How Education "Experts" DESTROYED The Teaching Profession in 30 Years: A Veteran Teacher SPEAKS OUT!

Why are teachers quitting and retiring early? In this powerful interview, Mike, a retired educator with 30 years of experience, shares how education has been transformed for the worse by out-of-touch education experts, for-profit companies, and misguided policies. With three decades of experience in the classroom, including 29 years in public high school and one year at a private school, Mike provides a sobering look at how these changes have destroyed teacher autonomy, demotivated students, and left many educators feeling burned out and overwhelmed.
Mike explains how so-called “education experts” - many of whom have never set foot in a classroom - have taken control of schools, imposing rigid policies that restrict teachers' autonomy. For-profit companies have flooded schools with unnecessary professional development sessions and trendy teaching methods that serve more to pad their profits than to improve student learning. These developments have taken decision-making power out of teachers’ hands, making it harder for them to meet the unique needs of their students. Instead of empowering teachers, these companies profit while teachers are burdened by bureaucracy.
Grade inflation has become rampant, with schools pushing average students into honors programs and handing out high grades without regard to true academic achievement. This easy-passing mentality has destroyed student motivation, with many students no longer striving to understand the material. Mike explains how parents have played a role in this trend, viewing grades as transactional - something their children are owed rather than something earned. Many parents push for higher grades, regardless of their child's actual performance, which has further diminished the value of education and left students disengaged from the learning process.
A major issue Mike highlights is the growing indifference among parents who view education as a simple transaction. These parents are more concerned with seeing a certain grade on their child’s report card than whether their child actually understands the material. Mike notes how many parents have become disconnected from the learning process, treating schools like customer service centers where they can demand good grades without engaging in their child's development. This attitude not only undercuts teachers but also cripples student accountability and effort, setting them up for long-term struggles.
Mike sheds light on how phones and technology have become constant distractions in the classroom, making it nearly impossible for students to focus. Social media has altered students' attention spans, with many more interested in quick, superficial gratification than in engaging in deep, critical thinking. This reliance on technology has further eroded student motivation, with many students struggling to stay focused or see the long-term value of education.
Professional development, once a tool to help teachers grow, has become another way to micromanage and control educators. Mike talks about how these training sessions, often sold by for-profit companies, serve little purpose beyond compliance. Teachers are bombarded with endless paperwork, administrative tasks, and tech-driven initiatives that serve to further alienate them from their students. Rather than equipping teachers with practical solutions, this bureaucracy adds to their workload, further eroding the joy and passion many once felt for teaching.
In today’s educational climate, teachers are increasingly pressured to win a popularity contest, where pleasing students and building relationships is often prioritized over maintaining academic rigor. Many educators feel compelled to pander to students, treating them like clients whose satisfaction comes before learning, rather than upholding the strong professional relationship that fosters true growth. The push to be the "cool" teacher who relaxes standards to keep students happy has eroded the expectation of accountability and discipline in the classroom. This dynamic not only undermines learning but also makes it harder for other teachers who hold students to higher standards. When students become accustomed to leniency, they push back against teachers with stricter expectations, creating tension and a disparity in classroom environments that diminishes the overall quality of education.
Teaching has become a lonelier profession than ever before. With high turnover rates and a mass exodus of veteran teachers, newer teachers are left without mentorship and guidance. Mike reflects on how the teaching community has weakened, leaving many educators feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and unsupported as they navigate increasingly difficult classroom conditions.
#education #educationalpsychology #teaching #teachers #retiredteacher #teachertherapy #iquitteaching #interview #teacherburnout #teacher #edtech #professionaldevelopment #socialmedia #technology #classroom

[@luv2cstars863]

I’ve been a teacher for 34 years. Last year, on a professional development I was in a workshop where we were told to be “vulnerable” with students. I was the only one who raised my hand and said that was unprofessional, and that should not be part of a teacher-student relationship. We can be approachable, friendly without being vulnerable. Our job is to teach, not to be their friends.

[@melliott3681]

What does being vulnerable with students even mean? And, how is that important to the educational process? I always cringed when someone, whether another teacher or administrator, would say "We luvv our students," "I luvvv my kiddos." I didn't love the students because that wasn't my job to. You don't have to luvvvv someone to educate them, and they don't have to luvvv you in order to learn.

[@Imissyoulou]

@@melliott3681 I'm with you. Teachers use to tell me, "Those are your babies." I was always QUICK to tell them. "Those are not my babies. They are my STUDENTS and I am here to TEACH them. I want ALL of them to be life long learners and critical thinkers. You cannot do that if you play with them."

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

It all stems from the fact that parents are so detached from their kids that teachers are wrongfully forced to fill EVERY SINGLE ROLE that would and should otherwise be performed by a parent: showing students love and support on an internal level, literally providing them with food for their digestive systems, and bonding with the students in an emotional, casual manner. This of course then gets contradicted entirely by the ignorant admin. who then say that you as the teacher are being “inappropriate” with your students despite having gone up and down the aforementioned checklist of “ice breakers” with your students multiple times over and nothing further. It’s all passive-aggressive nonsense and abusive authority exercised by utterly incompetent so-called adults with infantile mentalities sitting at the tiny tiptop of the educational hierarchy . It’s not worth it in the least.

[@krystal8436]

Wow!

[@AA-iy4gm]

Seeing how over the decades parenting became more and more outsourced, we now have kids as young as a one year old or less in daycare, and for older kids there are after school activities too, when they get home social media and other distractions like TV, ipads, playstations are used to babysit - all in all very little quality interaction with parents. Now they're molding new teachers who will basically raise these kids, if all of that doesn't sound like indoctrination I don't know what does, especially as this teacher in the video highlighted how much autonomy teachers lost over the years but gained the responsibilities of a guardian...

[@jessicascreenwritingservices]

“I don’t believe teachers are abandoning the profession. I believe the profession has abandoned them.” 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 so accurate 💯

[@annmarieknapp]

Well said. A college professor who mainly is a teaching faculty and often even at university it's tenured faculty that are valued. We teaching faculty feel like second class citizens and now I struggle to get my students involved. They are so afraid of participation and I've spoken with them and they tell me that they won't even try to answer unless they are certain of the answer. Yikes. We are supposed to be able to engage in intellectual discourse. It's becoming harder and harder to do the job, I used to absolutely love.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@annmarieknapp I found the same thing to be true when teaching K-12. Students are so afraid of being less than perfect in their class participation and knowledge that they won’t even ask questions because they are worried about “looking dumb”. It all stems from the social media mindset of being rated by everyone in your surroundings, as well as parents having exceedingly high academic expectations for their children without any rationale behind it. The fear of “failure” is poisonous!

[@atomicplaygirl66]

I am not in the teaching profession, and I have no children. But that interview was so interesting. All killer......no filler. ❤❤❤

[@jmase19]

Sounds like what the Democrat party did to me

[@dr.waddell5824]

📣"Mike's got BARS!!" as the kids say to mean "2. to be good at something"

[@AtheoGay]

The greatest advice I was given 32 years ago when I began teaching was from a friend who was a teacher. He said that I should agree to everything officially but close my door and do what I needed to do unofficially.

[@erictalaveramartinez4160]

This. You have to be really careful, but this is exactly they way to weather all this insanity.

