms. I briefly stepped back into a classroom at the behest of friends to fill a vacancy in a high needs middle school, but have stepped away from that because of family illness.
I have, as Diane knows, been writing about education, online and in print, since before I got my own classroom in 1995. Very few of the “reformers” have themselves ever taught – for example, Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, was herself never a teacher – or if they it, it was briefly and often without that much lasting effect – Michelle Rhee taught for 3 years in an Edison run school in Baltimore, where by her own admission she was not an effective teacher for her first year and a half (and her claims for a miraculous turnaround have now been thoroughly debunked by Guy Brandenburg). What few of the “reformers” understand is that what underlies real effective teaching is relationship and trust.
My wife is urging me to write more about this, but an essential point is this – as educators we must be in the business of encouraging our students to take intellectual risks, to be willing to be wrong in order to learn from their mistakes and thus to learn how to correct their thinking on their own. Yet our entire approach to assessment punishes those who take intellectual risk. That is true of how too many classroom teachers grade, and it is certainly true of the way we (mis)use standardized and other high stakes tests.
If I may, Diane, I want to use you as an example of learning from mistakes. You were at one point a strong advocate of parts of the reform agenda, until the famous event AEI when it became clear to you that NCLB was not working. You once told me that when the evidence showed you that you were wrong, of course you were going to change your opinion. Yet the reformers refuse to learn that simple truth. They double down on policies that either have not been tried, or tried and found wanting.
Perhaps everyone needs to step back.
Perhaps people need to spend time as flies on the wall and shadow classroom teachers – not for a period, not even for a day, but for a week or more.
And not just in the classroom either.
Some want me to have planned out in detail for an entire unit. I can block it out, know what I want to address, and how I want to assess, but what if a lesson does not go as I planned? What if something occurs in the world or in the lives of students that I need to address? Perhaps reformers should remember the advice of those in the military who have noted that once the battle is engaged, the detailed plans often go out the window, or as Dwight Eisenhower once put it, ” In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” We plan, but as teachers we do not slavishly follow the lesson plan because we have to respond to the reality of the classroom before us, that is, the real live students. Which is why I think the wisest piece of advice on teaching came from a former Assistant Superintendent in Prince George’s County (MD) Public Schools, where I spent almost all of my teaching career. Leroy Tompkins warned that we needed not only a plan B, but the ability to improvise when even that backup plan failed. Why? Allow me to quote him: “If the horse you are riing has died, beating it will not make it go any faster.”
Somehow I think the “reformers” should heed those words. Their approach is worse than failure, it is destroying education. It burns out those most necessary for meaningful education – teachers committed to their students. It kills the natural desire to learn of most students, it rejects their natural curiosity in favor of a convergent, one-size-tifs-all to education the children of “other people.”
Note those last two words in quotes. When I see the “reformers” willing to subject their own children to what they are imposing on the rest of us, I will perhaps believe they truly mean what they say, and are not just seeking advantage of a political or economic or social position.
Lawyers have a great deal to say about their profession. Doctors about theirs, military about theirs. Clearly the rest of society also has a right to weigh in with our opinions because we are also affected.
Until we properly treat teachers as the professionals they should be, education will not be what it can be, our students will not develop the talents they have, and we as a society will suffer a loss we can ill afford.
Listen to the beginning teacher Diane quoted.
Listen to those who are leaving the profession and the students they love and serve because their professionalism is being taken away from them, because they maintain a sense of integrity to their craft and to their students.
Maybe then we can begin to have MEANINGFUL and HONEST discussions about education, learning, teaching, and teachers.
Well said.
Thank you for your insights. Many reformers are interested in more money. I think that is the one point missing in your analysis.
And even those pesky state officials, that may or may not be “reformers”, are interested in promotion so their reputation is continuously at stake.
It’s hard to convince someone their wrong when their paychecks are on the line.
