Proud Owner of New Rocking Chair

Our school district gives out beautiful rocking chairs engraved with our name  to everyone who retires. Every year before now, I would sit in the cafeteria watching retirees get their chairs. They used to look so old. Those people who were nearing retirement would often feel pangs of jealousy.

The first few years I remember beaming with pride as I entered the teaching profession with such enthusiasm and positive energy. I was too blessed to be stressed! It felt as if I were being passed a relay baton and it was my turn to run for educators everywhere. It was my turn to make a real difference in the world. It was my turn to use my gifts to prepare our youth for their futures. I did not envy the retirees then, but appreciated them for all the hard work they had done for our cause. They earned their rocking chairs and their time off to reflect on a life well-lived giving so much of themselves to so many.

Over time the retirees started getting younger and younger. When one of my dear close friends left us, I was able to see behind the scenes what retirement had to offer. Every time I saw her, she was relaxed and experiencing joy. I was so happy for her and sad for me.

As teaching seemed to change right before my eyes, I started to feel stressed more than I felt blessed. The last couple of years I have started to eyeball those rocking chairs and imagine myself sitting in one. Watching the new teachers replace my outgoing friends over the years has been interesting. Some have been wonderful. Some not so wonderful. And some ran out screaming in the middle of October. But that only happened once.

Seeing them so excited and sure they can save the world reminds me of what I no longer have, passion. At first that was a tiny bit painful. Then I began to realize that it is my job to help them be successful. And that is rewarding for me. What I wish is that any grouchy old teachers who are trapped into teaching long after their expiration dates would keep their mouths shut and stop making predictions of failure for the next generation. It makes them seem so petty. Insecurity and jealousy are not cute. We should have a separate facility for those teachers because they are poisonous to the life cycle of education. If they escape and are caught giving negative energy to a new teacher or student, public beheading should be the punishment. That will keep the rest quiet.

So today I passed the baton on to some wonderful people. It felt amazing to sit in my rocker looking out at the rest of the people. I wondered how many of them are full of life force and how many are running on fumes. I looked around at my fellow retirees and saw my friends who I am sure are much younger than the retirees of years past. :) I am leaving teaching with my heart full and no regrets.

When Public Education Jumped the Shark

During the week before school, Mr. Helpful Special Ed Coordinator visits my room to give me paperwork for a student. He wants to give me a head's up about one particular freshman boy who is diagnosed as Oppositional Defiant (OD). OD is one of those abbreviations that makes us cringe when we see it on our new class roster. By law, any student has a right to the least restrictive environment possible. It is in Junior's best interest to be mainstreamed with the rest of his peers. It is in his best interest, you see. HIS best interest. The law gives every student the right to a free and appropriate education. And if a student is in Special Ed, we make darn sure that every single one of his needs is met. We do this because if we do not meet every single one of his needs, his mother can sue the school district. The people responsible can be fired, or the entire district can be penalized. Since schools cannot survive these types of lawsuits, they spend plenty of time and money making sure that special ed students have every one of their needs met. We meet all the normal needs, such as preferential seating, less homework, more time on tests, and reading material to a student. We also meet absurd needs that were dreamed up by parents and lofty special ed administrators, such as allowing student to sleep in class, and calling mother every time the student fails to turn in an assignment.

Mr. Helpful Special Ed Coordinator explains to me how much "progress" Junior has made over the years. And in the most chipper voice you can imagine, he brags that it's been several months since the boy has "self soiled" as a defense mechanism. Apparently, this 250 pound boy has been purposely crapping his pants in class when he does not get his way for years. I am instructed to ignore his minor attention-seeking behavior, and send him to the special ed discipline room if he disrupts class "too much." "If" he disrupts class. He disrupts class every single day. His special ed paperwork forces me to ignore attention-seeking behavior, however, his peers have grown up with him. They have experienced his "self-soiling" incidences repeatedly and tolerated the mean things he says daily since kindergarten. He makes racist remarks, sexist remarks, and insults the football team. I cannot do what I would do with any other students and turn these into teachable moments because I have to ignore them. The other students, however, do not ignore his attention-seeking behavior. They argue back which escalates his behavior. They exclude him, refuse to work with him or sit anywhere near him. When they cross the line and threaten to hurt him, I have to give THEM an office referral. So the kids who reach their wits' end with this boy end up in trouble. Meanwhile, the brat who knows his teachers are required to ignore his bad behavior continues to bully everyone. And we just count our lucky stars that he is not pooping his pants in class!

Now, what I do not understand is that if by law every student is entitled to a free and appropriate education, why is okay to trample on EVERYONE ELSE'S rights just to make sure Junior has every one of his needs met. It has been several months since this class began. It has been nearly impossible to teach in that environment. When I have suggested that Junior be taught in the Special Ed department so that EVERYONE ELSE can learn, I have been told that he is a smart kid and needs to hear my content on a daily basis. So I would like to apologize to every parent out there whose child's educational needs were not met because we were busy making sure Junior's mom doesn't sue us.

