Ten and a half years ago, I was a 16 year teacher at my local school district. We'd had a big turnover in admin, including the superintendent, so the experienced teachers were a bit anxious as we attended our usual staff-wide beginning-of-the-school-year convocation. The new super assured us all that the new administration looked forward to supporting their wonderful staff.
Our school district had many beloved long-term, very loyal teachers. We were an effective team with high scores. Although small, rural, and poor, our graduating students went on to excellent colleges. We all left the meeting feeling warm and fuzzy towards our new leaders. As usual, we were all in. We loved being teachers and trusted that the day-to-day administrative tasks were in good hands.
So it came as a huge surprise when the school year started and we did as we had always done - we sent our most constantly disruptive student to the office. Once the students see that we are serious about their education, they settle down and we can get going. As was usual, we called first to let the office know and all seemed normal. Lo and behold, each one of those students came right back to their classrooms, usually with a treat in hand.
It was a universal result. By Friday, the grapevine was blazing. The union reps asked us to stop by a local cafe on our way home to discuss. Only the two schools with returning principals had a normal week. Many of us, all used to being appreciated (sounds so funny now), had been informed by our new young whippersnapper principals - most of whom had a whole three years of teaching experience - that "good" teachers handle their behaviors in the classroom. WTF?!
We were puzzled; when exactly do we teach? Handling serious disruptive behavior takes time away from teaching. As was usual, we'd spend time during the summer break to create or revise pacing guides and lesson plans - which were posted online. We'd sent our new principals links so they could access them. They knew we had a lot to do every single rigorous school day.
What great big addition to their well-paid duties was so important it prevented them from enforcing the rules? They certainly weren't spending any time implementing PBIS, the much discussed but never seen in real life revolutionary new solution to all behavior issues. Every school district took the grant money, and then most simply didn't follow through. No state or federal agency checked to make sure they did.
Without any consequences for bad behavior, safety became a BIG issue. Students were sexually harassed. Disabled students were openly mocked and bullied. LGBTQ students feared for their lives. Within a year, we had several nearly successful suicide attempts that we knew about. How many more were there that we didn't?
Other additional admin/office duties were now assigned to the teachers: attendance phone calls, parent meetings about behavior, additional required documentations, and far more IEP accommodations.
By 4:00 pm on every campus, there wasn't an administrator to be found. Two hours later, it was always the teachers who made sure the gates were locked on their way out. Some of the older teachers retired immediately. The new super pulled their credentials - which meant they couldn't sub. A move that really backfired for the district. Most of the rest retired mid-year, which was considered enough notice. But by that point, morale was so low, and safety such a concern, that none of them were willing to sub.
It got worse. Our previous great test scores were now in the toilet. Without the ability to give consequences, every classroom above 4th grade became Lord of the Flies. Thanks to inexperienced administrators, parents ran roughshod over everyone. We didn't have enough staff, so teachers had to sub during their preps. We were quickly burning out and staggering through the days like zombies. The super had a giant personal meltdown and was fired. One of the whippersnappers - the cruelest and most inexperienced of all - became the new super. No one else in their right mind was willing.
Currently, the entire district's teaching staff is young and they never last. The district has constantly had a 12% or more teacher shortage. Every single para quit. We were so out of SpEd compliance that the state ordered the district to use an expensive temp agency.
No one ever imagined that it could get so bad so fast. A third of our school age kids are now homeschooled or in a charter school independent study program - and it's not as though our poorly educated, hard-working, rural parents are up to the task - but their children's safety must come first.
All of this happened because our administrators decided that enforcing the rules was no longer their responsibility - and they didn't even have the balls to tell us why.
Submitted April 06, 2024 at 10:54AM by MantaRay2256 https://ift.tt/qzIMm87
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