My paycheck sucks. I have nothing to lose. I can find better work elsewhere, yet I continue to teach because I love having an effect on 17 and 18 year old kids, and I hope that by my influence they make better decisions in life. That is why I teach above all else.
I have also realized that after multiple degrees, including writing my dissertation and soon to be receiving my doctorate, that I cannot “move up”. I at least have control of my classroom and can dictate the terms there. I can choose to NOT teach to the test, or teach THE test, and I can choose to challenge my students with critical thinking.
I cannot in my right mind stand before a faculty of teachers and push them to prepare their students for the ACT, by including sample ACT questions, nor can I stand before a faculty, and without tears, tell them that I respect the direction public education is going. In my opinion, school administrators should do more and take a stand. They know very well the direction we are going is not right, yet they choose to ignore the obvious and pretend everything is okay while charters take over and teachers lose their independence.
I will earn my doctorate and stay in the classroom, at least for some time. If it weren’t for the research I undertook while earning my doctorate (in C&I), then I would not know the details, as many teachers don’t.
It’s sad that it took earning a doctorate degree to really understand what is going on in education. Our media has completely struck out.
oh I did not ignore the fact that some are in it for the money. Where I differ with some critics is that I do not see that as the only motivation – power, prestige, social standing also affect some.
Your wife is right; write!
I can identify with the writer. I’m a fourth-year teacher, was in the top 5% of my college graduating class, and have a Masters with a 4.0 GPA in my program from a top notch education program. I planned on this being my life’s profession – I spent 6 years preparing for it to be my life’s profession. Now, almost four years later, I am anxiously waiting for this school year to be over, and leaving this profession once and for all.
I often feel guilty about this decision. There’s the financial decision of investing a lot of money into degrees that wil be seen as virtually worthless in the ‘real’ world. There’s also a feeling of wasted talent. I have a ‘knack’ for teaching, and I’m leaving the profession before I can grow into a master teacher. There’s also the feeling that I’m letting down the kids. But after three years of thankless work, sleepless nights, and increasing pressure from a variety of different directions, I have to put myself first.
I wish the author the best of luck, and I hope she is better prepared to handle this crazy profession than I am. Hopefully she can stick it out long enough to see this crazy ‘reform’ movement pass and she can get to love her job.
I would advise you to stay. When you become a master teacher (which you may already be), you learn how to tell people to screw off and do what you know to be best for your students.
Your potential future students need you.
you are the kind of person “reformers” say they want, even though they don’t really mean it.
If we cannot keep people like you from leaving the profession, then we have a serious problem.
Oh, and one more thing. If you are that good of a teacher, search for a good school with decent administrators that will at least listen to your concerns.
That makes all the difference in the world.
Don’t feel guilty. Relatively few people care or understand otherwise the reformers would not be gaining traction–with the help of our administrators and union management, by the way. Don’t look back.
Search for another school. The right fit can made a huge difference. Or, do like I did, and switch to higher education.
Doesn’t everyone intuitively know the biggest problem with “merit” pay?
Even if it is based on some supposedly objective criteria like test scores, all administrators have to do is raise the threshold for who qualifies for it.
We had something like this at one of my community colleges. Part time instructors who got excellent evaluations from all three of their evaluators got a preferred status that moved us to the top of the seniority list at least for choosing classes and not getting fired.
Then simultaneously, people who had this status started getting just average reviews. One administrator let it slip why: the district only wanted the “top 5%” to have that status. So in my department, that would have been one and a half people.
The greatest irony was the preferred status was originally the districts idea to trump seniority, but they lost interest in it. If it had involved money too, they would have lost interest a lot sooner.
If a K-12 district adopted merit pay, it’s not hard to imagine after a couple years of hoopla to cement the policy, the hoop would get a lot smaller and higher, and few people would make the basket.
Decent pay would become a lottery, exactly the way getting into the charters already is for kids.
