Why Are Teachers Quitting? Inside America's “Most Vulnerable Profession” | Amanpour and Company

[@polarpalmwv4427]

I taught for 23 years - leaving 3 years ago due to a complete mental breakdown. Let me tell you. The hell that teaching is WAS ALWAYS THIS WAY FOR MY ENTIRE 23 YEARS. This is nothing new. For every 4 days that students are in class, teachers need one FULL DAY of uninterrupted time for planning and grading. No meetings. No 'PD' (and the PD is 95% AWFUL AND IRRELEVANT). This is in ADDITION to a daily lunch OF AT LEAST 40 MINUTES DUTY-FREE and a daily planning period to do the necessary daily tasks. Classrooms need to be FULLY STOCKED with books, learning materials, and consumables (such as pencils, paper, tape, glue, crayons, markers, colored pencils, facial tissues, dry-erase markers, etc...). At present none of this is happening anywhere in America. There is nowhere near enough time during a planning period (and in many schools 1 planning period a week is lost to a required meeting) to prepare and organize materials that are immediately needed, grade student work, and plan quality lessons in the time provided. NO WHERE NEAR ENOUGH TIME. This is why most teachers work at least 2 extra hours each weekday as well as half or all of the weekend. And the reward for all of this? You can't even afford to buy a house in most areas.

[@jennybugsification13]

Thank you for not doing that generational thing. America honestly hasn't changed that much, and teachers know better than anyone. We need to listen more ❤️

[@DR-hy6is]

@@jennybugsification13 lol? Airpods alone say shut up.

[@DR-hy6is]

@@jennybugsification13 Technology has drastically changed education, childhood, and the process of growing up. Are there some parts of the job that remain the same? Sure. Smartphones alone signified a seismic shift in the classroom, and attempts to deny that ring about as true as a church bell dub step remix ringtone.

[@starr234]

Yes! You are so right! I’m in my 26th year of teaching and everything you said is true.

[@jillsalkin7389]

You NAILED it! Everyone is now seeing these news pieces all over the place, including the secretary of education and school districts. What is being done? They watch teachers struggle, suffer, get sick, and leave. And nothing is being done about it. Public education will bleed out and die. I don't know what the hell they're waiting for. Society's problems are deep and heavy. Parents are not parenting, so their kids are making classrooms hell. Kids know they can get away with murder. How do you change what education has become? I retired in January, 2020, right before Covid. It was never easy, but at that point, I had to get out. I sub, in schools I want to be in. There is hope in some schools, but the whole picture of public education is terrible.

[@orffrocks5667]

with all due respect…this just skims the surface of what (we) teachers are experiencing. Not to mention the challenging children and nonexistent parenting.

[@zuzanazuscinova5209]

Stay away from kids

[@sarahtiferet598]

@@zuzanazuscinova5209 LOL! Oh okay Troll By next year over 1 Million Teachers will have quit and no one wants to Teach because of people like you but oh wait you're just Trolling and don't really give a f-ck poor freak get a life

[@marianhunt8899]

Specialist schools have been closed down to save money. Extremely vulnerable young people with serious physical and mental disabilities are being integrated into mainstream classrooms who do not have the facilities or staff to cope with it.

[@omowhanre]

Thank you for teaching and all you do

[@qjtvaddict]

@@zuzanazuscinova5209 raise your kids better fool

[@unbreakable7633]

My father taught for decades and saw the changes in education. He left teaching in disgust, mostly because parents stopped supporting the schools and would complain about the grades their children earned and wouldn't discipline their children for acting up. But he also didn't like the changes to the curriculum that lowered the quality of the classes he taught.

[@sblumenstein6688]

All true. I literally wasted 40 minutes of my life talking to a parent (whose kid was not the genius she told him he was). So after 40 minutes I gave the kid a point on the test. 7th grade. BTW, it was a take home test. Full instructions and grading information.

[@rdelrosso2001]

@@sblumenstein6688 In 1970, when I was in a Sophomore HS History Class, taking a Test, a Classmate asked me "What is Collective Security?" It was an "OPEN BOOK TEST"!!!! He was too lazy to look up the answer in the History Book! I told him "If you read the Chapter, you'd know the answer!" Later, he fought me after School. I lost the fight, but he was a LOSER!

[@aynrandfan7454]

Schools need to stop teaching kids queer theory and crt. We parents have little sympathy to those who wish to indoctrinate our kids in gender ideology

[@marilyn8490]

I found this same situation myself as a teacher, but left. Low salary, long hours, constant recertification (much of which I had to pay for myself). Sadly, the parents that do support you are very nice, but the ones who don´t are very vocal, at times very litigious. Increasingly, teachers are also losing control of topics and methods they can use in class. Sad.

[@wendwllhickey6426]

They don't teach there kids at home ,expect teachers to give them manners, and all knowledge and when they get home parents don't show them anything.

[@dctrevett]

Teachers/professors are in an abusive relationship, and you don't stay in abusive relationships. The lack of respect for the teaching profession, and education in general, is sickening.

[@suelui6194]

That comparison is very apt, especially when Administrators are allowed to get away with harassing and abusive behavior towards teachers and support staff. You are punished for speaking out, and when you keep your mouth shut it tears at your spirit, bit by bit. And when you find yourself a target...watch out. It goes downhill very quickly (conferences, write-ups, poor evaluation, threats of being dismissed). Many of the reasons teachers develop mental health issues are related to tolerating a toxic work environment because they feel like they have no other choice. It's extremely sad and I am so glad that I chose to resign from my district in December. I loved my 23 years of teaching leading up to last August, but my teaching heart has been broken. I will never teach at any school again.

[@dctrevett]

@@suelui6194 My heart aches for you. We can't win, if we quit we're betraying the kids, but if we don't quit we're slowly killing ourselves, or at least our souls anyway. I think you're doing the right thing for yourself, especially since we can't do much about the fact that too much of the country doesn't want to support teachers/education.

[@maryelizabeth2751]

Before I quit my toxic high school teaching job, I told my therapist, “This job is eating my soul.” I’m glad they threatened a PIP, because that was the last straw. and I’m soooo much happier teaching at the college level.

[@marialipscomb6988]

You are so right! After the abuse I received by Parents because of COVID, and dealing with school administrative abuse, and school boards who could care less about the teachers, I left!! I couldn't be happier with my new 6 figured salary. And I get to work from home some days.

[@sharinaross1865]

Hmmmm. Equating job happiness with the teaching profession. Oh the questions unanswered?

[@dawnsturman4359]

I taught for thirty-six years and she is right on with her assessment of how demanding it is to be a good teacher. Talk is cheap, we need to find away to support teachers. I won awards, but that didn’t help with the day to day stress.

[@jac5348]

❤

[@richarddixon7855]

Right on, Dawn! 36 years here too.

[@allthingswavy6420]

💯

[@TheSuzberry]

Thank you for your service. Maybe if an award meant a raising pay instead of a piece of paper it would help.

[@kens2623]

My sister was a teacher as was her husband. She had a masters degree and was working on a PhD. They both were working in a restaurant and had a working farm in order to make ends meet. My parents gave them the land they lived on, but they financed the home they built there. It was very hard for them to make ends meet with just their paychecks as teachers. Somewhere in there she contracted a virus that destroyed her heart, she died as a result of that. During the school year she was continually sick, so teaching for her took a toll on her health. She was not the only teacher there who was exposed to viruses that threatened their lives. Now with these political pressures and guns-school shootings, I wouldn't ever want to be a teacher.

[@wendwllhickey6426]

Lived in Wisconsin 20 yrs my kids had a list of pencil paper and other assorted thing need to bring to class .and we're expected to have on first day if not they would send a letter to remind them .

[@jac5348]

😢I am so so sorry about your sister. Condolences to you and your family

[@LillianSteele-u9v]

She is in my prayers along with you. I am a retired educator and this was uncalled for. Also the child of a vet and both sets of grandparents were educators with one set starting a school in their home state of Georgia many years after Reconstruction in their church. This stuff has to stop. I get you.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

The educational system is built on unpaid teacher time.

[@allthingswavy6420]

Very true. Zero overtime pay.

