Warning: The content of this article may offend some, liberate others, or just leave you dumbfounded
The 2017-2018 was the worst school year of my career! There's no other rational way to explain it. Yes, I'm still slightly hurt and bitter from the experience! However, once I get these last words off my chest, I'll gracefully move forward with an acceptable viewpoint of lessons learned. The school year started off with me holding a position in leadership and then having to go back in the classroom as a homeroom teacher!?! Really?!? After 10 years of classroom experience, 7 years of co-teaching and district program management, this 18th year of being an educator was a bad reality check cashed in on a professional nightmare!
Those of you who have worked hard for promotions over the course of your professional life know exactly what I'm talking about. Let's keep it real. How many teachers really leave a homeroom teacher's position wishing and fighting to go back? If that was the case, there wouldn't be such a shortage of teachers and even more so a shortage of quality/veteran teachers. Don't misunderstand my point. I love teaching! It's just that the field of education has shifted towards passing students on to the next grade because no one wants to do the paperwork and spend the meeting time it takes to get many of our students the services they really need. Parents may want to help but most lack the tenacity/motivation to get things in place for services. Oh! Did I mention the big levels of disrespect and waste of time teachers are forced to digest for the name sake of PL (Professional Learning) which for many educators, can also be defined as PL(Pretentious Learning), while they burn time fiddle-faddling on their digital devices.
Oh wait! It gets even better. As parents begin to look at the far, few and in between "High Performing" school districts and possible home school options for their children, the public school education system need some serious updates. One major update being the selection process of district and school leaders who by far have a disproportionate affiliation with the population of students and taxpayers they serve. So! Why did I even accept going back into the classroom as a teacher? Well first, I missed what it felt like to plan and provided quality instruction for the humans in this world that will actually impact the customer service availability of my community and retirement. Second, I needed a cooperate break with benefits. Third, I didn't want to exhibit the dysfunctional qualities of those far removed from the classroom. Now that I've actually put my 2017-18 thoughts in writing, I can actually say with all honesty, "I feel much better!"
Today my gratitude comes from having experienced total professional and personal level disappointment with the field of education, yet I still remains committed to the field of education. Today I'm content with my salary and professional position. With a growth mindset, I will continue to set goals and nail targets that improve the public school system, one day at a time. Until my next blog, thanks for reading!