Wow, amazingly articulate and forthcoming writer! Should be required reading for all education reformers. Regrettably, some would use it as evidence to remove this teacher for acknowledged lack of ability. But, they’d more likely do that in order to remove such an insightful observer/writer from the equation. Hang in there, “New Teacher”; this profession needs you as much as it needs reform.
I am encouraged to hear this young teacher’s voice with the courage to think for herself and speak the truth. Sadly, many of our beginning teachers are so bullied by the reformers that they are afraid even to acknowledge the truth of what is happening around them. We need more beginning teachers like this one with the courage to see and understand what is really happening and to be willing to protect the children. Thank you!
After 13+ years as a successful special education teacher in Los Angeles and then Virginia, I resigned last year. I just felt like I could no longer teach one more year in the current atmosphere that the teaching profession has become. I decided to take at least a year off, but it may be permanent. I know I have helped so many students and families over the years, and the students remained the only pleasant part of being a teacher at all. The excessive paperwork and lack of funding and support from society, the administration, and the government got worse and worse with every year, and the major down-slide began with No Child Left Behind and the increasing emphasis on test scores. The pressure for my students to pass standardized tests became unbearable even though many did pass and advance in terms of progress, but who cares about progress if it isn’t a passing score, and who cares about whether my students have disabilities, and most importantly, who cares if one test taken on one day cannot possibly assess the many successes and advances my students make yearly? Maybe I will go back to the classroom one day, but for now, I sorely need a break from the circus education has become.
” The excessive paperwork and lack of funding and support from society, the administration, and the government got worse and worse with every year . . ”
Exactly why I decided to leave. Thanks to the media’s attention to deformers, some members of my family began to make comments about my “easy” job, and insinuations about my future (“undeserved”) pension.
Top that off with my district’s administration who forced teachers to work in scripted lockstep then turned around the following year to say forget about scripts and accused us of lacking creativity and imagination. Doublethink right here in Philadelphia!
The paperwork, the pointless paperwork, trying to contact parents who don’t give the school a working phone number, students who come to school hungry or unprepared, being short of supplies due to lack of funding – somehow this is all, all the teachers’ faults.
I was a teacher for 25 years and loved the first 20. Good luck to those just starting out. You’ll never know the thrill, joy and excitement that teaching used to be.
EXACTLY! MY FIRST 15 YEARS OR SO WERE A JOY, BUT THEN RIDICULOUS REQUIREMENTS, DISRESPECTFUL CHILDREN AND PARENTS, AND THE POLITICALIZATION OF OUR SCHOOLS ERODED AWAY AT THE PLEASURABLE PARTS OF TEACHING. NOT ENOUGH TO WANT TO QUIT, BUT ENOUGH TO ALTER THE WAY I VIEWED MY JOB. I TAUGHT FOR 35 YEARS BY LEARNING TO CIRCUMVENT THE “CRAP” AND REMEMBER WHY I CHOSE TO TEACH IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I often ask fellow “seasoned” teachers how many years did it take before they no longer felt like a new teacher. I distinctly remember it being around year number six. Most of them agree. I started teaching in the mid 80’s. I wonder, if I were a new teacher today, if I would have made it to year six. Those first years were difficult, but I knew each year that I was better than the previous year. I feel sorry for the new teachers today because they have never had the freedom to teach without those standardized high stakes tests driving their instruction. As an administrator I try to encourage them to teach creatively and to encourage critical thinking, but I don’t think they really know what I mean. How can they not teach their students test taking strategies when their careers (VAM) and students futures (pass/fail) depend on this ridiculous test. If I could change anything about education today, it would be to remove those tests. I don’t know what the future of public education will be, but for the future of our students, I hope this new teacher will hang on there. I suggest she find someone positive and experienced to help her through. The worst thing to do is to let negativity take over. When I get discouraged I find a group of students and have a conversation with them. I find something to laugh with them about. Then I am reminded why I do this. The future belongs to them. I want to be a part of that.