[@kidsnetsoft]

So true. I would always joke that if I got paid by the hour, I would be rich. :)

[@07Flash11MRC]

Capitalism in general is build upon unpaid labor by working class people.

[@vladimirofsvalbard9477]

Same way the healthcare system is built on medical staff empathy. They use your emotions for patients to get more unpaid labor.

[@Superpig500]

​@ChrisClementi you get summer off 😂

[@aggedyran]

After just one semester in a high school, I will never, ever, return to teaching in K-12. Everything she said is true...and more. My heart breaks for teachers.

[@M.E.McCamishJR]

LOL WoW.........

[@greventlov]

Sorry you can only cut it only with elementary or Kinder students. Yeap, higher levels are for the strong of heart.

[@aggedyran]

@@greventlov NO....I left K-12 entirely. I teach in higher ed now, that way I'm never a babysitter and students can leave if they don't want to be there.

[@calicojack3628]

As a former teacher that left 4 years ago, I can could write a lengthy essay on what's wrong with admin, students and the system, but the #1 problem is THE PARENTS! I don't know when it happened but the teacher/parerent relationship went from a collaborative/supportive relationship to an advaserial teacher vs "my baby angel doesn't do anything wrong ever you're a horrible teacher". Parents want to know what's wrong with public schools look in the mirror.

[@cmauthor]

@FlyingMonkies325 Except when students file false accusations against teachers for molesting them, threatening to kill them, assaulting them, and cussing them out... and that's just within the span of 3-4 months Your comment also implies that teachers don't know about these resources. We do know about them. In fact, Khan Academy is the bread and butter of the math department at the school where I taught. You also have to realize, though, that it takes time to look up these resources, learn how to use them, and then plan how you're going to apply those resources in class.

[@cmauthor]

@FlyingMonkies325 ♭ Hi, it's you. You're the problem, it's you ♭

[@garblegarble8065]

@FlyingMonkies325 HOLY RUN ON SENTENCE, BATMAN!!! I see you never listened to your teacher.

[@officialmelpeachey]

stop blaming the parents and kids it's the teachers

[@cmauthor]

Okay, I'll bite. What's your evidence that the teachers are the problem? @@officialmelpeachey

[@marialipscomb6988]

I left teaching in '21, and I have 4 credentials, and a master's degree. After what I experienced during the pandemic, I realized we weren't really valued for what we do. Parents were ugly to us, demanding we open our classrooms so they could send their kids to school. They had no care about teachers being exposed to the virus, teachers have families too, and many have elderly parents. They didn't care, they wanted their babysitters back. It was bad enough the amount of our money and the time that we spent on the children. I just had it, I miss the children but I don't miss their ungrateful parents.

[@bettiraige3474]

Thank YOU for your service.

[@craftsandstuff3349]

No, we wanted their education back.

[@marialipscomb6988]

@@craftsandstuff3349 No you wanted babysitters, you didn't give a rat's ass about the teachers being exposed and getting ill, or as some did die.

[@marialipscomb6988]

@@craftsandstuff3349 and another thing since you can't CRITICALLY THINK, what would have happened if all the teachers got sick and couldn't teach...what the hell would you have done then??

[@craftsandstuff3349]

Nah, our children could not learn as well in full virtual mode. As seconded by friends and friends of friends. I didn't have to babysit my child. They were a teen.

[@davido9659]

Where I live in Canada the average teaching salary is $81,000, and health benefits, and a good pension. Teachers deserve a good salary because their job is important; they shape minds and lives. America is in serious decline.

[@Donley76]

My main reasons: 1. Student behavior - there is no accountability. 2. Unreasonable work load. No amount of money could make me go back.

[@mathmadeeasiest4178]

What are you doing now?

[@lindylee1139]

Retired early due to demoralization because of impossible workload and lack of administrative support not to mention difficult parents and kids with severe behavior problems. It’s sad when a job you once loved ends up feeling like it’s killing you.

[@omowhanre]

That’s so sad. Thank you for your service for teaching our kids

[@pamelafeeney8086]

This is true at so many levels of education and in all of the jobs throughout educational establishments, not just teaching.

[@theFORCEismyallie]

I believe that teachers are just as important as doctor, nurses and other essential workers in our society. They should be adequately compensated for their work. They shouldn't have to beg for school supplies and support.

[@rockon8174]

No. No they aren't. This groomer needs to go!

[@FredEdeXIII]

​@@rockon8174 You are literally the problem

[@marc-vy1ts]

@@rockon8174

[@goodwork887]

People in all those professions are quitting in droves too. The problem is late stage crony capitalism. Not capitalism itself, since the alternatives are worse. But the corruption and exploitation of any economic system by greed and selfishness. They don't care about you. If you want power, you're going to have to make it cost them more to ignore you than to fix your issues. It's all a $ based cost-benefits analysis to the ones controlling how this system works in all our lives.

[@suedavis3525]

​@@rockon8174 well congrats due to people like you talking rubbish, being unfairly targeted and threatened by truly appalling people like DeSantis, and low pay, the US will soon have no teachers left to teach it's kids.

[@acerrubrum5749]

Not just burnout, try abusive employers, admin, parents, children.

[@linguaphile42]

But burnout, too. I had 42 reasons for retiring early, the first few having to do with admin decisions that made my job tougher over and over again and were unnecessary, but also including the possibility of being shot, never having enough time to actually do a good job, crazy lawmakers accusing teachers of all kinds of ulterior motives, and society's low opinion of the profession. It just kept being awful with no end in sight. Mental and physical health were declining, and I was able to leave, so I did.

[@thelmabyers2678]

Teachers are in a sandwich, they have parents who uphold the bad behavior of their kids and lack of support and finance. Parents used to buy school suppies before school started, to last the semester. when did we start expecting teachers to provide them,. We paid taxes back then just like now.

[@ronswansonsdog2833]

@@thelmabyers2678 I don’t think a lot of people know that we spend our own money on supplies. Also, districts spend much more money on things that don’t directly impact the classroom. Honestly, I think they make up job titles at the district level to justify spending tax money. How many “assistant superintendents” do you really need at 300k a pop? 🤷‍♀️

[@mathmadeeasiest4178]

Bingo!!!!

[@Ravenelvenlady]

Burn out too because of the WORK LOAD!

[@Raven5563]

Among one of the most important jobs existing; teaching our kids-and we treat teachers like crap. I come from a long line of teachers-- African American teachers, and I'm so glad that I decided NOT to follow in my mother's, grandmother's and great grandmother's footsteps.

[@marialipscomb6988]

I hear you Erica...and it makes me sad that the women in your family were educators, and because of the lack of respect for teachers you broke the chain, and I can't blame you. Good luck Erica, I am with you 100%, because after 15 years I left also.

[@jac5348]

❤

[@jac5348]

​@@marialipscomb6988❤

[@questcore636]

republicans treat teachers like crap, trump's education secretary single handedly got 365 schools closed down and defunded because they wouldn't teach creationism back in 2010 up to 2014, trump really picks the best people, he says so

[@darrenmarelli9328]

I advise everyone who tells me that they are considering teaching as a career to avoid this path. Do not become a teacher under any circumstance.

[@Sophiedorian0535]

‘We are leaving because we are tired of the adults’. True that is.

[@texasabbott]

Let’s be honest. Exhaustion is a combination of abuse from BOTH adults (parents and employer) and an ever growing number of the students. Students have responsibilities and must be held accountable too.

[@Sophiedorian0535]

@@texasabbott I taught kids under the age of 16. I can sometimes blame them for their behaviour, but I can’t hold them accountable for anything.

[@suehorn4182]

Why are teachers being burnt out? Too much responsibility and way too much lack of respect from the students, parents and school administrators and the general public and state legislature. Even bathroom breaks are a luxury. Twenty minute…duty free lunch? What a great break….you can hardly catch your breathe in twenty minutes. Limited classroom budgets barely exist. Parent expectations and lack of parental guidance for their children.