[@paigeherrin29]

For 2 years I’ve met with my Stemscopes consultant and for 2 years I lie and said it’s going great using the software. I’ve never used Stemscopes. I’m a papered biologist and a papered educator. I really love designing my own curriculum and labs.

[@just4music687]

Me too, I was told by an admirable educator in our district, when I was new, he said "shut the door, and teach." xoxo

[@victoriamartin1995]

I am such a literal thinker in professional environments, I regret I would always forget to give myself this permission

[@victoriamartin1995]

​@@paigeherrin29I've not come across this context for " papered," does this mean your degrees? Thank you for this

[@reddyandre]

Best guest you've ever had, thank you for letting him talk. That's the sign of a great interviewer. And he's obviously impressed by your work. Good Show!

[@fpanadero2626]

If a student asked me for "extra credit"... I tell them they need to do the "regular credit" first!

[@LuckyJujube]

In my syllabus it states, "There is no extra credit, only credit. Do the work."

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

I told their parents that very same thing when they came to bat for their kids! Only to receive the exact same reaction and response from these “adults”. 🫤

[@MumbikGrimbelt]

@@fpanadero2626 I can’t wrap my head around how many kids and parents are just throwing their education away. I’m always curious as to how they think they’re going to have all these things they want in life but can’t read or think critically.

[@niqhtt]

As an elective teacher I tell them I don't do extra credit. The whole class is extra credit.

[@KathrynTanner-t8f]

Ha! Too right. Had plenty of students who didn't do anything for 8 weeks and then demanded "extra credit" the 9th week so they could pass. The real problem: administration supported that. It was all about making the school look good with high passing and graduation rates.

[@t-rob2943]

1:39:03 Mike states, “The reality is they can’t read and they can’t write.” As HS teacher, I have made the same observation. I will also add that they can’t think either.

[@fredred5037]

Just like our elites intended 👍

[@Imissyoulou]

Additionally, they don't know where they are in the world. I had a first year high school class. I show them the map of the US. NONE of them could point to Chicago. Maps are not used anymore or Geography.

[@melliott3681]

I can confirm that they come to college and don't seem to know how to read or write. Nor do they want to actually come to class.

[@TrevorHamberger]

@@Imissyoulou can you turn the globe to the right spot I could probably find Chicago with a blindfold on

[@roundtwo3321]

@@fredred5037 Exactly. Mission accomplished.

[@cinemaparadiso1991]

This educator is a really great speaker. He has experienced 30 years of surviving the increasingly nonsensical and toxic changes in the field of education.

[@sherrycoulter]

Wow, this guy was awesome! I could listen to him talk about this all day. Thank you for having him as a guest speaker.

[@ellej.6625]

From a parent who watches your content, I appreciate you and all the teachers that come and speak. Mike mentioned that teachers aren't abandoning the job, but the job is abandoning the teachers. I can see this. There is not a lack of people willing to teach, but there is a lack of support, and even parents (who care to look) see it too. Thank you for all you guys do. Personally, I would prefer teachers who teach discipline as opposed to pandering teachers who wanna be the good guy and be kids "friends". The real world won't try to be friends with our children.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Thank you so much for your ongoing support of teachers! It means the world to us! I remember talking to a parent at one of my former schools whose son I tutored in reading once per week. This parent was on the school’s PTA board, worked full-time, raised two kids very well with excellent values instilled in them, and was heavily involved in her children’s education every step of the way. She told me about how frustrated she was with other parents she spoke too regularly in and outside of the PTA who would complain about having to perform community service, attend school functions, meet with their children’s teachers for parent-teacher conferences, and even support their own children academically and morally! According to this very respectful and responsible parent: her parental peers used their jobs as the only reason for them being “unable” to perform their necessary parenting duties and also support their children’s teachers on the whole! Crazy! So thank you once again for doing your part as an actively involved parent! I wish there were more like you out there! 😊

[@AA-iy4gm]

The society really doesn't want to admit that parents use their jobs as an excuse not to do parenting duties. Seeing how a large chunk of society is made up of said parents, it makes sense why they wouldn't admit to that. They would rather do the more comfortable thing of pretending to believe each other's excuses because it doesn't make them look bad. Looking bad and coming to terms with reality and having to self-reflect is uncomfortable and people run away from being uncomfortable even at the expense of their kids' futures. They repeat the collective mantra "we did our best" and convince themselves of it and don't take accountability when it doesn't add up with their kids experiences later in life. Even if they choose to be in denial we can see the reality through how the society is becoming, especially kids. The environment has some impact sure, but the main driver for how kids turn out is their upbringing.

[@kathleenkirchoff9223]

District policies based on "educational consultants" have limited teachers' ways ro hold kids accountable. Let's be positive and praise the kid standing quietly in line instead correcting the one misbehaving.

[@karenwolz3906]

I taught middle school for 13 years and then special and general methods for university students for 25 years. My university students all wanted to become teachers. Even at this level, over the years, a greater percentage of students became increasingly more disruptive and rude, coming to class totally unprepared, and were surprised that I would even spend time reading and providing them feedback on their assignments. These were people who wanted to become TEACHERS! They were ticked off when I told them to put their phones away. Their behavior and attitude finally got so bad that I ended up retiring early. Did I mention that these students wanted to become TEACHERS?

[@robertjohnson801]

I had a student ask me why I gave him an "F." I replied, "I couldn't give you anything lower."😅😅

[@10minuteESL]

Nice comeback. 🎉

[@ssdfgardiner1233]

I usually say, "I didn't give you that. That's what you earned," but I like your response better.

[@BlueDeathGen]

Owning your students is not good teaching

[@davereese6614]

Lawsuit!!!

[@FoundWorthy]

Thats your failure, PERIOD end STOP....wink wink... Im a 20 year Navy Vet I think the "educated class" could learn a bit from having actual leadership training as we did. Your comment is disgusting but reminds me of many of my teachers Owe in the Navy I qualified in the Radiation field we had plenty of BAs and even a Masters that flunked out of our class, my little Highschool degree seem to serve me fine. I was Top 3 in the class, much smarter than the teacher that motivated me very much like you would. I was Special ED funny thing all of us Special guys were the wealthiest at our class reunion all married also. IQ matters and if they had tested me they would have known what the Navy did. We really can do BETTER...like my caps ;)

[@colleenwieder]

Trish, as a 70 y.o. retired nurse, not a teacher but someone who really values education, I would love to see a document outlining the laws, changes and specific interventions which destroyed our classrooms and hobbled teachers to stupid, thoughtless programs. I know that in the classroom it all starts with society, I saw your video on that. We have gone off the rails. Parents don't give their kids responsibility and consequences. I had great teachers. I read whole books. I wrote essays. As a farm kid I worked, I had to be responsible. I was counted on. That was a long time ago! We need a tried and true teacher as head of the Department of Education!

[@proudatheist2042]

I taught in bottom ranked inner city schools as a reading remediation and special education teacher for 4 years. I saw an insane number of general education students being passed to following grades, even if they literally missed 1/3-1/2 of their school days and were no where near close to being on grade level. Administration also allows for students who need tough consequences to get away with terrible behavior. The administration i encountered also allowed for certain teachers to bully other teachers and institute programs that didn't make sense in the school. So many of the studio saw should have been retained OR placed in special education, but they were weren't.