 

The Good Stuff

They just hired two new employees at my campus to replace people who left their posts in the middle of the year. Both jobs were filled by former students who graduated from our high school, then went to college, and are now returning back to us as grown-ups. It is one of the rare gems of enjoyment in the world of education. We enjoy seeing how they have changed. The cocky, rebellious teenager who knows everything transforms into a professional adult, but it happens out of our sight so it appears to happen overnight.

It was just a few short years ago when one of these young women was standing on our football field as part of the Homecoming Court. She was always a fun, pretty gal who lit up any room she was in. Eight years later she is a super stylish, smart woman who is an LSSP and works with our special education population. When she speaks, there is no trace of the drama-loving gum smacker she used to be.

The other one had the most beautiful dark brown curly hair and a huge heart. She was one of those people who was kind to the core and always stood up for others. She is still the same inside, but her outside is barely recognizable. Her hair is now smoothed into submission, and in contrast to the jeans and t-shirts she used to wear, her gorgeous business clothes hang from her cute frame perfectly. She is very confident, and rightly so, but she is also very humble. Our school is lucky to have her on staff.

It is ironic that we so often hear how much the students wish to leave and never come back, but lots of them come back. When they go out into the world and come back with some experience, it's a joy to behold. It's the good stuff.

Surviving the Frigid Ice Water

Sundays have always been a time to rest, reflect, and prepare for the upcoming week. After five days of going full throttle at school, then a Saturday spent doing household chores, shopping, and paying bills, Sundays were reserved for spiritual fulfillment and family time. Life was good. We were happy, and teaching was rewarding.

I am not sure when it happened, but Sundays changed. They gradually became less fulfilling and more anxiety ridden. As the amount of work I had to on Sunday to prepare for the coming week increased, my desire to do it decreased. I started to resent the fact that I have to work so much on the week-ends, so I would stubbornly refuse to do the prep work then find myself at work on Monday unprepared and even more pissed off. Scrambling to catch up all day Monday kept me from doing the best job I could do teaching the kids.

Every Friday, I plan to be smarter this week-end than I was the week before. I vow to get all my prep work done in advance so I will not be trapped into just getting by on Monday. It has been several months now that I have been playing this game. I am beginning to fear that I will never again be able to be competent and efficient. Every Monday morning it feels like I am being forced to jump into a pool of ice water. The problem with that is too damn cold and I do not even hit the bottom of the pool until about Tuesday evening. Once I hit the bottom, I am able to kick off and slowly ascend through Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, I finally get to crawl out of the frigid water. I wrap myself in a warm blanket, but it is never much comfort knowing that in just two short days, I must go back in.

Let's Settle This Like Monkeys!

During a lesson in my Environmental Systems class which is full of seniors, our focus was on varying species of primates. We studied the similarities and differences between the way they obtain food, their physical features, their temperaments, their social organization, and their territories. It was quite a fun discussion and the video I was showing was pretty interesting.

We learned about one of the tiniest primates in the world, the mouse lemur which is a little bitty fella about three and a half inches long and only weighing about an ounce. We talked about capuchins, apes, baboons, macaques, and gibbons. One of my favorite primates is the orangutan. It is so fun to watch the videos of them swinging in the trees with their babies.

We were particularly interested in their environment and how they maintained it by teaching their young to get food. By fighting other groups from their same species to protect their area or gain new territory. The beautiful red-faced monkeys in Japan who live where it is very cold use a warm water source to prevent freezing. We watched them fight for their place in the life-saving pool, and thought it was sad when the weaker individuals froze to death.

All of the primates we looked at solved their disputes by fighting. Chimpanzees were surprisingly violent and the students were disgusted to find out that they sometimes cannibalize the losers. And then came the bonobo! Students learned about this chimpanzee-like species and the very unique way they have of running their society. They solve everything peacefully. They do not fight. Instead, they have sex. They have sex to resolve conflict, to show affection, and for social status. They have sex when they are excited and for stress reduction. The sex involves lots of different partner combinations and a variety of positions. If an outsider wants to join their group, they submit sexually right away, and then they are able to share resources and space with them peacefully.

Well, let's just put it this way. My students were very motivated to use this highly sophisticated method of social management. And now, in my room whenever there is the least little bit of a confrontation or hurt feelings, my students tell each other, "Hey! Let's solve this like monkeys!"

Public Schools Kicking Teachers to the Curb

Calling All Good Teachers
Resignation Incentive. That's what my district and many others across the country are calling their latest attempts to save money at the expense of good effective teaching and learning. They want anyone who has been teaching long enough to be really good at it to quit and make room for some cheaper first year teachers to take their places. Now, do not get me wrong, I LOVE first year teachers. I was one. I understand them and their job.