[@nicolahoelzl5005]

It starts with the workplace. The administration is their HR

[@iceescape]

Americans don't value education. And they certainly don't want to pay for our children's' education. This is a big problem within our society.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

I wish it was duty free. We’re not allowed to leave the campus and often times I need to work through lunch in order to keep up on my grading. Working through lunch is a necessity. Also students come and see me during lunch for help with assignments or to sit in the class because they don’t like to sit in the lunch room. I’m glad to give them a safe space, but going to the bathroom and eating are a luxury as a teacher.

[@terriaranich8524]

Every parent needs to be substitute teacher for at least a day

[@jankg746]

That would be great except for parents with a criminal record...which is another topic...

[@marialipscomb6988]

They wouldn't last till lunch time!

[@jen10272001]

Or just volunteer to do lunch duty. I go to help everyday and no other parents show up. I will have one every now and then but they never return.

[@tortiesrule7432]

I would like for every able adult in our country to work somehow in schools for at least a week. I would also like all administrators to teach at least once a month

[@allthingswavy6420]

Maybe it could be a requirement for parents to "spend a day." Like community service, ya know? It only takes a single day for a parent to see the full scope of what happens in a classroom. I had student-teachers who suddenly realized they were ill-equipped for the role they had chosen :-/.

[@mhausenfluck]

I've been a high school teacher for 26 years. Schools are definitely under-funded. It's getting harder and harder to find qualified people to fill vacant positions. Where I live, in the Seattle area, the price of housing is astronomical. Fortunately, my teacher's union (with help from the state) was able to negotiate much better wages. Beginning teachers earn over $50,000/year and veterans are making over six figures. This has helped to mitigate the loss of good people and to attract new ones, but it's not enough. I can't imagine how bad it must be in some of the states where teachers are paid starvation wages. There is no more important profession than teaching. Period.

[@ronjohnson3129]

Screwols are not underfunded. The money goes to administration, mouthpieces, and more recently DEI programs, not to the classroom. And BTW where I live the starting teachers also make $50k and the cost of living is a fraction Seattle, and teachers still cry they are unpaid.

[@sarahtiferet598]

@@ronjohnson3129 LOL! oh okay Genius how cute = If Teaching is such a well- paid and respected profession then why will 1 Million Teachers have quit by next year? With very few willing to go into Teaching You're just in here Trolling poor thing

[@sarahtiferet598]

@@ronjohnson3129 Rich neighborhoods have A LOT of $$ for schools, while poor neighborhoods are VERY under-funded . But again, you know that thanks for playing

[@ronjohnson3129]

@@sarahtiferet598 Umm, I do not live in a rich State. In fact my State is one of the poorest in the US. And starting teachers still make as much as the guy in Seattle that was patting the union and the State on the back.

[@ronjohnson3129]

@@sarahtiferet598 Umm, screwols are funded by the State. Not by the neighborhood, not by the City. If there is discrepancies in funding, that is on the politicians. The solution isn't spending more $$, it's voting people out. Instead these same legislators get reelected year after year, decade after decade.

[@Calcifurr]

I started teaching this year and only lasted 2 months. I was absolutely miserable. There were so many student behaviors, I did not have any admin support, I was staying up until 10pm everyday to prep for lessons. I really wanted to like teaching and was extremely passionate about helping the kids learn and succeed, but I could stand the toxic environment anymore.

[@ajm3821]

I make $20 an hr in a supermarket. So enjoyable. In 2020 I made $10.75 an hr as a sub. It’s a shame what happened to teachers. Unfortunately, homeschooling is the WTG now.

[@carolrosan4883]

so where did you look for other job? I just finished my studies for be a teacher in Spain but I think that I studied for nothing with that degree :(

[@areguapiri]

Glad you got out of the torture quickly .

[@sheilabrennan4481]

Well said. You have absolutely highlighted some of the biggest issues with outrageous student behavior and total lack of administrative support

[@stevehughes1280]

You should have tried another district. Some are better than others.

[@createone100]

Just an excellent interview. I am a retired Canadian teacher, and, while our pay is better - I was making $70,000 in 2009 - and many social pressures in the U.S. are not relevant in Canada (school shootings, politics in schools for instance), teachers in Canada still endure crippling workloads, inadequate assistant numbers, absence of teacher-librarians and guidance counsellors, bad parenting issues, and insufficient funding for materials.

[@moondog7694]

What do you mean it's not an issue in Canada? I counted 20 in Canada on the Wikipedia page.

[@sandpiperr]

Don't get too cocky! I wouldn't be shocked if allegations of indoctrination and grooming came for you guys too! Remember the Convoy.

[@danielpark8003]

Too many school portables in B.C. Big Big problem. Many students turn to gang life!!!! But no Jesus in the schools. Canada is in big big trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JuJu-v1g]

My son’s tutor is a full time teacher. She tutors on the side and works at a restaurant as well to afford to live! They don’t get paid enough and it’s shameful.

[@Superpig500]

Shameful taking away restraunt jobs from people who need them

[@mdiaz4669]

I'm currently a teacher fighting "burnout" the desire to run out and never come back. I've have taught over 20 years, taught AP, have founded new clubs to help improve the school culture, all of which use to make me proud, happy and fulfilled. But lately I just feel exhausted and teaching feels like a chore. Schools need to recognize an uplift their good teachers (not all are good). And not just by giving them lip service, but with incentives, like bonuses or more pay.

[@yaimavol]

The money is being drained away by all the admin, and especially all the ridiculous DEI officers that are being hired. What do these people do 8 hours a day? They face zero pressure or stress. I live near a major city and their school admin building looks like Fort Knox it is so huge, and yet we graduate thousands that can't read every year. It is appalling

[@christophercrowder872]

It's important to be honest about the fact that, since the 1980's, the Republican Party has been deliberately and systematically starving public education with the goal of shifting American education to a privatized, market based model rather than the public good it was originally intended to be.

[@linguaphile42]

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

[@Missy-Missy1111]

More importantly, Republicans want to control the curriculum so that they control the narrative of history to indoctrinate our children with ultra-conservative ideals to ensure white supremacy.

[@cstuartdc]

Capitalism ruined our food supply, healthcare, music, movies, and news. Why not give our kids a McEducation?

[@ThiccBoi23]

Bingo

[@dickeyseamus]

Like every other American institution.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

Utah English teacher here. I also have over 260 students. Just imagine grading: if I just spend 1 minute on each piece of writing a student turns in, it would take 260 minutes. I can’t do this while I’m teaching, so that means it’s all done on the weekend.

[@scott4825]

Why?!! LOL. They keep upping the amount of work, micromanaging, deciding what we will teach, taking away needed tools, making it a class 3 felony if a kid is exposed to any book someone finds offensive, and then the compensation keeps going down. A banner year is when the teachers union negotiates a contract that actually keeps up with inflation. In my area, there is not tenure or pay scale, and you are year to year and can get fired at the end of every year regardless of performance. Also, in my area, a 1 bedroom apartment would cost more than 50% of a teacher's salary. Cripes, if you take into all the free hours teachers work on weekends and after school, we're making about what a Circle K employee makes. Oh, and it requires a college degree, all sorts of tests for certification, and to maintain that certificate.

[@scott4825]

And every teacher I knew who left the field, ended up doing better and being much happier.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

Amen!

[@TriAngles3D]

Moms, Dads and Teachers... In many cultures this is the line-up of the most important roles in society.

[@Skipper_geriatric_chihuahua]

I have to send a shout out to all Grands out there too; they were pivotal in my upbringing

[@thomasdarling2553]

Yeah but there's no culture in America

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

True. But sadly many moms and dads don't support teachers and don't do their part either. Therein lies the primary problem of society today.

[@story3877]

I worked as a college adjunct/lecturer for 15 years before finally giving up after being downsized twice. They'd dangle tenure in front of our faces and say if we worked hard, maybe we'd get fulltime. I did work at a college that hired me fulltime non tenure track, and they paid me a measley 28k for 10 months. You best believe i worked night classes at a nearby community college and summer classes as well. In 15 years of teaching (2005-2020) i never once made more than 28k. I started at 17,500 and individual classes paid a max of 2500. I worked probably 70hrs a week when you counted grading and being an advisor to the college radio station (again it was implied volunteering as an advisor would get me that fulltime gig) oh and had i been hired fulltime tenure track, i would have made 36k and had health insurance that would demand 600 a month out of my paycheck. At least i didn't have to deal with parents. It was fun getting to tell them to bugger off (i did too, twice. It was so cathartic). But yeah this sadly is not just a elementary and high school issue. And don't even get me started on what daycare workers get paid. The whole system is messed up.