[@KnCmSSCeRrSs]

What Mike said about being dedicated to the discipline, not the relationships with students, is something I needed to hear. This is only my 11th year as a teacher, but when I started in 2013, so much of HOW I built bonds with students was through my love of science. Now, I am judged and criticized for not taking time to “form relationships” with students who push back in the challenges in class. One of my younger colleagues, who went through the district I teach in, even once said “What teachers need to know is that kids care about relationships here and if they don’t like you, then they will refuse to learn from you.” This was two years ago and it still frustrated me when I think of it. I don’t want teenage friends. I want to inspire the younger generation to be socially responsible, think critically, and maybe share a mutual joy in the wonder of science. Sadly, this will be my last year in the classroom, even though I aspired to be a “Mike” for most of my career. I just don’t think it is an attainable goal anymore.

[@GuacamoleKun]

This is so weird. When I was a teenager I didn't want adult friends, I wanted teachers who weren't boring! A teacher who made science fun and interesting was the best, and THAT'S what would make me like you.

[@willow6049]

If one more person tries to tell me that I should be more mindful to make my job better then the system will be fixed.

[@nacho-mammy]

1) What is meant by being socially responsible? 2) It is maddening that a child can make a statement like that (I will refuse to learn from you if I don't like you) and it actually matters, but I believe it is a product of something else other than education being prioritized by both administration and parents.

[@RobotsCanDoAnything]

21 years teaching now. Like Mike, I too had trouble grading students according to the work performed by student. I have been harassed by parents to change grades and the administration goes along with the parents. I have had the Assistant Superintendent sit in my Engineering class and tell me "you need to make your class more palatable to capture all your students in addition to our top performers". The parents, students and the administration have no respect for teachers. I'm done in a few months, I can't see how I could possibly teach another year.

[@laulaja-7186]

Have you considered Peace Corps?

[@RobotsCanDoAnything]

@laulaja-7186 Really? Why, tell me more.

[@proudatheist2042]

Thanks for sharing that. I am shocked and also not shocked that your administration has no problem with you giving out inflated grades to students as they are supposed to learn how to build things that's don't collapse. I wish you luck in your future endeavors!

[@RobotsCanDoAnything]

@@proudatheist2042 Thank you, the administration make it miserable for you to grade according to performance. It's all about optics, appearance is all that is important.

[@nostalgicsoul76]

I am a former K-12 teacher who broke free this year. I enjoy these interviews and can relate to so much of what is being discussed. Thanks for your contributions.

[@kidzfromthebloc]

This was one of the best teacher therapy sessions. Thank you. I really needed this. The quote "he lectured us for two hours about how we shouldn't lecture" is so true. Thank you for the story of your father. That struck home. I also grew up knowing that my job was to go to school otherwise I might as well be "sweeping the streets". I remember growing up and having teachers that I respected and admired. I was just captivated by them for 45 minutes. The time would fly by because they were excellent at presenting information. There were no Google slides, no laptops, no cellphones, just a group of people sharing an experience. I have tried desperately to recreate that experience for my students. I fail daily. The phones are far more entertaining and gratifying than I could ever be. I find the majority of students have this attitude of disinterest and they lack the sense of wonder or spark of curiosity I remember myself and my peers has as a children. And most frighteningly when I force them to put their phones away, they thumb across the desk absentmindedly as if there IS a phone in front of them, like a phantom limb.

[@BarryBrandon-mz7gb]

Seriously? They still make the finger movements on their desks? Ha ha ha haaa. That's so ridiculous.

[@kidzfromthebloc]

@@BarryBrandon-mz7gb they don't even realize they're doing it. They're absentmindedly twiddling with a non-existent phone

[@proudatheist2042]

Oh, wow! I haven't seen that or heard of that, but it makes sense! I applaud you for your valiant efforts. I hope you have the support you need. You may not be failing like you think you are. One day your students may realize how lucky they were to have you because you cared about them and wlyou aren't content to let a phone babysit them.

[@amys2168]

"Maybe the pathology is a reaction to a sick society"- I can tell your guest is very well-read. He makes a number of references, but this one is directly from Freud. I'm so impressed by his breadth of knowledge.

[@moozerk1264]

Personally I think computers and chromebooks should be limited to computer classes only. Everything else, bring back books, paper and pencils.

[@biakeller]

I started homeschooling we do everything on notebooks except his outsourced geography class which is on gclassroom

[@hrafnkolbrandr]

I make all assignments be hand-written; so when they inevitably steal from the internet, or use AI for their assignments- they at least have to use the entire read-process-write neural pathways to complete the assignment- so that hopefully they'll get a little information retention.

[@WillowT442]

I am pretty sure studies have shown that people remember new information better with paper and writing. Or maybe that is just me.

[@WillowT442]

I am pretty sure studies have shown that people remember new information better with paper and writing. Or maybe that is just me. I know I remember information if I write it down.

[@panban2012]

@@hrafnkolbrandr💯🎯

[@themoose70]

Mike should be the next Secretary of Education! Wow- he totally summarized clearly and concisely most of the major issues public education is suffering from!

[@sheneedsme]

No I’m sure Trump would rather pick a political lapdog with no experience or expertise. His last time his Secretary in charge of the Department of Ed was a rich donor who never attended a public school.

[@victoriamartin1995]

Omg how wonderful life would be if we had teachers like Trish and Mike as our national leaders in education!

[@ByronBrown-bo6pb]

Mike is so spot on--I actually listened to the entire podcast. In my 25 years of teaching, I experienced everything he talked about. Thanks, Mike, for articulating what's so wrong in education today.

[@michaelbullington3182]

Thanks, Trish! Thought I was irrational until I found Teacher Therapy. 15+ years public teaching.

[@stormchaser419]

It's all about the money trail. They come up with all these new behavior and learning strategies and package them to sell.

[@emilyann4549]

It's like this in so many fields of work. Especially in the corporate world. All these workplace communication strategies.They have got to me making bank.

[@TrevorHamberger]

Almost the entirety of the American economy is fake and rooted in dystopian control of the populace. I'm pretty sure about half of our GDP comes from the fraud that is put over on people with insurance. Half of our GDP comes from the overpricing of medical devices paid for by insurance. The price of these medical devices is inflated via the scam of the health insurance system. They have to spend that money somehow. And they figure out ways to overprice things to make sure they can

[@muffinman472]

Is there anything more American than that? 🙄

[@brittany16950]

THIS!! And districts buy it so that they can prove they spent last year’s money so that they can ensure they get the same amount of not more the next year.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Yep! Children as people are being marketed like pathetic plastic products by these psychotic corporations! Humanity’s soul cannot afford to be sold. But it sure is getting lots of offers from these institutions led by individuals who believe that corruption overpowers decency!

