Phil, I am a retired teacher and am grateful everyday that I am. (Retired).
I would be fired today because I could not and would not bow down to the likes of DeSantis and parents-who- burn -books.
It's hard enough for children to realize and appreciate their uniqueness, and now there's no room anymore for the encouragement of individualism.
We're being lumped into a dangerous cadre of non-thinking, biased, fearful people by non-thinking, biased, and fearful people.
I think FEARFUL is a good way to describe the "do-gooders" who want to impose THEIR way of thinking on the rest of us.
Don't tell me I can't use my creativity, my uniqueness, my beliefs to get me through this life.
Don't tell our students that they can't be themselves.
I had to stop teaching when my state implemented "teach the test" policies. The almighty "end-of-grade" test became the focus of our teaching. Scores were all that mattered. It was a trickle-down situation. Superindents didn't want to look bad, principals didn't want to look bad with low scores, teachers certainly didn't want to be judged by a bunch of numbers, and who suffered the most? The children of course.
I quit earlier than I would have because we had no time to talk to or engage with the children. We dared not promote their innate abilities and talents. We dared not stray from teaching just reading and math, which the End-of-Grade test was all about. No more science, (I received an $1800 grant to buy science equipment, then was told that I should concentrate on teaching reading and math skills). No more social studies, and heaven forbid teaching cursive writing or spelling.
Sure, teachers today face disrespectful kids who have no stability in their lives and I so respect teachers who can thrive despite that.
There's the saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
It should read, "Those who can, do. Those who can do MORE, teach.
Many countries of the world today have good people like you, also pushed out of the teaching profession.
Go to your local library. Get a copy of the English translation of Minae Mizumura's "The Fall of Language in the Age of English." Columbia University in the U.S. arranged this translation in 2016. It looks at the many cultures of the world also endangered by the juggernaut of reduced, commercialized, neutered language, and the dehumanization of standardized testing, which oligarchs, billionaires, and nationalists everywhere conspire to push.
Phil, I am a retired teacher and am grateful everyday that I am. (Retired).
I would be fired today because I could not and would not bow down to the likes of DeSantis and parents-who- burn -books.
It's hard enough for children to realize and appreciate their uniqueness, and now there's no room anymore for the encouragement of individualism.
We're being lumped into a dangerous cadre of non-thinking, biased, fearful people by non-thinking, biased, and fearful people.
I think FEARFUL is a good way to describe the "do-gooders" who want to impose THEIR way of thinking on the rest of us.
Don't tell me I can't use my creativity, my uniqueness, my beliefs to get me through this life.
Don't tell our students that they can't be themselves.
I had to stop teaching when my state implemented "teach the test" policies. The almighty "end-of-grade" test became the focus of our teaching. Scores were all that mattered. It was a trickle-down situation. Superindents didn't want to look bad, principals didn't want to look bad with low scores, teachers certainly didn't want to be judged by a bunch of numbers, and who suffered the most? The children of course.
I quit earlier than I would have because we had no time to talk to or engage with the children. We dared not promote their innate abilities and talents. We dared not stray from teaching just reading and math, which the End-of-Grade test was all about. No more science, (I received an $1800 grant to buy science equipment, then was told that I should concentrate on teaching reading and math skills). No more social studies, and heaven forbid teaching cursive writing or spelling.
Sure, teachers today face disrespectful kids who have no stability in their lives and I so respect teachers who can thrive despite that.
There's the saying, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
It should read, "Those who can, do. Those who can do MORE, teach.
Thank you, Pam.
Many countries of the world today have good people like you, also pushed out of the teaching profession.
Go to your local library. Get a copy of the English translation of Minae Mizumura's "The Fall of Language in the Age of English." Columbia University in the U.S. arranged this translation in 2016. It looks at the many cultures of the world also endangered by the juggernaut of reduced, commercialized, neutered language, and the dehumanization of standardized testing, which oligarchs, billionaires, and nationalists everywhere conspire to push.
Phil, thanks for the reply. I'll check out that book.