[@meganbaker9116]

You got downsized, twice? How big are you now?

[@pamelafeeney8086]

Ironically the higher degree you have the less money you make teaching. Now a large proportion of college faculty are what is called contingent faculty. You can teach a class for 15 years and if a full-time professor has a class that is under enrolled because they aren't as dedicated a teacher as you, they just take your class away. There is no guarantee or job security, and the more experienced and professional you are the more you make, even though the pay is paltry, so there is an incentive to hire new, inexperienced faculty members to replace you. PhD professors in California are living in their cars. This country has no respect for Education, which might explain why about a third of the voting public are now brainwashed fools.

[@whatever3041]

You told them to bugger off and your department chair didn't call you to his office, mine would have called me and the student to his office and asked me to apologize to the student in front of him plus would have insulted me in front of him.

[@story3877]

@@whatever3041 i was very lucky my chair and dean always had my back. I only had issues with 3 students in 15 years teaching. One had severe trauma from something, we tried to get him help, he declined but never caused a problem in class again, another tried to challenge me in class and make demands in front of everyone about changing paper dates, eventually we handled that (won't get into how) and he shut up and stopped interrupting class. He took another professor for the next course as i was fine with that. The third was a similar story but not in class, he would just stalk me around campus. As for issues with parents, just 2 in 15 years. (i want to clarify that I stopped teaching 7 years ago and i started adjuncting at 26, i was pretty young, so i imagine stuff has changed). First parent got my HOME NUMBER from my old dept chair (he only half had my back. He pushed the person off to me, but whatever decision i made he backed). The father was angry about the kid failing. I told him I couldn't legally discuss grades but could tell him if the student attended my class and then added that i wouldn't be able to pick his kid out of a police line up 😆. The second was a mom who wanted her kids syllabus and wanted copies of the book and wanted to know when papers were due so she could "help". I told her to talk to her daughter as that wasn't my job. I had a very lucky 15 years (2 bomb scares though, so that was fun :/ sigh ).

[@johnshafer7214]

I'm a substitute teacher. Fourth year in a row. I farm and work in retail when I'm not subbing. I've been out of college for 23 years. I subbed all but four days of the school year and made $25,000. That's extremely low for a person with a college degree. I could make more working at a gas station. However, I choose this job because I want to make sure my daughter and son have someone to help out in school. I value the needs of the community over money.

[@mcsmith732]

Still, it's very important to survive and stay sane and healthy at the same time. I've had to work 1.5 jobs all my life to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. It was definitely not good for my health and caused too much absenteeism in my son's life. So I'm not very impressed with the idea of having multiple jobs, nor is workaholism good for one's health and mental well-being, or good for one's family.

[@J23LA24]

While I can appreciate the sentiment behind your statement, it’s sad because the people in charge count on that. They know teachers care and they will continue despite things not being as they should.

[@jacquibruce-yokoyama2478]

I applaud your guest/author’s honesty, in speaking out about the Teaching Crisis in our country. I’ve worked over a decade, as a Substitute Teacher in more than one school district. The situation has gotten worst since the pandemic! The administrators seem to be in a fantasy world, regarding the real issues facing our Teachers in these School Districts. It’s a given that the children are our future, however they suffer the most because of the lack of support given to our teachers. The parents often don’t realize they suffer because of this massive crisis, too. The solution is simple, more permanent resources, support and respect given to our teachers! So that they can make a living wage, with their chosen careers and happily do their jobs! The biggest question I have is why has both our local and federal governments been so complacent, about our education system for several decades. I don’t like to phantom that this is all about money in our capitalist society, however if that’s not it, what is the reason? How can one person or group; knowingly justify the failing of an education system, in one of the supposedly most developed nations in the world ? It is truly mind boggling!

[@mwfmtnman]

Ignorant people are far more easily influenced by misinformation and propaganda. The GOP has worked very hard to achieve this.

[@Cryptonymicus]

The fact that Trump got elected pretty much proves that the US doesn't have a future.

[@nicolahoelzl5005]

Agreed. Follow the money. Edgenuity is such a big scam. Someone has sacked in mills

[@kingmarx810]

Agreed. Make the public system ineffective so they can point and say we need to have a privatized system.

[@nata3467]

When you talk about administrators please don't talk about all of us as one group. I'm a principal who does about everything possible to support my staff and they would back me in that and so do most of my colleagues. I would agree that district-level administration has no idea how much stress we are under in the schools.

[@hazelrowan2604]

I had a high school student who broke the district's rules by bringing a meal into class, spread it out on her desk and dined. This student was not "poor and hungry." I asked her to put it in her locker. She refused, called her mother from class and mom came storming in. I sat in the conference room between an AP, a school counselor, and a learning coach while the parent called me names for two hours in front of the student and the 3 support personnel allowed it. I teach online now, and the thought of returning to teach a classroom makes me sick.

[@chrislimnios9180]

Lol wtf, this can't be true 😂

[@LisaFenton-h7f]

Seems like your experience with the abusiv parent shows why STUDENTS act out the way they do.

[@Klgrey6341]

Please keep talking about this. It’s so important and there are so many consequences if these issues aren’t addressed.

[@Cryptonymicus]

Why are they quitting? Probably because at least half of America sees no value in education.

[@vallejoborncalihasbecomeal9022]

Which half?

[@christinewatson1989]

Everyone sees value in education. Americans are realizing that SCHOOL as it currently is, has no value. School and education are NOT the same.

[@XXLSSBBW]

Teachers value their lives. America has the most school shootings than any other country in the world.

[@mba321]

@@vallejoborncalihasbecomeal9022 The Red half.

[@Longtack55]

This is an excellent interview, and Ravi asked intelligent questions. Teaching is often considered a woman's profession, and until that changes the profession will not be adequately rewarded. Parents send their feral kids to school because they've made such a mess of rearing their kids, and expect teachers to transform them.

[@jenbrown1362]

Feral kids 😂. Yup.

[@cindyfreihofer2093]

I started teaching in 1972 and retired in 2014. As far as I am concerned teaching was always exhausting. All of my career I taught in struggling schools which were very challenging. I never had a "friend" who knew someone where I could encounter a better environment to work in. Sorry, but this was my experience. Much of my planning time was often taken away for meetings. So there was that. I have never heard such a thorough explanation as yours given to this issue. Bravo, you covered everything!

[@trex3003]

She did a pretty decent job presenting the problems involved with the teaching profession. The pressure of having more and more tasks piled on with less and less time to accomplish the tasks creates intense pressure.

[@jillsalkin7389]

I would not recommend that anyone go into public education.

[@pamelafeeney8086]

I usually like this newscaster but I was very disappointed in his questions to the speaker. PBS should be on the side of ordinary people but they are always trying to be so-called neutral and are amplifying the voices and attitudes of people who do not need to be amplified and in fact should be silenced as they are spouting hatred and lies and we are sick to death of being silenced by them and their world of hate-filled fantasy.

[@poohbeartube]

@@pamelafeeney8086 Media is rife with hype and sensationalism. It is currently an integral part of the business model. No one "should be silenced". I don't believe you realize the consequences that would invariably result. I doubt that the narrative you agree with would prevail. Consider that power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I understand that you're angry about hatred and lies but just address them specifically.

[@sharinaross1865]

@@jillsalkin7389 i second your whole statement.

[@livingintheforest3963]

This has been going on since the 90s!! I knew a girl that was a teacher at a private school and she was stripping on the side to make money. Now that’s her point right but some hypocrite father came into the club or some hypocrite somewhere out of her and she lost her job as a teacher at a private school the society is upside down .

[@anthonyholton2886]

Seems like the parent would have been embarrassed to admit that he had visited a strip club in order to witness the teacher stripping. Where was his wife that night?