[@mrfloydp]

Jonathon Haidt’s “The Coddling of the American Mind” has a lot to say on this topic. I work as a college Instructor. The school kids are starting to make their way to me. There expectations for hand holding, ridiculous accommodations expectations, everyone walking on egg shells out of fear of saying something that offends someone. College was never meant as a place for everyone. Nor should it be required for most jobs. When we lower the standards of entry one of 3 things must happen: either we water down the curriculum or we inflate grades or we have more people flunk out. I am not lowering my standards or changing the way I grade. Merit matter. Bring back the SAT/ACT. They are designed to measure everybody on the same scale. And don’t forget trade schools and community colleges are great options for some people. We don’t all need to read Shakespeare and Adam Smith. And it’s the college education programs that are largely responsible for the state of public K-12 education.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Hear hear!! When I was tutoring college students in essay writing and research during the year of distance learning, some of them had the nerve to ask (if not literally command) me to write their papers for them! I flat out told them NO! They then didn’t want me to tutor them. I told them “Don’t bother asking anybody else to tutor you because the response will be the same. Cheating is not an option.”

[@LauraSmith-z4p]

I'm a college instructor also and I've seen behavior on campus change in the past few years. After watching channels like yours I deduce that the toxic behaviors that are now standard in K-12 schools have aged into the college population. While some of the students are polite and responsible, quite a few are entitled and disrespectful, as if they have gotten the message that no one should be in a position of authority. There's also a lot of passive-aggressive micro-violence now, which is creating a toxic work environment. I'm not paid enough to put up with this.

[@AA-iy4gm]

That's a great point Laura, they're thought that nobody should be in position of authority (except the most inclusive, eye wide and big grin faces, with an agenda where feelings matter more than facts). They gave the kids a false sense of autonomy where the kids are made to believe that they aren't being indoctrinated, but that the new way of being is really their idea...

[@melliott3681]

In my opinion, No Child Left Behind changed so much in education, including the treatment of educators. It also opened up the flood gates to really poor educational research leading to really poor teaching strategies and canned curriculum. Colleges of education adopted this new fangled stuff like eating candy. So, yes, they are very much adding to the problem. Educational psychology, however, is really questioning many of these best practice claims. I wish they had a louder voice.

[@SheepWhoNeedsShepherd]

Jonathan Haidt also wrote ‘The Anxious Generation.’ It’s another excellent resource.

[@cprdnr]

I listened to the very end. I wish it were longer. I could listen to this expert educator for days.

[@erbiumfiber]

But, but, but...he's not supposed to lecture us!! Oh, wait... Yes, everything he says is spot on...

[@lando167]

I could listen much longer as well. Wise words! Reminds me of the great teachers I had in the 70s who were dedicated to the profession.

[@SarahG266]

Same!

[@fimanu]

Same!

[@desertcountryliving2357]

I think this was the best guest you've had so far. He did such a great job summarizing the big problems in schools today.

[@cinven38]

This guy needs a show if his own! Very eloquent and accurate analysis

[@rebeccab.463]

"Once the student becomes a client...." Brilliant! Thusly, the teacher becomes a sales rep for the corporate globalists selling not only their AI/technocratic products but the political and social agendas that accompany said products. It's all by design. Excellent interview and guest Trish! You are providing an immensely important service with this channel.

[@rips1231]

Correct look at the intrusion of SEL. Ben Williamson an SEL "expert" wrote in the educational psychologist journal 2019. "Social emotional learning needs to be understood as part of a political economy in which the measurement of humans psychological attributes is seen as integral to economic forecasting and the political management of populations." It's brainwashing.

[@TheSutanian]

“Once the becomes a client” is a great analogy to apply to politics online. Nothing but proxy wars and dark theaters thrown into your face.

[@rstroh5391]

I was told my students were my clients...a few days before I was pressured to resign...without being pressured to resign...all this after jumping in in good faith with no prior experience because in my state, you can teach if you are in a certificate program (which I am). Wow, bad first experience! Worked for a national charter school network and worked my tail off for 5 weeks to be let go...because my "relationship" with the students was not good (as evidenced by them talking for almost the entire class period with no respect).

[@rstroh5391]

Brand new teacher, no prior experience (none), not certified yet - for those who are watching who actually want to support others.

[@Silence-and-Violence]

@rstroh5391 i tried to give you some more helpful feedback but YT likes to censor me. Try to avoid national charter school chains, they seek desperate young teachers like you. Try to get a normal teaching job in a local school district. If you can't get work locally, then either start subbing so you can network locally and hopefully impress a principal or TOSA or something for the next round of job hiring. Otherwise you need to be willing to move to a state that is more desperate for teachers. There are a ton, and you should be mindful about where you go. Hawaii and Alaska are always hiring, but that's for a reason. If you're willing to deal with racism then you can work in Hawaii. If you're okay with plane rides and the cold and you're discipline with your money then you could use Alaska teaching jobs to set yourself up for an early retirement, they have tons of incentives because they're desperate. Where are you located?

[@AcieWHA]

As a parent I feel so bad for teachers. My 4th grader wishes she could learn science and history.. Her teacher flat out told me that it’s not a priority because of state testing that focus’s on reading and math. So there’s maybe 30 minutes spent on science and history. But no science projects, no hands on experiments.. No digging deep into what caused different things that happened in society as it relates to history.. Which my 9 yr old is curious to know. Schools are run more like an institution and not a good one. Where the schools worth is solely based on scores. I would really like my daughter to actually learn something about the world around her.

[@fremontpathfinder8463]

This would be a good time for parents to organize and pressure the school and district.

[@AcieWHA]

@@fremontpathfinder8463 We have.. And the school got a multi million dollar grant and do u wanna know what they spent it on? A new football field. We actually ended up moving not so long ago.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

If your budget allows, tutoring is always an option! During my 11-year tutoring career, parents often told me that their children learned a whole lot more and succeeded far better under my tutelage than in the classroom! That 1:1 instruction can make all the difference in the world for those few students who actually do want to learn and work hard but are constantly wrongfully cast aside in schools for the reasons that you mentioned.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@AcieWHAThe fact that most schools prioritize sports and athletics (minus P.E.) over academics is another major reason for the downward spiral of learning and intellect in America at large.

[@erinchilds]

Is your new school better?

[@MumbikGrimbelt]

I was a teacher who pushed back against a lot of nonsence in my building and I was then targeted by admin as being a “problem”. I left a year later.

[@angelaworrel4464]

Same

[@ssdfgardiner1233]

That's me right now. They're really annoyed that I know what's in our contract vs. policies and procedures vs. what somebody just said they thought the answer was in a meeting.

[@therichness8768]

Admin are the lemmings that only perform the duties they are told to do. They aren't educators and for them, their blind devotion to the degradation of school is almost sociopathic.

[@garyb2392]

We have a toddler and because my wife is a teacher…we’ve decided we’re not putting her through public school. This push is coming from my wife, a teacher ! TY for your insights !

[@rosiecotton7437]

My daughter and I are both teachers... and we agree that my grandchildren will NOT be in public school! No. Way!

[@Degrassigirl2530]

Same! I am teacher and will NOT put my children in public school

[@Janet-cq8tw]

It happens a lot.

[@sheneedsme]

@@rosiecotton7437it all depends on the district

[@Twebb349]

I am so glad that so many are choosing to homeschool now. Woke ideology has destroyed the school system and the minds of children.

