Dear Parents and Other Teachers... nice note page 9

[CityChook]

WoW - In my very humble opinion, you have the hardest, hardest job. I have nothing but absolute respect for you and the other teachers out there.

I am a SAHM with three young children. I volunteer once a week in each of their classrooms doing behind the scenes tasks to free up the teacher's non-teaching commitments. Copying, filing, correcting... whatever they need. I have learned SO MUCH just by being present and silent.

My little brother has his master's degree and was a math/chemistry teacher at a very affluent private school. He left his job because the abuse from the parents became unbearable. And these were families paying over $10K per kid. Unfortunately, it's everywhere.

Being available at school and having an open line of communication with my children's teachers has been a gift. Even my husband, who owns a small business and works 12 hour days, takes one day off work for each child each year to eat school lunch in the cafeteria and then participate in a school function. It's the highlight of the year for my kids.

Keep up the good fight. It's important and parents like me are so thankful for teachers like you.

 

[WriterofWords]

Thank you and we are ever so grateful for parents like you! And those parent who can't volunteer but send goodies or emails we appreciate you too!

edited for stupid spelling error.....

 

[SarahBeth9394]

I am at a loss for words. Or maybe I have so many I can't begin to put them in order. Oh but I am so gonna try....

You definitely should have addressed your letter to "parents that don't care". I am a parent who reads, answers, and replies to every communication I receive. I am always checking grades. I am a parent who knows my kids aren't perfect and will discipline when necessary. But you better believe I am also a parent who will speak up when something isn't right which I have had to do on a few occasions. Reading the op letter I am torn. Either someone is having a really bad day or they are burnt out and need to do something else whether that is teaching at the college level or in a small town where the class size is smaller and character and discipline are a part of the curriculum. Ask yourself if these issues are affecting your ability to teach and if the kids are able to learn effectively. If the answer is 1) yes and 2) no then both you and the students are being shortchanged and it's time to move on. You've spent to many years becoming educated in the field to not use it to your full potential where you are appreciated.

 

[WriterofWords]

No, it's addressed right, because it's to both good and bad parents and teachers.

 

[SarahBeth9394]

Do you feel like your teaching is being hindered and the students learning is as well. Or are you just having a period of frustration. I know there was I time when I thought about teaching. That was over by 10th grade because I saw all the extra that had to be put into it without compensation. And this was a time when discipline was pretty good for a big city school. I can't even remember what the class size was. And even then there were things I didn't know about. Here we are in a small town and they are real strict. Sometimes they are too strict and some of the rules are really outdated. But I told my kids it's a trade off because here the kids are much more well behaved due to the rules and they like that.

 

[WriterofWords]

Ok, what set off my frustration was the amount of parents on here asking for advice, and over 75% of the answers blamed the teacher without knowing both sides. Most of them also suggested going straight to the superintendent or principal, just going right over the teacher without following the chain of command. The teacher is your first line of defense, when you go over our head right away, you take away our ability to handle a situation, you put basically put our heads on the chopping block and we have no idea why! Your child hasn't told us anything, but they've spun you a good tale, you haven't come to us, the next thing we know we have the head of HR breathing down our necks wanting to know why? And we can't answer because we were left out of the loop.

I get aggravated at other teachers too, who won't answer calls, won't send home letters, notices, etc, won't take the time to see parents who may not be able to meet during the school's hours. To me, I'm here for these kids, and if that means meeting at 9am on Saturday, I'm going to do it, and I don't need my fellow educators getting made because they won't and they say it makes them look bad. I'm a parent too, not just a teacher, and I homeschooled Steven for a long time because of uncaring, rude, and ignorant teachers I was dealing with. I wasn't happy when he chose to go back into public school, but I let him go. My parent/teacher meetings can be hades, because I know what I'm talking about and I know what needs to be done.

My most memorable moment is this one: I had a teacher tell me this, in exactly this way... "It's time to take off our teacher hat, and put on our mommy hat." I had to walk out, and I went to that teachers principal and told him I did not appreciate that at all, it was rude, uncalled for, and if she is threatened by another teacher she is the wrong field.

I'm not burned out, I don't need to change jobs, or go back to teaching strictly college. I just need the crucify the teacher bandwagon to take a break. When you don't know both sides, you can't say much, I'm sorry but there it is. That is why when I do answer I try and be very careful to try and see as much of both sides as possible, and not take sides.

 

[SarahBeth9394]

Glad to hear you were having a period of frustration and not burn out. Teaching is something that you can get burnt out on easy if your not in the right circumstance. I'd rather see a burnt out teacher take a year or two at a different grade level or in a different subject or a different school so that they can teach effectively. Right now I wish the school's band director would quit. He really wasn't up to teaching this year and should have at the least took more time off. The kids have suffered because of it. First I thought it was just me but I have spoke to several people that have said the same thing I was feeling.

I do have to tell you tho there have been a couple of times that a teacher has been wrong and I have flat out told them so. But then everyone is wrong at least once in while. Including me.