Here it is, the most popular post ever posted on this blog.
It is called “NC Teacher: I Quit!”
When I posted it on October 27, 2012, it recorded more than 66,000 page views on one day. In aggregate, it has been opened on this site alone by more than 250,000 people.
It was written by Kris Neilsen. He wrote a book recently called Children of the Core and Uncommon: The Grassroots Movement to Save Our Children and Their Schools.
Here is the most popular post ever on this blog, not by me, but by Kris Neilsen, explaining why he could not teach in North Carolina anymore. Not that it helps, but be it noted that the Legislature in North Carolina has continued its attack on the teachers of that state since Kris announced he was quitting.
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
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Kris Neilsen continues to fight for public education. Proud to call him a friend.
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And this guy taught me everything I know about fighting it!
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I bought Kris Nielsen’s book right after I read this post…
Looked him up…….
I hope you keep posting this as it cuts right though the bull and to the problem..
When reading this, you realize what the Big Testing Hierarchy wants you NOT TO KNOW..
98% of all teachers would like to walk out that door…because it is …in this State and many more a total a Fiasco and Failure….
The way of things in Education in this State and others is such a big joke..It is laughable…but at the same time sad that they are Racing somewhere..where the heck? who knows?.
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The teachers in this state are waiting for a response…but they are beginning to see that the Political’s on the Hill are spending too much time in their million dollar mansions on the coast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SPINNING TIRES IN THIS STATE AND SO MANY OF THE OTHERS…
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You would think that these topics would be addressed by the Suits on the hill….It is no surprise that they appear to be trying to suppress the problems and continue to DENY the problem!!!!
Got a problem?????? Look for Solutions….It appears a dictatorship not a leadership is sitting at the Head of this Round Table!!!
Not going to be so easy as the “Cat is out of the Bag”…and the world knows the Game!!!!
A Cover-Up of the Real Problem is what appears to be happening…
Give this test and that test and this test and that test..and have you seen the number of tests they give???????????????????????????????????????OMG…OUT OF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They continue to say..”The CCSS is not going away”
Who cares?…Teachers can Teach the Common Core but there is no time to teach the amount of material with the scripts in the amount of time they alot…along with the Number of Tests that are given …Used for evaluation of teachers..not to help the students…This is not teaching …..it is Testing…Pure and Simple!!
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“. . . there is no time to teach the amount of material with the scripts in the amount of time they alot. . . ”
Come on NDTL100, get with the program. You know what that means don’t you? We’ll have to institute a longer day, at least ten hours per and a longer school year, you know like 364 days. Then we can ketchup and syrupass all those foreign students who are beating the pants off the Amurikan students. Hey at least the students in the “leading most advanced nation in the world” can go into jobs where they can literally blow the pants off (not to mention legs, arms and/or heads) them thar furrenurrs without setting foot abroad.
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lol 🙂
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He quit right about the time I started picking up on the visible and notable changes in our schools (after having been home with a baby for three years). Leaving is not an option for my family—our roots are here and our livelihood (beyond my teaching).
When I ask around, many folks feel as though NC has always been a test happy state anyway. I am keeping my eye on it in terms of my own children. I have read Children of the Core and I am glad Kris wrote it.
I have resolved to do a lot of listening between now and new year. I have expressed areas that frustrate me to all higher ups. I am still enjoying my work as an elementary music teacher.
Parents are catching on. We have suburban white moms in NC too. :). And other parents who care what goes on at school for their children. RttT is about to expire. I imagine some tweaks will be made with things. Our biggest obstacle now (considering there is Opting Out as an option for parents) is the choice movement and the glossy appeal it is given when presented by the Republicans in office. The wise will ask, “At what cost?” And those who do not will likely, at some point, realize they are paying for religion they would not choose for themselves.
Talk about coddled. The idea that you can get “your” tax dollars back, matched by other tax dollars, to choose the religious education you want is something a strong leader needs to say “no way” to. Politicians don’t like to tell people no–and sometimes they need to. Those who live comfortably imagine other children who cannot afford private education and think, “well of course poor children should have that option,” but that generous notion should not be enabled by tax payers. But some just do not see that.