[@blade_warrior_blue]

Hey. Been watching your channel for a year and some change. You seem like a wonderful teacher. I had some great teachers like you when I was a kid in the 90's. It's shocking to see how much things have declined since then. This type of behaviour was unheard of when I was a kid. Yeh we misbehaved, got in fights sometimes but we were disciplined harshly when we did. So even the most disruptive kids knew if they mouth off to a teacher there would be consequences. It seems like some very complex issues going on, one of them being they don't allow you to discipline unruly kids. Anyways, great content! The world needs to know what our teachers are going through. You're literally the ones with the future of the next generation in your hands. Parents need to wake up and do better. Teachers don't deserve this. Much love!

[@Janet-cq8tw]

Excellent insights. I started earlier than Mike (1985) and taught at the same high school for 34 years and retired just before the pandemic, which I'm thankful for. I was done. I too have watched all of the changes you talked about. During my last year things were so stressful, my administrators so awful I think I only went into the main office twice. I had so little patience for the capricious, dismissive and tone deaf behaviors of administrators, the constant enabling of students beginning in elementary school by identifying so many kids as having special needs (that was a huge issue in my school) and the absurd expectations that I should also counsel my 120 students about their emotional well being. Mike covered a lot, but I also noticed before I left that boys had pretty much tuned out. I really loved the teaching and learning part. The year I left my parent's night was pretty much filled with former students who were now parents of my students-I don't think people will hand around as long as I did.

[@jimbike8064]

Excellent point on students becoming clients. Also, on not holding students accountable, but teachers are held accountable.

[@MichelleGayscienceteacher]

I agree with about the early years on picking your PD. I started teaching in 1991 and loved going to math and science PD's. In time the PD's changed from curriculum to classroom management, PBIS, PLC, and many other topics I was not interested in taking. I enjoyed this interview.

[@tawnymillard6249]

Can you ask Mike if he mentors or can think about Mentoring teachers. He has such a wealth of knowledge.

[@felicity2626]

Smart boards 😩 my classroom had a broken one but no white board. It was 6 months until they agreed to take it down and put up a standard white board. And I was criticised for not modelling enough… model on what? I used so much A3 paper and blue tack I was asked to pay for my own paper. The U.K. has gone the same way. Breaks my heart. Left 2 years ago after 20 years.

[@spicywater123]

I hate the smart board. Also, schools should not have to cater to the families that want hybrid learning.

[@Imissyoulou]

@@spicywater123 I never saw what was wrong with the old standard blackboard.

[@rhiannon7163]

I just saw the school next door to me loading up all the smart boards that were so necessary less than 10 years ago. Just think every current doctor and computer scientist learned their lessons on a whiteboard or a chalkboard.

[@melliott3681]

When I taught high school I taught an elective area so deemed unworthy of a smart board. For that matter, I never had a white board or projector/screen either. When faced with burnout I transitioned to higher ed. The first university I taught at it was chalk and chalkboards.....lol. But I did have a projector and screen.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

My former colleagues and I were first introduced to the Smartboard back in 2009 by our tech. geek of a principal who loved technology more than people and actual academic learning and instruction. He loved tinkering with this then-new teaching tool and believed that our students would be “better off” because such a Smartboard would assumedly make our teaching “easier”. Needless to say, none of those predictions came to fruition. Due to thin budgets, some classrooms had Smartboards while others didn’t. Just to write something down and then erase it electronically on the Smartboard took all of the stupidest technological commands imaginable, whereas writing it down by hand and then erasing it on the original white marker board was a simple one-two punch that saved all the time in the world and was no less effective than the almighty technological teaching device! Scholastic technology is some of the most overrated equipment on the face of the Earth!

[@MW-eg4gu]

I have been a teacher for 32 years in the public system. I'm a guy, so I was a minority, and I saw all this crap first years I taught. Back in the late 1970s. All the crap I had to take from students, their parents, and administrators. But I must say, with the Good Lord's help, the things I could write about how I slipped, ran around, and escaped it all! And, if I may say so, I kept quality going in my teaching. Retired now and, gee, I got to give it to myself, thanks be to God! I survived!

[@hellodolly9879]

A colleague and I will be leading a school trip to Spain and France. We asked the principal if we could take ONE day to do a PD training for this trip and she denied us and said we would have to use a personal day because it’s not a District PD. Their required PDs are BS and totally irrelevant to my teaching practice. Retiring in 2 years. Will be the happiest day of my professional life! This is a great channel. Keep telling it like it is and thanks for giving us a place to vent.

[@welcometothirty]

As a parent and a swim teacher I found so many good nuggets in here. Experience goes such a long way, I have only been teaching swim (which I recognize is vastly different from a school teacher) for about 5 years but I already feel like I am a much better teacher than when I started. I can recognize what will work for some kids but won’t for others. I have the honor of teaching younger siblings down the line and feel bad for their older siblings who got the inexperienced me. Thank you for sharing this interview!

[@choicelyon2131]

Phenomenal interview. So much wisdom. All these bs news stories about "Why are teachers quitting in droves?" - just listen to this interview, he spells it out perfectly and with broad experience to back it up. Thanks for the platform, Trish; loved listening to Mike's perspectives

[@fpanadero2626]

Besides a few rare exceptions, most Instructional strategies were idiotic and an insult to our intelligence!

[@panban2012]

Yes especially the we can’t be ‘sage on the stage’, just ‘guide on the side’. How do they expect students to get any instruction if we just let them be in groups and figure it out on their own. 🙄 Also, we have to cover vast amount of curriculum in short time so they can pass their district and state exams. We are judged and evaluated based on our scores. They keep saying that the district is data-driven yet they throw all kinds of obstacles in our way to teach the content. The whole system led by asinine micromanaging admin through cold corporate tactics is garbage. I have stopped paying attention to their mixed messages and gas lighting.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Just another excuse to bully teachers and set us up to fail for the sake of those in power getting a good laugh at others’ expense!

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@fpanadero2626 What I hate the most is when schools (who are basically parroting what these corporations are telling them to do) say, “Let the students take charge of their own education.” So in other words: students should be allowed to self-educate, learn entirely on their own terms, choose whether or not they want to do the required schoolwork, let alone whether or not they even want to show up at school, all the while undermining and outwardly disrespecting their teachers who are now expected to just sit on the sidelines and watch! Teachers are becoming more and more disrespected by the day! The world is blaming teachers and nobody/nothing else for the fact that the average child out there cannot read or write or understand the most basic math. Teachers are also becoming gaslit publicly because of everything that public schools are doing wrong which teachers have zero say in or control over. When covering news stories related to education, the media always interviews parents, district heads, and students, but never teachers. Teachers’ true trials and tribulations are believed to be the result of low salaries and nothing else in the eyes of the oblivious society we live in. What a crock!

[@camilarc6363]

One of the best interviews I've watched! I felt heard and understood, which is a blessing and a disaster, because I truly wish things were different in education... and I'm from Brazil, and our reality is quite similar. Thank you for this channel. It has already helped me so much through this road of letting go of education for my mental health. I know I'll eventually be able to truly let go of it! 🙏

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Hear hear Mike!! Everything you mentioned, I experienced in my two-decade teaching career. The expectations of teachers today is the most preposterous, one-sided list of job requirements that is really just a series of bullying tactics directed at the most well-educated people in the school: the teachers. Holding teachers accountable for their students 24/7 whether the student is on or off campus is not only unrealistic, it’s a crystal clear sign that the average parent, member of society, and government official really couldn’t care less about the well being of children as people. EVERYTHING that pertains the tiniest little bit to children falls in the laps of teachers because “nobody else can do it.” When in reality, the average adult out there wants to distance themselves from child-related responsibilities and understanding children as people. So to expect teachers to be the sole factor with practically ZERO help and support from other parties in a child’s future success and present happiness is beyond loony. Crazy people are everywhere. And it’s all because they never took their education seriously from the offset.