This program is not just a RETIREMENT incentive which does have some great advantages. Those advantages include allowing teachers who want to retire, but cannot afford it to retire with dignity. It prevents some of the bad teaching that happens when an old teacher who no longer relates to the students is forced to keep working to hit the magic number of years plus experience that unlocks retirement. I have seen some of those people spend the last few years doing some real damage to students. This is an unfortunate situation, but who is to blame? The teacher cannot retire until she is able to collect her retirement income. Quitting before that would leave some of them homeless and destitute. Most students do not care at all that the old teachers are trapped into working past their prime. They just gang up on them like a bunch of piranhas, bragging about the shenanigans they pulled in the classroom behind the teacher's back. Sometimes they even post videos to the internet!

Don't Let the Door Hit Ya!
This is an incentive to RESIGN. Just go away! You are free to look for a job someplace else, but you may not work for our district for one year, with the exception of being a substitute teacher. That is okay because they need good subs, and subs get very little compensation compared to full-time teachers and no benefits. This is the how they will calculate our incentive amount.

District shall pay Employee a resignation incentive

payment in accordance with the following sliding scale:

1 - 5 years of employment = 8% of current annual salary;
6- 10 years of employment = 12% of current annual salary;
11-15 years of employment = 15% of current annual salary;
16-20 years of employment = 18% of current annual salary;
21-25 years of employment = 20% of current annual salary;
26-30 years of employment = 22% of current annual salary;
30+ years of employment = 25% of current annual salary

So what this boils down to is first year teachers can get a couple of thousand dollars to quit. The first year is the most difficult. It is the year you learn how to juggle. It is a very frustrating year, but when you return for your second year, the difference is remarkable. You have had an opportunity to make some mistakes, figure out what works and what doesn't. You have had time to reflect and adjust mentally and academically. The second year you are more confident, more relaxed, more willing to move on to the third year. The third year is when you really start to rock! At year five, you are a valuable addition to the faculty.

Teachers at Their Peaks

The period of time between years six and 20 is when the magic happens. This is when teachers reach their peaks. When they are able to not only juggle, but to dance and smile while they are passing their content and life lessons on to the next generation. They join decision-making committees, advocate for their students, they seek each day an opportunity to change a life for the better. It is absolutely enthralling to experience this in action.

But my district wants to pay master teachers a few thousand dollars to leave, so they can fill the spot with a first year teacher who is in survival mode. The new teacher needs help getting and keeping her balls in the air. Teaching is not common knowledge. It cannot be taught in college. This important help ideally comes from generous master teachers who share their expertise. These are the people who encourage the overwhelmed newcomer when they break down crying and are convinced by November that they have chosen the wrong career.

When Back to School Stops Being a Good Idea

Beyond the 20-year mark, things are different for different people. Being a good teacher hi-jacks your whole body, mind, and spirit. And this gets tiring. Summertime is healing and reinvigorating. Every year teachers cheerfully come back for more until they reach a point where they start to return in August without the expected renewed sense of purpose. This happens at different times for different people. When this starts happening, this is the ideal time for people to leave the profession. That would keep only strong and mentally healthy teachers in the classroom. But that is not always what happens. Some people stay too long at the party because they have to. And offering them a few thousand dollars to quit will not help them leave. It only makes them bitter because they really wish they could take the money and run. 

A Lifetime of Experience and Devotion

And then, there is a group of people who are awe-inspiring. These are the ones who could leave if they wanted to, but they STILL LOVE IT every single day for DECADES! The incentive will not affect their decision to stay. They are the superhero level master teachers who are so very important to their peers, bosses, and most importantly the students. But my district, along with many other districts across the country, are trying to force these education gurus to retire because they have been teaching 30 years and make about $60,000 per year. This reminds me of the old saying that husbands used to say to their wives, "When you turn 40, I'm trading you in for two 20-year-olds." Except this is much worse, because it is not a joke. It's the future of our education culture. It's our children who will suffer. And when our children suffer, our whole nation suffers.

Welcome to Spring Semester 2013

Yesterday was my first day back after Christmas break. It was a staff development day. We were bounced around the building from room to room so we could learn some stuff. It was a great opportunity to catch up with one another. Several of us had the flu, one woman had her mother die and her granddaughter be born at the same time, and one of us had a massive heart attack. He's in really bad shape in the hospital still and will be for the foreseeable future. The rest of us were incredulous. It really put our stress from going back to work in perspective.

So with lighter hearts than usual, we got ready for the students to return. Today they reluctantly came back to school. We had a pretty normal day. As my list of things to do quickly grows, by keeping my eye on the prize, I believe I will be able to stress less whether or not I am able to get it all done. The prize is the graduation ceremony on May 31. Today I had genuine smiles for the students. It was a nice launch to what promises to be a very busy spring semester.