So that is where we are. And so I begin my six weeks of just listening. Read to Achieve will have its trial run this year, with the possibility of 55% of our third graders not passing third grade (we will see if the portfolio options and summer reading camp quell that). It is high pressure for third grade teachers, and I plan to try and be a compassionate and listening support in my building.
Every chance I get I ask parents and teachers what they think. I look forward to a course sponsored by Pearson next week called ” Data Driven Culture;” I want to hear the philosophies first hand driving this movement.
I read daily and will continue to do so.
Kris Nielsen was a leader in waking people up. And I am sorry my home state could not offer him what he needed. Considering the only other states I lived in as a child were Louisisna and Florida, I’m rather glad to be in North Carolina. And I am going to hang on.
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Kudos to you, Joanna Best.
It is indeed wise to take coursework like “Data Driven Culture” and learn all angles of this reform movement. . . . .It will fuel your advocacy.
I have always lived for data, still do. Disaggregating it under multiple lenses and looking at the bell curve shape is fascinating and useful. It’s just that the precision of data is not always as precise as the learning environments and resources needed to respond to that data. . . . Which is why we teachers are always maximizing our efficiencies down to the last molecule with time, money, pedagogy, and any other resource we can expand . . . . Still, a life without data is an incomplete life . . . .
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Robert,
“I have always lived for data, still do. Disaggregating it under multiple lenses and looking at the bell curve shape is fascinating and useful.”
Either my sarcasmometer is broken or the edudeformers have gotten to you-ha ha.
Any idea how the concept of the “bell curve” came into being and into educational discourse?
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“. . . by Pearson next week called ” Data Driven Culture;”
Been fighting against “Data Driven” despotism since I first heard the words during a district “professional development” day back in the late 90s. MODESE (the Show Me State’s dept of ed) started to “groom” (yes, meant in the sense that a child molester “grooms” his victim and family) educators in Missouri to begin to accept the metrification of the teaching and learning process. It sometimes take molesters (and that is what those who push the metrification are) years to accomplish their heinous task, but persistent they are-sick bastards.
Beware, Joanna, for it will sound all sweet, nice, equitable and oh so scientific. I’d advise earplugs and your internet connected cell phone to use to keep yourself from being bombarded with bullshit. Remember to tell yourself “It’s only a PDT (professional development trip), It’s only a PDT, It’s only a PDT, etc. . . .
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No worries Duane. My daddy didn’t raise no fool. I’ll be alright. I sang in rock bands, remember?
I figure I have little to stand on if I don’t get in there and hear first hand what Pearson itself has to say.
I have already gotten acknowledgement and agreement from some higher ups that “21st Century Skills,” “stakeholders,” and “global economy” do not belong in school mission statements.
To me the driving forces giving the reform movement momentum are as complex as figuring how to run Public education itself. I come from a family of thoughtful, reputable preachers (educated). I plan to delve into that part of my genetic heritage and do more than react. I want to actually help find meaningful answers. And that means listening to all interested parties. I am entering my listening phase. (Like when I studied Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies; you have to listen a lot to absorb them in order to reflect).
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Duane,
I realize sometimes I write incompletely.
I do believe in data, but I also know it has some veritable limitations. A lot of it explains phenomena and theoretical constructs under certain lenses, but most of it cannot really show cause nearly as much as it does correlation.
Of course, given the variety of confounding variables and factors in “causation” when dealing with human psychology, ages 4 to 19, one cannot often enough see data as explaining “cause”.
The Deformers would have you believe otherwise.
And the use of data, as in tying scores to teacher evaluation and employability, is a pernicious, horrible practice, one that should be outlawed. . . .
So yes, I value data, but only when it can help me make instructional decisions. . . the data is MY tool. . . and should never be held over the head of teachers as a sword of Damocles.
I have by no means crossed over to any dark side. I am repulsed by the dark side. I have no place in it.
Still, keep on commenting. . . I always read and genuinely enjoy and respect your posts.
BTW, I wanted to ask your professional opinion on something. . . Can we possibly continue this offline?
Robert Rendo
artwork88@aol.com
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Robert,
Hopefully you got the email I just sent. Let me know if not!