[@jeromewysocki8809]

Hi Trish, You are doing a great service to the teaching community with this KZbin channel. Mike is spot on with everything he says here. It is unfortunate that he, and many others I have known over the years, have retired so early. His knowledge, experience, insights, and compassion for his profession are so sorely needed, yet school districts don't want his type of teaching methodologies. This is true for far too many teachers, who are forced out of the system. Society loses big time when this happens. I don't know how I managed to stay in the system until age 75. Keep up the great work you are doing, Trish. It IS appreciated, greatly.

[@taurusrush420]

Another Mike here in No. Cal. Been a teacher all my life from a family of engineers and teachers. Started in 1994 as well. Mike!!! You NAILED it! My goodness...you have to filter out all the noise and keep it in the classroom. The toxicity of administration and to some extent...parents...you have to take that out and get down to earth with the students and TEACH them. And...allow them to teach you a thing or two, respectfully, along the way. That philosophy has worked very well for me.

[@tawnymillard6249]

This is sich an amazing interview. Thanks Trish for setting this up. Ima 20 year teacher in NYC PS and I am connecting so much to what Mike is saying. Interviews like these sgould be shared at Principal PDs and at the District level.

[@Imissyoulou]

They are not going to do that because it makes sense. Retired Educator from Chicago speaking here.

[@panban2012]

Yes, they won’t do that because it makes sense. The so-called experts are greedy and they want to keep making money by selling BS strategies. The powers-to-be would rather see the education of students burned to the ground before they admit they are wrong.

[@tinblessing8]

Pls have Mike back. Best teacher you've interviewed yet! Insightful, wise, determined, experienced. Philosophical too.

[@melliott3681]

"I don't believe that teachers are abandoning the profession. I believe the profession is abandoning them." So true, and is why the book I wrote was titled "Orphaned: The Abandonment of the American Public School Teacher." Too bad I could not get it published. I experienced so many similar situations as Mike while teaching high school, and am sad to say I'm experiencing so much of the same now at the college level.

[@TeacherTherapy]

I'd be happy to interview you! 💙💙💙

[@annikki73]

I saw the title, was about to flip to Google to find the book ... then saw the bit about publishers not touching it. :( So please take Trish up on her offer of an interview so your voice is heard!

[@melliott3681]

@@TeacherTherapy I have to pass for now. But thank you for the offer. Once I"m closer to retirement I'll feel safer to really tell my story. The good, the bad, the downright unbelievable.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@melliott3681I am a former educator and published author of three nonfiction books. Have you ever looked into self-publishing? It has worked for many writers out there, myself included.

[@pysq8]

​@@melliott3681 When you are ready, you can self-publish and release it online. ❤

[@juliacourtney4667]

Mike, you are equal parts insightful and hilarious! This was a fabulous and provoking conversation. THANK YOU Mike and Trish ❤

[@Chip-iz5ht]

Retired at 57 after 30 years teaching at the same high school. My pension is not great, but will suffice. The stress and anxiety over the past 3-5 years became unbearable. The future is unclear, and I have been thinking a great deal about what I might have done differently to maintain. I miss so much about teaching even though I left. I am hoping to find a passion that is fulfilling moving forward. I didn't expect to be in this state at the end of my career.

[@nefariouspersephone9447]

find some homeschool groups or homeschool coops to help teach at! im sure parents would love that! or even start a youtube ch that teaches!

[@suzannem5674]

Offer your services to homeschooling parents. Tutor. Test prep for college.

[@Chip-iz5ht]

I've thought about the KZbin idea, but know know if I have the skills to do it. I'm not sure what it entails and have done only minimul research. I would like to try and would if I had someone to coach me through it. Thanks for your input.​@nefariouspersephone9447

[@reggieb3349]

Good luck boomer bro, god bless ya as ya fade away into the sunset.

[@cooker-q4x]

Look into tutoring, especially the homeschool community. People are always asking for tutoring during the day bc evenings are def family time with most homeschoolers I know and it’s harder to get out to commitments.

[@johnnyboyvan]

What a great guest. I love his honesty about the constant transformations in education. We need more teachers like him. I refused to do Lit circles 🔵 especially because the kids told me ohhh again... They loved when I lectured. An engaging teacher was always desirable.

[@roundtwo3321]

I agree with your viewpoints. The overburdening of teachers with non-teaching duties has become an unbearable epidemic. People are using emails as if they are talking to you face to face. However, what they are really doing is throwing a wad of paper out the window, and then hoping that you pick it up. Emails are meant to be answered when you have the time, if any. No one expects you to answer an email at 2 AM.

[@ghostknock7663]

9th year in. I started with a lot of teachers like this and they influenced some of us to carry that torch. Every year though I watch the best teachers leave

[@shaylasmith3935]

This guy has so many great points! I am a tutor now (xteacher), and I tutor without a computer or device of any sorts! My students are often surprised by their own creativity and thoughts without relying on a phone or device!

[@Proudmary7]

Great interview! He hit on major points. Your channel is truly teacher therapy because I'm out of the profession and still have PTSD from it. Your channel is very helpful.

[@melliott3681]

Had to make another comment. I love how he talked about his obligation is to be loyal to his discipline, to not be treated like a personal secretary, and to push back against being treated poorly. I totally agree with him, yet it's not as black and white as it seems. The system and experience has taught me not to push back. Just as recently as 3 years ago, I pushed back to what a student was asking of me, declined the extra work, and in this situation was justified in declining with a policy stating "it was at the discretion of the faculty". Yet, even with policy, I was disciplined and threatened with termination by my supervisor. When taking this to the VP of Academic Affairs (this happened at the college level), he stated it was "understood that I do what the student ask of me." When I asked under what policy did this come under, he stated "there is no policy per se, but it is understood." This was followed by another statement where he subtly told me to change my mind or face consequences. I resigned and moved to my present job. I too wish more would push back, but it's not always that easy.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

I bet that VP of Academic Affairs was a pushover parent who let their kids rule the roost at home.

[@melliott3681]

@@munimathbypeterfelton6251 The president of this college couldn't stand the faculty. I once heard her say, "All the faculty do is whine and complain," If she could have found a way to give students their degrees without having faculty teach classes, she would have done it in a heart beat. But then she also was an administrator who had never been in the classroom. He was her puppet. He did what he could to gain experience, and now he has moved on and is president of another college. At the higher ed level administration want just enough experience to pad their resumes and move on to the next salary bump. It's a constant revolving door.

[@susanjones7734]

This is what is happening at the colleges. Sadly, I have pulled my kids out of school and I have no intention of sending my kids to college now.