New Teacher, your very articulate and heartbreaking piece here has caused me to shed tears. I feel for you so much that it hurts, especially since I was lucky enough to have taught kindergarten when it was a joy, when the children had free play for half an hour, when the principal would stop in not to observe me, but to actually interact with the kids, even to play their games and to paint with them. You could hug those children who needed a hug, back then. The school provided snacks and milk.
But–you need help and support, not reminiscing. I know everyone in your school is overwhelmed, but could you look for an older, kind, experienced teacher who might mentor you? Even if the school administration doesn’t set you up (and they should–mentor-pairing should be included in the job responsibilities of a principal or an A.P.), do your best to find someone–he or she has got to be somewhere in the school and you–the squeaky wheel, the one who asks–will be the one to “get the oil.” Also–and I am always discussing this with my retired colleagues–if you can’t find someone in the school, contact the local retired teachers’ association (the National Ed. Association–NEA–has an organization in each state–Ea-R {ours–in Illinois–is IEA-R=
IL Ed. Assoc.-Retired}; the AFT most likely has the same). Please, please contact them! I can almost 100% guarantee you that SOMEONE out there is waiting to help you. After all, once a teacher, always a teacher! (In fact, if you ARE in Illinois, make some comment here, and I promise to get in touch with you some way.
I hope this has been helpful, and I hope that you will not give up for–even though you don’t think so now–you sound like an EXCELLENT teacher to me.
Hello! This is the new teacher, a few months later. I had no idea that my post was reposted! Reading the responses has made me feel much less alone. Thank you for taking the time to give me some advice and hope! I am not in Illinois, but I’m still in the Midwest (Minnesota.) I am happy to report that since I originally posted my thoughts on Diane’s blog, my experience has improved. As you advise in your post, I found a great mentor in the reading specialist at my school. Although she has many responsibilities, she takes it upon herself to model and co-teach lessons with me. She checks in regularly with me and my students and helps me navigate the scary world of formal observations. I have learned so much from watching and talking with her. I feel so much calmer and more competent. I do yearn for a kindergarten environment like the one you described. But I’m starting to feel confident that I’ll be around when the pendulum swings back (it has to, right?) Thanks again for your input. To all new teachers out there: it’s true; finding an ally and mentor will give you the professional (and emotional) support that’s so necessary year one!
When I began teaching in 1968, Kindergarten was not even offered in the NC public schools. What did exist then was a respect for teachers that has evaporated over time.
We had no mentors, no teacher assistants, and no money. But what we did have was the acknowledgment that we knew what we were doing. When I retired in 2003 from full time teaching and 2011 from p/t, I had been an active witness to the evolution of education as a “noble profession” to that which people do when all else fails. A teaching degree has become a safety net of sorts instead of a badge of honor. Fault lies on all levels.
These are just a few of the many reasons people are turning to home schooling.
Why can’t we…..
-have smaller class sizes?
-give teachers more prep-time?
-allow for team-teaching?
-give teachers aides and assistants to help with the work load?
-let teachers decide what innovative teaching methods work best with their curriculum, their classroom, and their students?
-reform only the areas in the school that need fixing, instead of imposing it on the entire school
-reward excellent teachers, and fire poor teachers?
-give new teachers a partial schedule the first 1-2 years to give them time to establish themselves (part-time teaching with full-time pay, and plenty of mentoring, planning, and development time)
Because….(here is the list of excuses I’ve heard over and over)
-the district cannot afford it (then how did that brand-spanking new football stadium get built?)
-bus schedules cannot be changed
-parents will never allow it
-the state requires….. (there seems to be legislation now that prevents every solution)
-the consulting company we hired last year (at 2 million $ a pop) reported a surplus of FTE’s in relation to the work load. (And, oh-by-the-way, this was the superintendent’s cousin’s company)
-the school board will never approve that
-the athletic (UIL) requirements prevent that
-we cannot change anything because it would disrupt the sports schedule
-that goes against the district’s contract with (company A, B, and C)
-it splits the talent pool for…..sports, music, gifted/talented
-teacher unions/tenure prevent that
In my humble opinion, if I had to say what ONE thing has crippled our pubic school system, it is….
