The Los Angeles Times published letters from some teachers about why teachers quit.
Bottom line: The “Children First” mentality drives teachers away by creating the presumption that teachers are on a “different side” from children and that they put their own greedy self-interest above the needs of their students.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The LA Times seems to be waking up while the Chicago Tribune, its sister paper, is becoming more and more belligerent (wishing a Hurricane Katrina on Chicago for one, and comparing the Dyett hunger strikers to hostage takers for another). Wonder what this sudden apparent enlightenment at the LA Times is all about?
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To answer your question:
Hopefully: you can fool all the people some of the time, some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
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You’re right. Howard Blume and the LAT seem to be turning a corner. They’ve been pressing the school board for transparency in hiring a superintendent in addition to this article. It is a HUGE step to possibly have independent, investigative free press in the largest, most populace city still operating with an elected school board. I never thought I would see the day. Go LA Times!… I think.
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This narrative– that teachers and other educators do NOT think first about their students had been planted and amplified by major foundations and think tanks who want to make public education a private and for-profit sector of the economy.
The stereotype of uncaring and greedy teachers is still being pushed by Michelle Rhee’s Students First organization, operating in at least 18 states and with deep pockets to help out on lawsuits and publications designed to paint teachers as incompetent (unless they are part of her shop of TFA temps).
This message of teachers being negligent has been hammered at for decades—A Nation at Risk, the title of No Child Left Behind, and it is now the central theme in almost everything I read about “personalized learning” meaning online resources and courses can do education better, with “individualized programming more ample and relevant and cost-effective than can be provided by any human teacher in a classroom environment.
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Look at the posts here. After reviewing them, who could EVER hold to the “stereotype of uncaring and greedy teachers”. It would take a real s-t-r-e-t-c-h, on the part of neutral observer, wouldn’t it? [smile]
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I was fortunate enough to once work for a principal who believed, “If teachers are happy, students are happy. If students are happy, parents are happy. If parents are happy, administration is happy.” Although we earned less pay at that school than teachers at other schools in the area, we all rallied around our students & each other! We had so much freedom to teach what we believed was important, not to prep for standardized tests. Teachers didn’t leave that place until the principal did… her replacement didn’t get it! Most of the politicians & the media still don”t get it…
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Why do teachers quit? Today my classroom was 92 degrees at 10 a.m., and didn’t get any cooler as the day progressed. The school does not provide fans (they expect me to buy my own). However, the principal’s office is heavily air conditioned, as is the superintendent’s office. How am I supposed to get 25 middle school students to enjoy writing when they are sweltering?
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All those who foisted the early start calendar upon us have air-conditioned offices.
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This was the first year in ten that my AC was working first day of school. It usually takes a few weeks or more to fix and then a month later it breaks again. I keep two fans in my closet because the AC goes out so much.
Yes, it is hard for anyone to learn when you sweat so much people think you are a human shower.
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What ac? 2015 and none for the average classroom teacher–just for computers and administrators in my school…smh…
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These letters, plus the original article are all the reasons why teachers quit. CPS teachers certainly aren’t encouraging anyone to go into teaching either: http://windycityteachers.blogspot.com/2015/08/nyt-ignores-aft-survey-results.html
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If your AC works, put it on first thing, if you wait until it is too warm, the AC breaks down trying to cool the room. This I learned in a bungalow classroom in L. A.
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
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One of the teachers mentioned large classes and the amount of time and effort needed to grade papers plus manage 200 students. Most people do not understand what a mere 5 more students means to a teacher.
https://davidrtayloreducation.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/does-5-more-students-really-matter/
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Or in general large classes without needed supports.
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yep
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David, Diane, or anybody for that matter—do you know of any research in the area of time/lack of time related to teacher performance/student performance?
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I do not know of any research.
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I was lucky to have great administrators most of my career. But my last one was a total coward. He let the students do what they wanted and treat staff members with total disdain. The students were running the school. Fortunately his days as an administrator are over but the damage was done. He drove a lot of good teachers away. My father, an ex DI, always said that you never ask your men to do something that you don’t do with them. Well, he was right and this administrator cost the profession some very fine teachers. Just an observation…
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I know why they leave the classroom…..total exhaustion with low pay and an abusive career. It is just not worth it. It is crazy that the establishment tries to keep young teachers out of this profession. We should be thrilled that these young people want to invest their time, their talents, their money, and of course, their love for children.
I think it is a joke that states have done everything to keep these young people out of a career they truly want to do. The low pay, the exhaustion, and placing the threat of being fired on everyone every single minute of the day……makes it a very unattractive career.
I would never choose to be a teacher again, and I would never allow my own two children to go down this abusive professional path. This statement comes from a woman who loves children and who loves the art of teaching. It is definitely a sad thing to put that in writing. But, anyone who asks me about this career path…I am totally honest….I do not keep secrets. It has become a very painful way to get a paycheck and support your family.
It is very, very hard……..so, I do not blame anyone who can find a way out…..No one deserves this abuse.
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I left this year after 33 years. I am still young at heart and still love teaching, BUT I increasingly felt that my teaching had become compromised by the Data Zombies who feed on the brains of innocent children.
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It seems now that it’s administrators against teachers and students against both groups. No respect for authority; discipline has become obsolete; anything goes/ morals have been tossed out the door; unreasonable demands on teachers; lack of care for teachers; age factor forcing teachers to retire/quit; over crowded classes; students with apathetic attitudes about doing the class work and absolutely don’t care about passing, but teachers become the “fall guy” and get blamed because the student (s) chooses/choose to Fail. Teachers make many sacrifices to educate our youth! If you take an inventory of students who are matriculating to college, teaching, for the most part, is not the career choice for the future! And someone may ask “WHY?” Well, these students see and hear how teachers are being treated, plus look at the money that can be made in other fields without all the hassle! Many districts are losing valuable and dedicated teachers.
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