[@jtzoltan]

@@susanjones7734 good for you (probably). If you don't mind me asking, at what age was the oldest who got pulled out of school yo homeschool and how did they take the decision?

[@woodym2]

Thanks!

[@TeacherTherapy]

Thank YOU!!! 💙💙💙💙💙

[@woodym2]

​@@TeacherTherapyI tried teaching as a second career, so while taking occasional night classes to license, I got high school math with five preps and no support from the old or remaining math teacher, and a barrage of administrators who were getting credit for helping me while doing absolutely nothing. After 3 months teaching math in the home economics room to the smell of the previous class's cookery, I was found to be inadequate. My parents were teachers, and I kind of took it hard. Your therapy has been helping me for years

[@TeacherTherapy]

Thanks for sharing your story, and I'm sorry to hear that teaching didn't work out, but I'm so grateful that my videos have been helpful!!! 💙🙏🏾🤗

[@thechangingtimes]

Thank you so much for this talk… 25 year veteran here… trying to figure out a way to retire early…. For every single reason stated clearly and precisely.

[@halinailkiewicz6146]

Same here...greetings from Ontario 😂

[@kp4636]

Me too! I’m in year 21, and I have no clue how I’m going to make it! I used to be SO HAPPY and I thought my job was the GREATEST in the world! Now I am sad/angry to go to bed and wake up knowing I have to go to my job. I’ve been in the same school since I started my career. It’s seriously awful to look back and know how wonderful it was. 😢

[@grahambell8760]

Hey Trish, good job. You let him run, edited down, and inserted yourself to clarify or bring a different topic. Good interview.

[@Sherilovesfreedom]

Wow! What a great conversation. Super interesting to hear the perspective of a long term teacher and the academic evolution he's lived through.

[@dtrev3743]

This might be the best interview regarding the state of modern education I've ever heard. It really hits all the points. Thank you!

[@hrafnkolbrandr]

Regarding devices- If you line the inside of a portable with aluminum foil, then cover it with butcher paper- you can decorate the butcher paper and put up flair for the students- while also creating a 'faraday classroom' that blocks the signal for their phones. You have to line the insides of the ceiling panels too, but its worth it to see their faces in the first week when they try to sneak their phones.

[@txspacemom765]

Well, one, I love this STEM lesson. 2. This right here- teachers are fighting for their classrooms.

[@KimFinkbeiner]

🤣

[@fredred5037]

Now this is called “EDU-tainment”

[@SpaceMonkey23101]

This right here... Incredible evil genius. I love it!

[@TheCarnivoreSoprano]

This is radical non compliance at its finest.

[@lgw3721]

This man’s voice needs to be amplified. He has something astonishing in today’s schools: common sense.

[@qchelle2008]

Another great interview, Trish! I'm a parent with a child in a charter school and these interviews always make me want to stay as involved as possible (with my child's education/ their school).

[@juliaM900]

I homeschool my kids watching this has motivated me to use computer games less. I noticed a huge difference in the early years I may have leaned on learning online games too much. This year we have used pencils to paper way more than previous years. Have done much more writing notice improvement. Love the curriculum we are using is literature based love the creative writing in it. Watching this interview has encouraged me to give them time to think write push through.

[@anthropologybear2941]

OUTSTANDING guest! Amazing, well-supported points, excellent thought-provoking listen in every single way.

[@Cleanbean]

Trish, what a FANTASTIC guest speaker!!!! Listening to his discussion was elevating! He’s my favourite by far!!!

[@MumbikGrimbelt]

I’ve been waiting for an interview like this. As a student of the 90’s I’ve recently started wondering what it was like for my teachers and what they think of how education has changed. Great interview.

[@LotionNinja]

Mike should be commended. He is a very articulate and eloquent speaker. He has a wonderful knack to put into clear and concise words his experiences, that I have had myself but find difficult to express..

[@whitneyrhiannontill1618]

Thanks for having Mike on, Trish! His ability to articulate so much about the changes he’s witnessed throughout his career helped me to understand some of what I encountered as a parent.

[@janeathome6643]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!!!! I used to love my job. All of these factors have created a perfect storm for the dismantling of the education system and the dismantling of a free democratic society. We are all drones now in the army of late-stage capitalism. Five more years until retirement. I always thought that I wouldn't want to leave and it breaks my heart that it has come to this. I feel like I've been completely hogtied.

[@chiukid]

It's Crony Capitalism. The USA stopped being a Capitalist country ages ago.

[@deniseb7thdayboys]

He is a remarkable speaker! I would absolutely take any class offered by this eloquent orator!

[@37mugwump]

When they started spouting, "you teach skills, not content" I knew THAT was the end of any sort of joy in my content (ELA) so I switched to Reading Intervention. It was amazing. Super fulfilling. . . . until. . . . last year when my district decided using a computer program was better than an actual teacher. Now. . . I monitor kids on their chromebooks.

[@proudatheist2042]

Former reading remediation and special education teacher here. That is omnimois to hear. Teachers can teach content and skills.

[@jn4049]

I agreed with nearly everything spoken about in this interview. Wow! Your guest was so well spoken, and I can see the wisdom and passion for his craft. I could have listened to several more hours to really learn from his experience. Thank you to both of you for a great interview!

[@1tsar]

As far back s 2018/2019, I was teaching ELA and we still had computer labs (5 of them in my school). (1) computer cart was shared between (2) ELA classes. THAT WAS IT!! Half of the time, they didn't work, so the kids did everything by hand until we had time for the computer labs. The kids did not have personal laptops and were held to a higher standard. Fast forward to the COVID years and every student now has a laptop, the computer labs are gone, and the issues, behaviors, and attention spans have grown worse with each year. We were doing just fine before the whole laptop for every child situation. I teach World History right now for 5 years straight after leaving ELA and can tell you, I do NOT allow technology in my classroom. The kids write by hand, do old school vocab. index cards, analyze physical maps, lecture, note taking, etc. I grade 90% by hand, hold their spelling and grammar accountable, etc. The kids do very well in my class. But the amount of pressure the school district attempts to push more tech on the teacher and kids is despicable and many times I feel like a lone wolf in a sea of sheep.

[@rosiecotton7437]

Yes! Login to this program, login to that program... do this platform for grading, do this platform for assessments, do this for behavior management.... a spreadsheet for this, a spreadsheet for that...Documents, slides, drives, folders, etc.... It consumes ALL of my time!

[@cooker-q4x]

A few years back our church school was begging for chromebooks or iPads for all the students. Our board would not pass it. My husband and I kept saying, “this is not how kids learn best. It’s not how they retain info.” And we were told how wrong we were. But this is a Hill we will die on. We’re homeschoolers and we use very little technology in our everyday routine. Now, hear me out, my husband is an electrical engineer and has programmed big machines for manufacturing industries for the last 10yrs or so. So technology affords is the lifestyle we want to live, but ticktock, Pinterest, and Fortnite don’t make students proficient in technology. So our older boys do work on building and fixing computers and learning programming skills. Our 17yo is a business owner and is constantly learning how to market his products and trying to figure out new pay systems and inventory schedules.

[@MF-ty2zn1]

Computers are used in careers, so that's why computers are being pushed from one side. The other side is sales and corporations raking in money. Computers in computer specific classes would be better unless the tech is being used as a supplement to view something such as the White House or what a dodo looked like.