Incompetent administrative leadership not doing their job, adhering to the self-interests of the few, rather than the whole. Self-serving, greedy injustice gave politicians reason to swoop in and take over the nation’s school system, and they are handing it over to big business.
Also… (ok, it’s two things)
Why have the problems in urban school districts (NYC, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles) changed education for the entire nation? Why couldn’t reform just happen to those areas that needed it?
I too, as many others of my era, was at the top of my graduating class, earned a masters, et. al. Now, its the lower end of the graduating classes that even bother with teaching ( apologies to those for whom this is not the case) I “supplemented” my public school teacher income by teaching a course at a local state university a few times so I know of what I speak. These kids assumed they would get an A for doing next to nothing, had no creative thinking skills, and little or no idea what was ahead for them. College courses are NOT reality for the most part. Then again, unlike the public school sector, my “other job” treated me with respect and assumed I knew what I was doing. Few are the school administrators who are truly qualified to evaluate their staff.
Even fewer are those who support their staff as oppposed to throwing them under the bus for any pr reason,
This person’s letter is right on the money. Being an effective teacher during the school year is an incredibly difficult job, it doesn’t matter which degrees you have, or the caliber of your college. You are asked to do so many things, that it really isn’t possible to actually do all of them while retaining your own sanity, let alone trying to raise a family.
I’m trying to toot my own horn, but to demonstrate that I am a person that I think the country would like to have teaching in our public school. I have received non-ed degrees from some of the top universities in the country, and am more than qualified to teach at the collegiate level in my content area. However, my preference is to work in an inner-city high-school. My point is though, people outside of the educational field, really do not understand how difficult it is.
Here’s an example of some challenges that I faced this year as a teacher, which I am sure is common to many public schools in NYC.
I switched schools this year, and landed in a school in a very poor district in the Bronx (my preferred type of school). The school is on at least it’s 3rd principal in 6 years, and the teacher turnover from last year was at least 70%. We met over the summer and spent 2 days learning as many things about the school culture and each other as possible.
For whatever reason, students weren’t really programmed yet, so I didn’t find out until literally the day before the 1st day, that I was teaching 4 different classes within my content area (4 different preps). Then I had literally 4 hours to try and set up my room and figure out what I was teaching for the first, as well as try to find textbooks.
Nearly every teacher in my school is in their first year, and many did not even have the privilege of doing a full-year of student teaching ( I did, thank god!). The first few months were basically spent trying to survive and figure out what we were doing, and in the meantime try to clean up the students schedules which were a huge mess – many were improperly programmed into the wrong classes.
I have received minimal support from any of the administration in terms of suggestions on improving my teaching or classroom management. Because I am in my 2nd year, I think that they believe I am in a better position than most. I can’t even imagine how the younger teachers are doing all of this. All of our staff meetings are spent trying to figure out things like school culture, discipline systems, and developing curriculum bundles so that we can look good for our Quality Review.
In short, pretty much everyone is spread so thin, that it is really hard to do an effective job of anything. On the positive side, the kids are finally starting to really trust us, and asking us many times if we’re coming back next year, as they have been abandoned so many times in the past.
I love my job, and working with the students, but there is no reason that this should be so freaking hard!
Now that I’m warmed up – here’s some suggestions for the DOE / NYSED:
-Get your shit together and pay some people to exclusively work on bundles for every subject and every grade level, rather than ask every teacher in every school to develop their own.
-Stop spending money for these fast-track teaching programs where the teachers leave after a couple of years. Focus on supporting those who really want to do this, but are struggling.
