Another lesson for you beginning teachers.....
I was having my Saturday morning java at usual downtown coffee shop/used bookstore combo this am when another teacher , well call him "Billy Joe," came in for his usual Saturday morning java at the usual downtown coffeeshop/ used bookstore combo.
"Hey, how's the student teaching going," I asked him.
He sighed, and said, "I'm going to work for the Probation Department, there's just too much crap to deal with with teaching now."
"Billy Joe" is retired from the local county sheriffs department and WAS teaching vocational ed. at a nearby high school. But that school districts new, carpetbagging, corrupt crook of a Superintendent convinced their previous school board to save money by doing away with vocational education in the district and fire all those teachers. As he told the board, "Our children are not tested in vocational educational skills." (this school district is perpetually ranked at the bottom of California schools). So, Billy Joe was out of a job. He decided to try his hand at Elementary Education and was finished with most of his requirements when he just decided it was too much crap to deal with. Our county Probation Department is always hiring, and with his law enforcement and educational experiences, he'll have no trouble getting on with the Probation Department. He went on to tell me, with a large hint of disgust in his voice, that all the 'extra' stuff he'd done for the school and school district, the committees, sponsoring clubs, taking kids to weekend educational conferences, etc., DIDN'T COUNT FOR SQUAT. His years of teaching, or helping countless 'less than motivated' kids, his 'going the extra mile for his students' was, in the eyes of the low rated district where he taught, worthless. OH, and yes, he was tenured. Tenure does not count for squat if the district eliminates your teaching position and there is not an open slot where your existing credentials and seniority will allow you to teach ( such as his Social Studies credential ), by 'bumping' someone with less time than you have. Billy Joe was just SOL.
Could they have transferred him into another teaching position while he worked on getting his credentials for that new position ? Yes. But the administration chose not to. Was he active in the teachers union? No more than the average teacher, meaning he was forced to pay dues and maybe went to a meeting or two.
Why do many school administrators hate teachers so much ? Does it have something to do with "Those who can't teach, administrate?",
That those who go from the classroom into administration are secretly ashamed and embarrassed that they couldn't handle teaching kids, couldn't find or think of some other job that might pay them a similar salary, so they became administrators ? Why is it that the edubureaucrats make it so difficult for someone to get into teaching or practically have to start from scratch if they change from Secondary to elementary or Voc. Ed. ? Why do they put more requirement on getting into teaching when there are places just begging for teachers ?
"Hey, how's the student teaching going," I asked him.
He sighed, and said, "I'm going to work for the Probation Department, there's just too much crap to deal with with teaching now."
"Billy Joe" is retired from the local county sheriffs department and WAS teaching vocational ed. at a nearby high school. But that school districts new, carpetbagging, corrupt crook of a Superintendent convinced their previous school board to save money by doing away with vocational education in the district and fire all those teachers. As he told the board, "Our children are not tested in vocational educational skills." (this school district is perpetually ranked at the bottom of California schools). So, Billy Joe was out of a job. He decided to try his hand at Elementary Education and was finished with most of his requirements when he just decided it was too much crap to deal with. Our county Probation Department is always hiring, and with his law enforcement and educational experiences, he'll have no trouble getting on with the Probation Department. He went on to tell me, with a large hint of disgust in his voice, that all the 'extra' stuff he'd done for the school and school district, the committees, sponsoring clubs, taking kids to weekend educational conferences, etc., DIDN'T COUNT FOR SQUAT. His years of teaching, or helping countless 'less than motivated' kids, his 'going the extra mile for his students' was, in the eyes of the low rated district where he taught, worthless. OH, and yes, he was tenured. Tenure does not count for squat if the district eliminates your teaching position and there is not an open slot where your existing credentials and seniority will allow you to teach ( such as his Social Studies credential ), by 'bumping' someone with less time than you have. Billy Joe was just SOL.
Could they have transferred him into another teaching position while he worked on getting his credentials for that new position ? Yes. But the administration chose not to. Was he active in the teachers union? No more than the average teacher, meaning he was forced to pay dues and maybe went to a meeting or two.
Why do many school administrators hate teachers so much ? Does it have something to do with "Those who can't teach, administrate?",
That those who go from the classroom into administration are secretly ashamed and embarrassed that they couldn't handle teaching kids, couldn't find or think of some other job that might pay them a similar salary, so they became administrators ? Why is it that the edubureaucrats make it so difficult for someone to get into teaching or practically have to start from scratch if they change from Secondary to elementary or Voc. Ed. ? Why do they put more requirement on getting into teaching when there are places just begging for teachers ?
posted by Dan Edwards | 3:49 PM
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