[@mwoods8988]

When I was in grade school, one of my teachers lost her job. The rumor was that the school found out that she also worked at a strip club. They should have kept her. Because of this and a few other things I've witnessed, for a long time I've realized that teachers are underpaid. I thought low public school salaries meant that private schools were able to snap up the best teachers, but your comment makes me reconsider this thought. America also talks about an engineer shortage, but within 10 years half of engineering graduates leave the field, like I did myself. I switched careers to computer programming, and it was a lot better than I ever expected, especially once I became a skilled independent consultant in a niche field.

[@Elyfairy]

I’m a stripper. Strip clubs are full of teachers nurses and psychologists. In fact more than half the girls have degrees including master degrees. Most jobs don’t pay livable wages.

[@HomeEcSewing]

I loved my job as a teacher. It was incredibly demanding and very rewarding... until it wasn't. My heart aches that after years of formal education and classroom experience, I have to find a new career. My subject has been relentlessly attacked since 2020 (I teach American History and Government) leaving me paralyzed as a teacher. No matter what I taught, parents would actively look for things to be upset about and complain far too much. It was too time consuming. While I would love to continue teaching, pervasive culture wars and entitlement among parents and students has driven me out of education. Probably for good.

[@dctrevett]

My heart aches for you. We can't win, if we quit we're betraying the kids, but if we don't quit we're slowly killing ourselves, or at least our souls anyway.

[@carolrosan4883]

where will you look for other job please? I just finished my studies for teaching and I dont know where that degree would be value for other jobs that wont be teaching. Please

[@dctrevett]

@@carolrosan4883 curriculum development, Teaching English as a Second Language, subject matter expert, writing jobs in general (not technical writer, at least for me anyway).

[@HomeEcSewing]

@@carolrosan4883 I started my own business and it involves teaching online. Good Luck to you!

[@carolrosan4883]

@@dctrevett thank you 😃

[@johnrobertson7650]

My wife is a veteran teacher and she works unbelievably hard for very long hours. Evenings, weekends. It never stops. And teacher pay is nowhere near commensurate with the demands placed upon and qualifications and dedication of most teachers. I would recommend young people steer clear of education as a career unless they view it as a calling and are ready to make real sacrifices for the job. Anyway, I agree with the author.

[@ez-g3090]

I bet she'd be more attractive in the kitchen than out competing against men in the workforce.

[@chattingwithshap8010]

As a teacher for 34 years I’ll sum things up with a list. Teachers and all school employees must have. 1. Support 2. Empathy 3. High expectations 4. Clear goals that are attainable, yet challenging. 5. Fair pay 6. Fair benefits 7. Adequate planning time 8. Meaningful professional learning 9. Trust that they know right from wrong 10. Recognized for their hard work.

[@jeSuisbar]

It’s sad to know that I earn as much as a teacher without a degree and guaranteed a month of PTO. My co worker taught 25 years. He misses teaching but the bill he went through

[@ronfriedman8740]

Nice wish list and good luck with that. As a 2nd career educator, currently teaching MS, I'm hoping I can make it until next year before retiring, but each day brings new challenges as the student achievement gap grows and inappropriate student behavior gets worse as district leaders ignore the problem.

[@chattingwithshap8010]

@@ronfriedman8740 not a wish list. But much more like building on certain things that already happen. While education is far from perfect, our outlook on teaching and learning is key. Whether a first or second career, we can always find ways to complain about the field. Not exactly sure what that accomplishes. We should be trying to make change, instead of a constant barrage of all that’s wrong. Wishing you luck on the end of the year and the future.

[@majdavojnikovic]

@@ronfriedman8740 as a 1st career teacher I can tell you that student behaviour is appropriate to the very concept of school. It is an old and not working (any more) concept. The victims of this are in the first place children ( inmates) and teachers ( guards). It is a 19th century concept, it is like driving a horse and carriage today. Nothing stayed the same, except the school, even we now know how development goes, how brain develops, skills and knowledge is aquired. Children react " worst and worst" because they are further and further away from this concept every year, and they are frustrated The only thing you can do against the concept and towards learning is to "hypnotise" them with your subject and then just facilitate their discovery.

[@tortiesrule7432]

YES to everything listed!! Anyone reading that list, please notice that money 2 of the those 10 points are about money. I really do not want to trivialize anything here, but please donate Kleenex to you local teachers, especially during allergy season(s). This smallest gesture shows us a tiny bit of support and empathy while reducing our out-of-pocket expenses by a hair.

[@bobfrog4836]

I was a secondary ed major in college in the early 90s but switched majors my junior year. While I think the job would have been quite rewarding and enjoyable for me in the 90s, things started changing in the early 2000s regarding America's attitude towards teachers and I have not regretted switching my majors once.

[@a-complished4406]

She did not mention the mass shooting drills that makes us paralyzed, in fear that this is truly bound to happen at any time.

[@a-complished4406]

@@matthewcarey3148 I cried thinking about what could happen to the children. The dark room, all quiet, we hiding behind flimsy plastic desks, no chance against an AK machine gun.

[@ga6589]

I am so glad I was able to retire nine years ago. Now we have a political party that doesn't trust teachers enough to teach or select books, yet trusts them to carry a gun to school and act as security guards. This lunacy will not end well.

[@ga6589]

@@TesseractDome Inexperienced? I taught for 36 years and I've never seen anything like these fascist GOP book bans. There's a county in Texas that's threatening to close down their public libraries altogether over this nonsense. The only thing this is accomplishing is creating more division, wasted time, and hostility. It appears that the only voices the GOP wants heard are their MAGA extremists.

[@sarahtiferet598]

@@TesseractDome LOL! Thanks for the laugh Troll Go get some actual human love - you need it Bye freak

[@QueenBees456]

The lunacy of it all….

[@meganbaker9116]

The distrust of teachers started in the 1960s. Reach "Insult to Intelligence: The Bureaucratic Invasion of Our Classrooms," by Frank Smith.

[@jac5348]

Correct!

[@skatetownrinkrat]

My daughter is a HS history teacher with a masters in History. She would make double her pay working in a museum , then she does teaching … Her day starts at 8-4. Then goes home to grade, lesson plan and make phone calls to parents. Weekends and breaks she is still getting e-mails and texts from parents or students. I honestly don’t know how she does it or if she will continue to be able to once she has children.. In other countries teachers are looked up to, but not here in America..

[@gabrielleseeley4117]

As evidenced by the errors in the comments and even in the description of this video, excellent teachers are needed. I have taught for 20 years. I will continue to teach in spite of the lack of parenting and the challenges I observe in my profession daily.

[@Falconlibrary]

You know you're a teacher when you mentally correct KZbin comments. I taught for thirty years, by the way.

[@thiaco6203]

FYI..some people use their cellphones to comment and we all know about AutoINcorrection. It is difficult to move the cursor around on the KZbin site.

[@lim4275]

@@Falconlibrary Not necessarily. I’m a nurse and I’m also correcting them!

[@brendalux2462]

I also noticed all the errors. But I live my on line life through my phone. Spell Check makes my life miserable. Recently I noticed YT has inserted three dots to the upper right corner of your message. One of those dots corresponds to an "edit" feature that allows you to correct errors, even after the message has been posted. As a teacher, I love that my messages no longer make me appear ignorant.

[@LoveFlatfootin1]

As a middle school student in the 1950s, discipline in the classroom was so strict that if a child acted up even once, they were removed from the class and we never saw them again. Consequently, we were afraid to act up and there were no distractions from learning.

[@meganbaker9116]

That's called authoritarian, as opposed to authoritative. You may be in favor of authoritarian schools but I'm not, and children hate them.

[@tbarela]

In the 60's I can tell you that teachers would pull the hair of students who didn't do homework. Students who acted out of place would be paddled or had their faces slapped. They would be left crying and they DID thier homework afterwards. I witnessed one student having his throat pinched by my teacher because he threw a baseball at him and laughed. He cried after having his throat pinched and hair pulled. This was an elementary school in the LAUSD.

[@meganbaker9116]

@@tbarela Sadists.

[@lisasanchez7597]

Exactly!!!

