I'm consistently amazed (though I probably shouldn't be) by the number of people on this board that think they know the details about being a teacher, both good and bad simply because they were in school once or have kids now.
The reality is that most people on this board are part of the population that we would consider as good, involved parents. For some you, that means choosing private school. For others, that means being involved in your student's life to counteract some of the poor educational outcomes they might otherwise encounter. If you don't have children in school today and your opinions are based upon anecdotal evidence, the media, or decades-old beliefs, I'd encourage you to come visit a public school classroom. You'll get paid for the experience, but likely far less than your average daily wage. If you visit my classroom, I'll even supplement your sub pay if you so desire.
What you would find would likely be eye opening. The spectrum of aptitude, ability, parental involvement, inherent motivation, and grit is astounding. But at the end of the day my job is to shepherd 135 students through an 8th grade math, Algebra, and Geometry curriculum. To do so, I have to navigate the spectrum mentioned previously, legitimate knowledge gaps(COVID-related and otherwise), an administration that thankfully cares but is hamstrung by regulations and litigious parents, colleagues that care but are burned out, colleagues that don't care at all who perpetuate our issues, obvious mental health crises for which we are sometimes the first and last line of defense, and on and on.
I'm not looking for a pat on the back or more money. I could use some help, and so could your kids' teachers, no matter private or public. I could use some support in the public beyond the constant railing against the education system. The solutions always seem to be school choice, get rid of the unions, but never seem to include people getting involved themselves. The same ones that complain to my face are never around when I offer a spot to help by getting involved. For what it's worth I'm not a member of a union and have taught in both public and private parochial schools.
I try to stay out of these threads because I come here for entertainment. But damn, the amount of people who know how to do my job is astounding. Massive grain of salt because I'm fully aware of the board on which this post is being made. For the hundreds/thousands of you reading this thread and not throwing the people who likely spend more time with your kids….thank you. Tell your teachers thank you too - an email from a former student or an encounter in the grocery store years later are worth more than a pay raise in my book.
I teach despite knowing the pay is substantially less than my time and skills were worth "outside". Someone has to do it. If we keep running b off the good ones, there won't be enough decent teachers around to even fill up the private schools that seem to be the panacea. Some of us truly love that "light bulb" moment that might otherwise not have happened if dedicated teachers weren't there to meet motivated students.
Apologies for any typos. iPad keyboard is acting up and autocorrect has been hit or miss for me today.