Duane
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Duane,
I received it and wrote back. Thank you.
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Wow!!! It’s like the Twilight Zone with the Invasion of the Publishing Plutocracies. I thought this madness was just foisted on vulnerable urban schools by profit driven business folks who are politically connected.
In the Bronx the front man is actually referred to as Mr. Pearson.
A young man of little academic pedigree at “North Central Bronx High School” who first became a rising star and refugee from classroom teaching by becoming a school principal.Why is it every ambitious
young person who wants to put he kids first does so by running away from classroom teaching.
I always like it when an indoctrination program based on private profit starts with some unbelievable lies:
Lie # 1: “If you believe that what i have to offer is not of benefit to you, will not raise the bar for your students and will not make you a better teacher then I will leave, no question asked.”
really…. The presenter is an employee of Pearson which has secured iron clad contracts with the most needy of Bronx urban public schools.
So we begin with unwanted Pearson by a refugee from teaching stating a whopper of a lie.
Then this same fellow develops the same rehearsed script where he almost boasts that he failed miserably “Common” Core tests.
I don’t know about you , but I certainly don’t wan’t such an unacademic
prostitute instructing me about the Brave New World of education on the frontier.I caused a stir and was professionally reprimanded for asking why these pitiful PD workshops were not teacher centered to be in alignment with the practice of student centered instruction. This is classified as professional insubordination.”Common” is the new excellent?
I also have a problem with folks who make a living by descriptively
writing ad nauseum about collaborative, group centered practices
reinforced by the magic bullet of technology. Almost always when you research their teaching records you will find they never implemented such practices themselves. So easy to describe how things should be.
But we need you Mr. Administrator to get back into the classroom to show how this is done.
Hah!! You ,and any teacher reading this knows, you could never allow that to happen. You couldn’t do that, right.You deserve the scorn in a sane world, not ours today, given to a deserter from battle.
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To me, it’s more poor management from ed reformers. They’re losing experienced people who know the communities and organizations (schools) in which they work. The fascination with “younger, fresher, newer!” is faddish and gimmicky and shallow. It’s not the way to build something that lasts.
Modeling schools on tech start-ups (or God forbid, the finance sector) is just dumb. We’ll regret it. I don’t respect or admire ed reformers approach to management, let alone education. Organizations fall apart when there’s no experienced people, shared goals over time and institutional memory. This is reckless, and we’ll regret it.
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“Organizations fall apart when there’s no experienced people, shared goals over time and institutional memory.”
So true… and that is why it is important for experienced teachers to talk about the changes that they have witnessed, to mentor new teachers, and or all of us to understand the history of “reform.”
There should be a “9-year teaching rule” requirement to become an administrator or policy maker: 3 years of teaching to figure out what you are doing, 3 more years of teaching to understand that educational fads come and go, and 3 more years to show that you have commitment to the field of teaching as a profession.
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It’s scary to watch as a non-educator, because this is exactly the kind of thinking that hurts US businesses. We just had a big debate about this after the financial crash!
The focus on “new” (gimmicks and fads) the insistence on turning in good short-term numbers rather than building something that lasts, ignoring naysayers, creating a bubble of “influential insiders” without real experience in the field. The ridiculous focus on test scores! The crowing and congratulations and selective reading. What does that remind you of? Cooked books and propped-up balance sheets with bought-off boards who never contradict the official line. How they all use the same lock-step language: “status quo” and “accountability” and “excellence” and “great schools!” and “agnostic”.
It’s like they took the worst part of “business” and “free markets” and grafted it onto public education.
Arne Duncan pointing to Tennessee test scores reminds me of Countrywide pointing to “the ownership society” being vindicated in number and “value” of home mortgages. It’s ALL cooked and it all smells like marketing.