[@christinewatson1989]

As a middle school student in the early 2000's, I got physically assaulted daily by other students in class and the teachers did absolutely nothing. And you wonder why there are so many school shootings nowadays. 🤣

[@laurasutton7918]

It’s student behaviors that are making teachers leave 99% of the time

[@mathmadeeasiest4178]

Behaviors and lack of consequences for students. Teachers are punished.

[@07Flash11MRC]

That and the students' parents. The apple never falls far from the tree.

[@richatlarge462]

Not in Asian/white schools though. This should be up front and center, but is avoided by the analysts and most commenters.

[@brianag9726]

I am in my 31st year as an educator and she gets our challenges. Districts need to appreciate their teachers and listen to them. We are in the trenches.

[@ronismith9883]

My dad taught for 42 years, and walked away the day he got called into the superintendent's office to be talked to because he had the audacity to demand a student turn in an assignment or go home. The parents came running in to the principal to say that their "little demon" was being targeted. This was in 1979!! He said that when a school bends to the demands of students and parents, he was done. And he was. And our kids learn that if they scream loud enough, they can muddy the waters. So no one is going to win this war because schools are constantly bending to meet the parents demands instead of establishing a strict guideline. Glad I don't have kids to worry about. It's a mess

[@a-complished4406]

Simply put, we are replacing parents. We’ve been demonized by politics. We are exhausted

[@meganbaker9116]

If you think teachers are not supported, what do you think parents experience? It is unnatural to raise children in a nuclear family, yet the U.S. has done everything it could to decimate the extended family and take every bit of authority away from it that it could. What do you think the point of compulsion laws is? It's to further delegitimize the family, which had always been children's primary educator, and was pretty good at it too. Then there are laws restricting or banning home birth, another assault on the authority of the family. If you take all authority away from the family, it has no more function than to be a hotel, and how much can you really expect from a hotel? My experience is that teachers WANT to take authority away from families, but then they bitch that they're overworked. You can't have it both ways: you either support and respect the family and stop destroying its authority, or you suck it up and handle the workload that comes from being expected to do its work.

[@forrest8977]

Democrats hate the family change your voting habits from blue to red

[@Ravenelvenlady]

Teachers on the whole are not responsible for taking away family authority. The state has encouraged and codified that, pitting parents against teachers. If people leave the teaching profession, then it's THE PAREMTS who will have to do the job. THEY ARE NOT OUR KIDS! WE didn't bring them into the world, YOU DID! So set up your home school house the old fashioned way with or without government help. Good luck.

[@meganbaker9116]

@@Ravenelvenlady Teachers are employees of the state; they do the work of the state in the education arena. They're an integral part of the impact of schooling, whether they (or you) want to believe it or not. It hardly matters who "codified" this arrangement; it matters who carries out the work of a system whose existence erodes the authority of the family. I certainly have the right to homeschool my child, which I did, but my taxes are still used to support the school system, and the fact remains that that system, as designed and managed, necessarily opposes family authority in many respects, and teachers are the instruments of that opposition. Judging from the rhetoric of many of them, they don't see themselves as a support for parents or the family but rather their judges, handing down opinion after opinion that THEY are the problem with education. It's simply not true.

[@Ravenelvenlady]

@@meganbaker9116 Again, you prove my point that teachers and parents are pitted against one another by the state. Many do not act willingly but do the bidding of the state and don't have the power to counter the ridiculous demands (like the disastrous Common Core, for instance). There are many teachers who DO support the family but feel their positions are endangered if they do so. There are many agendas they would rather NOT push down the throats of children and parents.

[@estudandofrancêssozinhocomigo]

I love this woman! Such clarity! Just love her!

[@dclaet1135]

Here's an idea: Before any child can enter public schooling, parents must provide proof that they have mastered parent education classes and be able to prove that their child is respectful and well behaved. If not, the parents must home school the little bastards themselves.

[@mba321]

It'll never fly...but I love your idea in theory.

[@toonlyrics]

As a retired teacher, I had to laugh at the last sentence. It was always the parents who did the least to raise their kids who were the most demanding of teachers. In most classes, 2-3 families were more work than all the others combined. Without the actively supportive parents, my job would have been a lost cause.

[@josem.romeroromero5305]

I do agree that parents have a big responsibility of Educating their child.

[@ca2712]

I LOVE that idea but would shudder to meet those kids 20 years from now.

[@paigeawin]

Here's an idea: Before any activist can teach in public schools, they must provide proof that they have an IQ above 115 points and be able to prove that they are not groomers nor perverts and are well behaved. If not, the activists must stay in their moms' home basement as the little bastards themselves.

[@marysullivan3881]

Alexandra, thank you for illuminating what we have dealt with for years. I might add that for most of my teaching career, my assigned classrooms were asbestos and mold laden. Every time there was an administrative change at the district level and/or school level, it meant that new methods, materials and philosophies were expected to replace how the teacher had been functioning. A lot of it came down to time wasting busy work that made administrators look good on paper, but did not increase teacher effectiveness or student acquisition of knowledge.

[@Catfluff521]

I just quit after being treated like garbage by a narcissistic parent. I was working at a Catholic school making 23k. Not worth being harassed by a shitty parent with admin. not willing to push back. That along with unrealistic workload, misbehaving kids, etc… My grade partner walked out 6 weeks later.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Catholic schools are real penny pinchers. And it sucks big time because they don't charge high tuitions in order to serve "those in need" academically (and otherwise to boot). That's why Catholic schools' class sizes are astronomical--en par with class sizes in public schools. When I was working in Catholic schools, I made around what you made (I made my third year what I made my second year at my former Catholic school of employment because there was a salary freeze), except for my last year in which I and my colleagues thankfully finally received notable raises.

[@meganbaker9116]

@@munimathbypeterfelton6251 And yet Catholic schools produce results. Yes, they underpay teachers and they don't give their pound of flesh to Pearson and the rest of the corporate lot that runs the public schools, so how is it that they're able to set and meet high standards when we have kids graduating from public who can't identify the U.S. on a world map? (I'm speaking here only about standards; I don't like private conventional schooling any more than I do public; they're all horrible to children.)

[@moondog7694]

I wonder if the misbehaving kids is because Christians are more likely to use corporal punishment on their children? I just read a post saying that she was a paft-time teacher who worked at both a fundamentalist Christian school and a Canada Lubavitch school, and she found the Canada kids easier to get along with, and she said that corporal punishment was very rarely used in the Canada families, but it was very common in the Christian families. I heard Lloyd DeMause make the same comment about fundamentalist Christians in his interview with Molyneux.

[@firstname7470]

@@meganbaker9116 Maybe it is because the parents are having to pay tuition and therefore have a vested interest in making their child behave and do their homework. Whereas, public school parents are less invested. Surely, research has been done to find out what makes a successful learning environment and what does not.

[@DontPretendtoCare]

I'm glad that parent drilled some sense into you. Good for them! Not you. A teacher will always be worthless.

[@pamferguson1870]

By far THE best interview I’ve heard in this topic. I’m a retired teacher of 45 years and, unfortunately, live in Florida. I would be afraid to teach now because not only are books being banned, curriculums being banned, and the restrictions on what you can or cannot say to a student ( don’t say gay) I’d probably be fired in my first day. If parents want this much control (and I don’t believe it’s the majority of parents) then HOMESCHOOL your children. I pray for teachers daily.

[@Skipper_geriatric_chihuahua]

I taught nursing (grad school FNP courses) at the University of Texas at Austin for a clean $46,500 a year! That was less than I made as a new BSN-RN 15 years prior to that!

[@brendakelley5891]

I'm leaving teaching after 34 years, not because I don't want to teach, but because I DO want to teach. Teachers are currently being groomed to accept verbal, physical, and mental abuse by their students, the parents, and the administration. Teachers are not allowed to express concerns or even ask questions openly in staff meetings. How can you work to solve problems if you're not allowed to say there IS a problem? At this rate, teaching is destined to truly become nothing more than state sanctioned servitude. It is truly tragic!

[@geofferypmeyers]

This woman is a powerhouse! The way she reframed common terms was such an important point.