-Give schools a curriculum that we can use that is tied to both the CCLS and the NYSLS (Regents). There is no reason that all these first year teachers should be asked to develop one on their one. NYSED just published a curriculum (The story of Functions) 2 weeks ago, with dates for this current school year. Thanks a lot NYSED, but it’s basically useless at this point in the year.. Maybe fix it up for next year?
-Seriously NYCDOE, get an email client that is not from the mid-90s. My email cannot be forwarded to my phone or my gmail, has a really small amount of space, and doesn’t have auto-insert for email contacts.
-And lastly – what do all these network people do! Because I know that they’re getting paid a lot more than me, but I find myself working a lot harder than them!
Thanks for listening.
You are basing your conclusion about state school students on a very small sample. I happen to know that this is not generally true.
I find myself relating so easily to this first year teacher. I feel so similar. I am a brand new teacher this year too. We are not martyrs. Our supports are few and our professional development is a joke.I find it interesting that every teacher knows how many years they have until retirement, how many days off they get in a month, and how many weeks/days until school is over. I often hear only so many more days/weeks/years until… We are spread so thin and work so hard that those days become our beacons of hope and rest. Too, whenever it gets hopeless I hear the retirement countdown, the talk of leaving to greener grasses. I must say hearing my elders say those things makes me wonder whether I should follow suit. Shall I leave now while I am young and without a family of my own to support or will I leave later when I just can’t stand it anymore? Our profession is crumbling. It is not improving.
I wish I could say something encouraging to this new teacher, but it has not changed in the 40 years that I was teaching. It may have gotten worse. I stayed with it, obviously not for the money. I and most of my colleagues became excellent teachers, and really liked
the students we taught, and seeing that spark of recognition in a young person’s eyes when they finally “got it.” When things get tight someone comes forth to ratchet up the fear buttons and turn on teachers and others who TAKE their money. like firefighter and
custodians etc. You get the point. Teaching is very hard mentally, physically, and emotionally, and very very stressful. It will not change. It is also a very lonely and competitive business. When budget cuts everyone is watching their own backs and turf.
If you have a good teacher’s association, you have something!
I might be posting this for the second time…but I can’t figure out how this works. Oh well. Hello! This is the new teacher, a few months later. I had no idea that my post was reposted! Reading the responses has made me feel much less alone. Thank you for taking the time to give me some advice and hope! To retiredbutmissesthekids, I am not in Illinois, but I’m still in the Midwest (Minnesota.) I am happy to report that since I originally posted my thoughts on Diane’s blog, my experience has improved. As you advise in your post, I found a great mentor in the reading specialist at my school. Although she has many responsibilities, she takes it upon herself to model and co-teach lessons with me. She checks in regularly with me and my students and helps me navigate the scary world of formal observations. I have learned so much from watching and talking with her. I feel so much calmer and more competent. I do yearn for a kindergarten environment like the one you described. But I’m starting to feel confident that I’ll be around when the pendulum swings back (it has to, right?) Thanks again for your input. To all new teachers out there: it’s true; finding an ally and mentor will give you the professional (and emotional) support that’s so necessary year one!
When there is once again, a teacher shortage, the pendulum will swing back. At the rate the general public is going there will soon be no new teachers, and then there will be a shortage and the pendulum will swing. At the moment everyone is fearful of the economy and their own futures, and wonder where it all went. O h right, the teachers and their lifelong jobs, their wonderful pensions, and of course all of those vacations.
I hardly know any teacher who did not work every single vacation: at other jobs or on
actual school work. I am glad that you found a mentor. There is usually someone on staff or nearby who is good at this and most willing to help. I was very fortunate to provide such to some of my younger colleagues.
My ex school system ( I am retired) does get one thing right. It sponsors a mentor program for beginning teachers. Mentors are trained and receive a “token” supplement. As a mentor myself, I enjoyed working with novice teachers.
Teachers and doctors are in similar positions. The people who make policies have forgotten or have no clue about the above professions.