[@madamenordica]

Listen....there was one 6th grade student I doubted the actual existence of when I started teaching. They were always either absent, in school suspension, at the principals office.....but seldom in class.....and I only had them once a week....the first class I had her, we were doing a speed test for note identification. Her first 5 answers were "i. d. g. a .f. " I kept that paper.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

I too had students leave a ?, “I don’t know”, or “I don’t care” as their answer to test questions. Even when the questions were open-ended! You know it’s hopeless when students and their parents give you the finger without even trying to give the tiniest effort to understand anything.

[@rollercoasterronda9037]

I've been a 7th-8th grade math teacher for 11 years in the Atlanta, GA metro area. It's so refreshing to hear this conversation about the realities of our profession. Thank you!🌻

[@bweewiggy5829]

I've taught for 24-25 years. The horrible behavior of American students is the number one problem. Second, are administrations who hold teachers to blame.

[@christine9467]

Yup, so true.

[@poogissploogis]

It's true, and I'm so tired of people trying to gaslight us into thinking that we have some sort of nostalgia bias in that "kids have always been bad". No they haven't. They used to respect the authority of teachers and staff, now they laugh at how powerless we are to defend ourselves from them.

[@jimmyjackson2361]

Are you saying teachers aren’t part of the problem?

[@MarcelleBryant-c3u]

Teachers aren't part of the problem.

[@jimmyjackson2361]

@@MarcelleBryant-c3u Not all, but far too many are.

[@TheHansoost]

This gentleman is right. I started in 1973 and retired in 2006. Grades 8 to 12, English and history/ social studies. Things were pretty stable and manageable at first, but really began going downhill in the late 80's. This was largely driven by academics who had no real classroom experience but needed to make a name for themselves by coming up with some novelty. Publishers saw this as a way to make money, never mind whether it provided value.

[@madamenordica]

You know, I think that is part of what sent me so deeply into burnout after that job - in MY head, I was looking for a school I could teach the rest of my life in (as an older non-traditional college graduate), but the mentality there was what you were talking about - teach a year & leave. So when I wasn't renewed it REALLY cut. I was giving all I had to give for this circus school and getting nothing back other than a paycheck, and even that wasn't great....

[@just4music687]

Thank you for this! Mike is a beautiful soul. As a former educator, this has been a healing experience.

[@ellenbrown579]

As a parent I really appreciate his insights. I have a better idea of how to support my daughter’s teachers and what to look for in a school. Looking forward to watching the Gaslight movie as well

[@PattiHarvey-j4w]

Thank you for this interview. Mike speaks so much truth! His words mirror my own past as an educator.

[@woodym2]

I'm only 26 minutes in, Trish, and this guest is absolutely amazing. ..... I'm looking forward to the rest right now...

[@woodym2]

2:34 Yes I remember, it was 8th graders at a certain school that first made me realize that this was not the career for me 😊

[@carolemedley1807]

Oh, my gosh! Let us immediately appoint Mike as Secretary of Education. Perhaps he might not want to serve under the upcoming administration, though. Maybe a new office: Grand Poobah of Education? Chancellor of Education? I am a 71 year old former student, mother of three grown sons, veteran Paraprofessional in several disciplines (mainly behavioral ). Every word out of his mouth is valid, brilliant, and well-presented. Standing ovation!! And Trish, thank you for allowing him to speak uninterrupted. I love your channel.

[@txspacemom765]

Ms. Trish and Mr. Mike- I want to sit with y'all and pick your brains! I think this was your best yet!

[@TeacherTherapy]

Thank you! ❤❤❤❤

[@georgia_swann]

Mike was obviously an incredible teacher! Thanks so much for this interview.

[@chelseatru8]

Wow brilliant conversation Mike. You put to words in an eloquent, organized way how and why this has progressed since the 90s. This corresponds so clearly with the collapse of our society as a whole. I could describe much of the same reasons why healthcare is failing in our nation as well. Let’s check the boxes for the “quality metrics,” but the patients aren’t getting healthier. We need to burns the tech, not the books!

[@marcofalzone6469]

Great content Mrs. Lady❤ this information needs to be in the mainstream

[@TeacherTherapy]

Thank you! 🤗

[@marcofalzone6469]

@TeacherTherapy you're welcome. Yr really brave to have these detailed testimonials from Real teachers who were "boots on the ground" I graduated HS in 1990 and could already see huge disparity between who gets quality attention and whom doesn't. Sad. Anyways, ty. Keep on testifying. 🇺🇸😁

[@teacherhelp1374]

This teacher is very insightful. What an interview. Thank you for this.

[@ltldxy71]

Amazing interview. I’m glad this teacher was able to have a full career. This country needs great teachers.

[@RaefonB]

Mike mentions Jonathan Haidt - he'd be an amazing guest for your channel, Trish! Even though not a teacher himself, lol. There's a chance he'd say yes because he has passion about, and evidence for, keeping smartphones out of schools to help kids' concentration levels, etc. and an audience of actual teachers/educators/people with a genuine interest in improving education would be perfect for him to speak to...

[@joewestwood7505]

I had the same thought.

[@proudatheist2042]

Dr. Haidt has been a professir for years. So, he is a teacher of university students. He is a parent, too.

[@RaefonB]

@@proudatheist2042 Good point, he's a uni professor too. Trish has spoken to some college educators, I'd just mostly seen elementary and high school here. :)

[@Commock90]

Mike was a phenomenal guest! He has a wealth of experience. I would have loved to have a colleague like him to learn from!

[@davidbaysingar7151]

Mike is so articulate and spot on. What a wonderful guest!

[@odettehardy8730]

From 2008 to 2015, I worked as campus police at a private college. I will never forget how the students would look down on us because we were "just security." One day, I was walking through a dorm and saw a girl's door with a sign that had happy birthday missed spelled. Someones parents were paying about 60,000 to send them there 🤔

[@jillboyd6598]

So much here. Love it. Have to share the story of my high school experience as a student 40 plus years ago. The class was required US history in 11th grade. Teacher was the football coach. He wrote the lesson on the board every day and we were supposed to copy it. We had a periodic test on what was written on the board. (Maybe a couple of short paragraphs) That's it. That was the class. No assignments, no discussions, no lectures, no supplements. (1980)

[@FranColeman0]

This guy just cooks for 90 minutes! Great insights.

[@KarlaAkins1]

Excellent interview. And spot on. I am so glad to hear this important voice. Thank you! ❤

[@BKayNeal]

What an amazing interview! I could listen to you all on and on!

[@tiny.terrorist.negotiator]

The public schools are so far gone. Before I left to teach private, we lost the ability to teach creatively. We were told, "This is when and how you teach xyz," and it made matters worse. Moved to a private school, took a massive pay cut, went into a school that didn't have a formal curriculum for any subject besides math, and I have never been happier! I have creative freedom, I can teach how I feel is best.

[@light6230]

Mike said it: "We need to engage with one another.". I'm seeing kids who have been parented by an ipad. So much depends on human interaction from birth. Kids learn to have manners, respect, and empathy for other humans from human interaction. Too many kids have none of these.

[@kris78787]

They've literally gone feral. Especially at my school 😢