[@Mage-mc7mz]

Current middle school science teacher. I get $50 a semester for school supplies from the school. Let that sink in for a moment.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

My first year of teaching they didn’t even provide me with a stapler. My class is 100% funded by myself.

[@janicebrowningaquino792]

This woman is SPOT ON ! She knows of what she speaks. When Republicans were tired of losing elections many years ago they adopted the ‘right to life’ program and riled up constituents which began this journey to where we are today. Every step they have made since, and I am speaking generally, has been about winning elections and gaining political control even to the extent off supporting someone like Trump and taking money from the gun lobby. When I was growing up the NRA was a respected organization that taught about gun safety and how to be responsible owners. Like so much else in America it has become about power and greed. We are dropping the ball as a country with so many challenges on so many fronts and if people don’t turn this thing around our children and grandchildren will be struggling to exist in a country that has become rampant with fascism-a place NONE OF US WOULD RECOGNIZE. Wake up America!

[@lim4275]

Well said!

[@ThatsSoEpik]

Thank you 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 she said a mouth full, well said. We were underpaid and under appreciated. This generation of kids are not the same as they used to be. There’s a lack of respect and high expectations and demand that comes with the job for such small pay. Not worth it. I would suggest anyone that becomes a teacher, be passionate about it and be prepared for mental health and stress problems

[@byeteaching]

Thank you for addressing these mistakes head-on. It's refreshing to see someone discussing the challenges teachers face when transitioning careers. Your video provides valuable guidance and encouragement. Keep up the excellent work!

[@cyndig1670]

Great insight! Keep letting the public know the TRUTH!

[@lueagle09]

Everything stated is true. I’d add that there’s also a problem with paths to advancement or transfer. The hardest working people are usually overlooked and it becomes more about who you know and how connected you are that determines what happens.

[@suzannewheat9607]

Excellent discussion. I have never had children but I remember fondly my own education in the 1950s & early 60s. All of my teachers were excellent in California and Virginia. High school in Va.was nothing like what is discussed today. Because of my home life I wished that school was 7 days a week. I shudder to think of the future dumbed down people who are being groomed today by crazy schools. Many young people will be in shock when they collide with the real world.

[@dclaet1135]

You see those young people today sleeping on the street corners, addicted, zoned-out and no job in sight.

[@CarolynFigueroa-i8z]

I have taught Gen Ed, Special Ed, teacher trainer at the college level and as a mentor at school sites, and helped out as an administrator. The background/challenges for teachers that is described in this video has been around for years. Teachers my age (50+) that come from a teaching family (my parents taught as well), are telling their children not to go into teaching. This is where the major teaching shortage begins. The teaching gene runs in families. So sad to see the challenges of teaching won't be addressed until there is a major teaching shortage. It would be devastating to see in the U.S. that only the very rich are well educated.

[@sheilabrennan4481]

A great introduction into the problems that have been building over the past decades in the American educational system. Thank you for speaking truth about the issues that teachers face for the past several decades. The beginning of it all was No Child Left Behind. Where test scores and teaching to the test absolutely has taken over the profession. That and the fact that administrators want to be students buddies as opposed to supporting teachers. The behavioral issues are outrageous yet or not addressed due to the school wanting to keep their safety measures scores low so it goes underreported

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

I’m a teacher planning on quitting at the end of this school year because of Utah parents United who are banning books and attacking teachers and librarians accusing us of brainwashing children

[@traveler65]

😑that is terrible.

[@Ravenelvenlady]

Frankly, the teachers are being coerced into brainwashing and banning books because everything is so polarized in society. I don't blame you for leaving.

[@aknudsen93]

Thank you for speaking about this issue. I have been a teacher for 16 years. I do not want to go back to teaching. At this point I can't afford to pay my bills. The stress of teaching is making me physically sick. I have seen the difference between teaching when I started, in the '90s and now. It isn't good. One thing I have noticed recently is physical abuse from students and parents towards teachers. I think this is something that many people do not know about. Teachers getting attacked by their students, teachers getting assaulted by children's parents. This is inexcusable but happens quite often.

[@yaimavol]

Assault is a crime it seems everywhere but the classroom. There should be ZERO tolerance for physical violence against teachers and criminal charges pressed against the students -- period. I watched a horrifying video of a teacher knocked to the ground and students kicking her. She was sent to the ER with a concussion. You can bet nothing will happen to those students.

[@carolina_andromeda]

Thank you for covering this topic! 🎉

[@geraldinegranger9186]

I think this is - at least in part - the patriarchy and sexism coming home to roost. Teaching was considered women’s work and historically undervalued and underpaid. There are many other factors of course.

[@joeblow5087]

No. I think you are right. Teaching is women's work and therefore undervalued. Look at the Medical Profession as an example. More men are going into Nursing. Nurses wages have gone up. More women are becoming Doctors. Doctors wages have gone down with the exception of the boys clubs: Neurosurgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons. It is not the difficulty of the job, but the gender doing the work that determines wages, working conditions, and respect.

[@healingasthmaacasestudy9851]

Amen!

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

It's also ageism. Because teaching involves working with children as opposed to working (entirely) with adults and/or machinery, working with children is considered "inferior work" and therefore "deserves inferior pay". And children are always treated like second-class citizens by the American government and society who label them as "little people", and sometimes not even people at all!

[@Donley76]

You're spot on.

[@Ravenelvenlady]

All the comments here are spot on!

[@brucesteele3052]

Very informative. Lucky to be at a small rural community school in the upper Midwest where student behavior is positive, and the farmer next door may be a teacher.

[@betsysmall3576]

This woman never mentioned the daunting problem of discipline!!

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

That remains the elephant in the room that everybody likes to avoid, and the #1 issue in education that continually gets swept under the rug. Deep down, many people (educators and non-educators) are afraid of "offending" parents. I even had an administrator at my last school who told my colleagues and myself: "Don't send too many emails and don't send emails that are too long, to parents. That will make them feel scared and overwhelmed." I was like, "Grow a pair! Parents are adults...right...?"

[@Donley76]

This. This is the reason I quit. I'm not drinking the "it's not the kids" Kool-aid. It's the kids, a big part at least. Behavior is out of control and disruptions are chronic. It's difficult to even get through a lesson because of disruptions. There are ZERO consequences and the kids know it.

[@NotANameist]

One thing I’ve noticed about almost all of these videos is that they don’t discuss that issue. I’m really not sure why that is the case. It’s an issue for so many educators.

[@deec3561]

I did my student teaching an KNEW this was not the job for me! I was staying up late developing lessons. I was using up my free time on weekends grading papers. I hated it. Then I’d come to school to teach my lesson and spent most of the time correcting challenging behaviors. I graduated and I still worked with kids but in an office setting

[@jeanthobaben]

I am a product of public schools and a State University. I also earned a MS in Ed. Nonetheless, I wound up teaching in a private boarding school for 43 years. My salary was much less than public schools in my area. Our oldest son, also a teacher, taught in public schools for 5 years but also decided to teach in a private (Friends) school. Locally, our school board elections are very politicized. I completely understand why highly educated teachers are leaving the profession. When I was a child, my parents assumed that my teachers knew what they were doing. They supported my teachers and never questioned their reports. In the current climate, parents feel they can challenge everything from literature to curriculum.

[@LisaFenton-h7f]

Too many parents seem to think that educaion is a mater of teachers openig up their kid's head & pouring the knowledge in. They seem to ignore that EFFORT from the STUDENTS is essential. Parents should be COLLABORATING with teachers. They should address their children's disruptive behavior. I'm not a teacher--but, worked in an after-school program for awhile and that skyrocketed my already high respect for teachers. It's criminal that teachers PAY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET for supplies that SCHOOLS should provide. Parents need to turn off TV & devices and get their kids to READ more and do daily homework. Get off teachers' backs!!!

[@ajbee4706]

Unbelievable. No wonder so many are quitting.

[@lynnjudd9036]

Yes, it is unbelievable. It is shocking that teachers pay is so poor when they are one of the last of the unionized professions. Also that teachers are buying supplies out of pocket. What is going on with all these funding cuts?