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I second the “9-year teaching rule”! In my school district we have a superintendent who was catapulted into administration with about 5 years of teaching experience. Why, because of his Hispanic surname in a suburban school district in Westchester County, NY with a fast-growing Hispanic population. His first year as Asst. Superintendent, he was asked to write a memo to the faculty for”Teacher Appreciation Day”. He was caught by one of our high school English teachers, plagiarizing the eloquent letter he posted, which was written by a superintendent from Iowa. Do you think he was fired? No! He went to each school in the district on, what I call, an apology tour. Now, he has the power of APPR, to make sure that an expensive, but experienced teacher like me, is rated “Ineffective”. After all, the Danielson rubric can be wielded in all kinds of nasty ways. I don’t know how many years of teaching the administrators in my district have, but judging by the ” high- quality professional development” we receive, I would say less than nine. I would add another rule — administrators should be required to teach in their area of certification every 3 – 5 years, just to keep current with what teachers are experiencing. I am so sick of this charade that has been foisted upon the public. I care about ,y students, so much that I will go down fighting this system.
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Chiara, your second comment is, unfortunately, ageless. Thomas More wrote in his “Utopia”, first translated in 1551, that the king’s counselors will tell him precisely what he wants to hear, while mocking suggestions or recommendations of those outside their intimate inner circle. We haven’t made much progress since then, have we? Astute analogy with Countrywide.
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Diane, Do you send articles like this to state and district superintendents? I sure hope so. (At least send it to Newark NJ Public Schools – please?) It’s one thing for all of us to commiserate about the state of education. But how much good does it do? The leaders who are making these absurd decisions are the ones who need access to articles like this.
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Kindergarteninterlude, I don’t send my posts to anyone in particular. But this blog has a huge national (and international) readership, and I know that it is read by many state and district leaders. I try to spread the news about the harm that is being inflicted on children and teachers and principals by unwise policies and to spread the word–whenever I can find it–about better practices and sound values. I know that policymakers in different states have found one another through this blog and used the connection to stop the same train wreck from happening in their own community. Knowledge is power.
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From the names on his CC: it appears Kris Nielsen sent his letter to his supe and our state supe as well.
Sadly I do not think one teacher leaving would draw much attention to anything on the parts of superimtendents. I recall two teachers leaving my school for many of the same reasons last year and the beat goes on. I think Nielsen was just one of the first ones to pinpoint underlying issues—and quitting in the middle of the year does draw attention, for a moment. The fact is, though, children are going to show up for school and they need teachers to teach them.
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That’s why we all need to speak up and stand up for one another when we do.
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So glad for this reposting. What we must remember is that this letter expresses the sentiments of public school teachers ACROSS THE LAND.. from Maine to California… Florida to Montana… doesn’t matter which corner.. “corporate ed reform” has regrettably taken over any real hope for education (like gangrene) and it is time for our voices to shout a collective “NO” to “corporate ed reform” and to restore hope that the children of our nation deserve better (and we teachers do too for that matter).
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Beautifully expressed!
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This letter pretty much sums it up. I would put another thing in it. I’m. So sick of teachers being targeted as the problem in education and having their unions acquiesce to the bulling and hoping it will get better. It will only get better when we make it get better,
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Reblogged this on Roy F. McCampbell's Blog.
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I’m certain there are many more teachers who are as frustrated and discouraged. My hope is that the teachers will ban together like the nurses do and demand change. If this doesn’t happen, there will not be change.
The idea that teacher’s unions are strong and are there to protect teachers is in most cases, not true. It will take a ground swell of people to speak up and demand we do what is best for the students, as well as encourage teachers to stay in the profession.
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The original post is why I began following this blog. My daughter sent it to me. I am sure that many others have come here at the same time. Perhaps there is data to support my hypothesis!
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Great letter of resignation.
The truly sad part is that the authorities don’t care whether she retired or not. At a time where studies have shown the high value of experienced teachers, we are seeing the expansion of companies such as TFA, where teachers typically “last” for 2 years and then “move on”.
The magnitude of this anti teacher movement is mind boggling.
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The more I see now and have seen in the past ten or so years, the more I’m coming to believe that this “refom” movement is about the advancement of technology as a replacement of the teachers and principals. Curriculum designers are the ones who will create the units, lessons, and assessments (lots of those). Teachers will be data collectors and semi interpreters. Principals will oversee this operation.
Hope I’m wrong. Just seems to be going in that direction.
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Thank you, Diane, for the repost.
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