[@mba321]

But according to the woman here, they aren't quitting....they just aren't getting support.🤣

[@jac5348]

❤this is by far the best report on what has happened to educators and it is still affecting them on every aspect. I did long term subbing and it almost nearly killed me and was almost homeless.

[@craftsandstuff3349]

Yes, schools should absolutely supply everything needed to teach.

[@jeremiassuarez266]

I'm a teacher in Spain and the reason I'm feeling burnt out is the burden we've let politicians and "education theorists" to put on us. We're now responsible for the mental well-being of the students. That's a parent's job. Parents would rather spend time on their own stuff than taking responsibility over their kids. But our government now says that children now don't belong to their parents, so it's the state now the one who educates them (to conform them into their ideology, hence making sure they are their future voters) and it's now teachers who have to do that dirty job.

[@lawrenceruich2659]

I appreciated this conversation to highlight the barriers teachers and staff (e.g., paras, substitutes). I was anticipating a solution based narrative at some point and/or a question on how might teachers push back (e.g., statewide or a national strike). In essence, there is a labor shortage per this interview, so why not take advantage and strike. I don’t see any other way to establish terms to negotiate.

[@starr234]

In Texas, it is illegal for teachers to strike. We can lose our teaching certificate and our retirement if we strike. Maybe some other red states are the same.

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@starr234 I wouldn't be surprised if other red states are the same. Most red states (not counting swing states) in America don't value education because their local community cultural values do not require intelligence in order to grasp their intentions. So in their opinion: why support education when stupidity is the priority???????

[@merrim7765]

I'm a sped para.I've heard plenty of complaints but not one single idea for solutions. I assume teachers have been told what to do forever and they don't understand or feel naturally emboldened to strike and demand the changes they agree are most critical for their profession to thrive.

[@starr234]

@@merrim7765 teachers in Texas are not allowed to strike and we do not have a union with bargaining power. If teachers in Texas strike, we will lose our teaching certificate and our retirement. We do speak up to admin and central office about changes that would benefit the teachers and students, but we are not listened to nor do we have the power to implement these changes. We also have a weak union that tells politicians our needs, but in Texas, Republicans rule and they are not friendly to teachers and public schools.

[@merrim7765]

@@starr234 Seems like the right to strike should be a human right / civil liberty, and not something that is optional a group in power can withhold. I wonder if the ACLU would represent a nationwide class action lawsuit to give teachers the right to strike -- thus making it nationwide and taking it out of the hands of local gov't.

[@dwrod24]

she is so well spoken and matter of fact about everything she is telling us in this story. I hope things will change soon.

[@robyost6079]

The changes in the educational system are mostly downhill. Lowered standards, crappy pay, too many meetings, no respect in the classroom, demanding parents, disruptive students, non-supportive administrators, idiot politicians, etc. Policies claiming to help students often have the opposite effect for their long-term success: no deadlines, no point penalties, no zeroes, no discipline, no accountability. Responsible teachers are doing their best, but feeling the constant pressure from all sides. Whatever teachers do, they feel like they are to blame. When the system makes you feel constantly alienated, disrespected, and overworked, why would you stay?

[@Falconlibrary]

Oh God, the endless useless meetings that should've been an email, where clueless administrators droned on and on--I dreaded those. But worst of all was the worse-than-usual "professional development" that actually did nothing to advance our knowledge or skills. The whole system is broken.

[@mba321]

Not to mention TOO MUCH DAMN TESTING!!!

[@sgtcrab2569]

I went to Catholic schoola in the late 50s. Most but not all teachers were nuns. We had uniforms. The teachers had perhaps 30 - 35 per classroom. They put up with NO BS at all! If you got in trouble at school your REAL trouble started when you got home!!!!!!

[@sarahmacvicar843]

As a teacher in Canada, pay was never an issue. I left the profession after 26 years, not because of the pay or what this woman says about parents wanting a say in what was being taught. I never had a problem defending what I was teaching and why. The major problems I faced as a middle school teacher with 135 students were related to way too much work with too little prep time, student behaviour that was increasingly abusive with little administrative support and few consequences, platitudes about the importance of academic achievement but little academic rigor and no consequences for plagiarizing, pressure from administration and parents for higher grades, verbally abusive parents, pressure to push the DEI narrative and phones. Even with a good salary and benefits, teaching in the public school system became completely demoralizing and untenable. I sold my house and now live more simply. I have a really pleasant job with low pay and no benefits but I haven't been told to f#%! off once and life is so much better.

[@curiouscat3384]

What an impressive lady. She's very wise, knowledgeable and seems to have a balanced view of the problems without chanting blaming at any particular individual or group. I hope her book does well

[@wendysherbert3257]

This was a great interview! Thank you.

[@mizrachi35]

I would love to see something on parent and student behavior.

[@OneAdam12Adam]

Great report. Accurate. Insightful.

[@jamesdeagle]

It was good to mention how often the curriculum changes and how teachers have to 'start over' again! James

[@surfwriter8461]

This is excellent and should be considered required viewing for any responsible parent, elected official, school board member or anyone related to the field. Education is essential and requires massive commitment as well as good training. It's shameful that citizens and politicians give lip service to education but don't work to ensure that teachers are adequately compensated and have decent working conditions. There's one thing not addressed in this interview that I'd like to mention. In a country like Finland, considered one of the top countries in terms of education quality, the teaching profession is as highly valued as any profession in the country. The teachers are paid well, trained well and highly respected by everyone. They are given more authority over curriculum and teaching strategies. But they are able to attract the best teacher prospects because of that, too. They don't take just anyone into the teacher education system; you have to be judged among the most qualified and suitable to be accepted. In the US, I don't believe the quality of teachers is as uniformly excellent as it should be, and in many cases those who would be our top teachers go into other fields because they see the combination of low pay, unfair working conditions, and various forms of grief to be a major disincentive. As a result, we have many fine, dedicated teachers, but we also have too many who are not as effective in the role.

[@ashleyelizabeth8119]

Even if you’re having problems with the kids, they’re not the problem. They’re a symptom. The problem is parents and administrators who refuse to hold students accountable.

[@Eniral441]

I was a substitute teacher for 11 years. Substitute teaching is harder than full-time teaching, minus some of the stress. I didn't have to deal with angry parents or demands from administration much in short-term jobs. However, I was often dropped into impossible situations and was often treated poorly by students and sometimes staff. Poorly was sometimes an understatement too. We were paid less than teachers with no benefits. Even working full-time hours, I was not considered full-time or even part-time. I was considered "at will". So no benefits, no retirement, and no union. The student loan forgiveness plan for teachers didn't apply to me because of the status of "at will" employment. I couldn't even qualify for unemployment during the summer, during Covid, etc. I could be let go without notice. There were days I couldn't get a substitute job, so I'd be out of luck and not paid for the day. I preferred long-term teaching. It was less stressful when students knew you. I did everything a full- time teacher did without the pay and benefits though. Having work daily was mostly a given, but admin could still drop you at any time. If something went wrong, there was no union rep to go to. Parents often respected you less if they knew you were a substitute teacher. It didn't matter if I was fully qualified to teach the subject. In their eyes I was an ignorant Joe Shmoe who knew nothing about teaching or the subject, and they made it known with constant complaints and little to no support on their end, etc. I preferred just being referred to as the teacher because that was what I was. I was the teacher for that semester or year. Occassionally, if get a great job with supportive staff and a great team, not to mention great students. But those jobs were becoming unicorns in the field of substitute teachers.

[@robertsonartzoneraz8812]

It is CRAZY what teachers do that non-educators do not realize! Alexandra, I would LOVE to speak with you! I am an Art educator, and i see many school communities, parents, and children! The whole educational system MUST change ASAP!!!

[@obijuan3004]

Teachers should be paid $100,000 a year. We would get better teachers. Think about this… If you are going to leave your child with someone brilliant all day, would you want to leave your kid with someone who only qualifies for $45,000 or someone who qualifies for $100,000 a year.

[@jillsalkin7389]

You are totally WRONG! Teachers do not go into teaching for the pay, and there are many excellent teachers! The combination of the lack of respect from both parents and their kids, and the demands of the job, have made it impossible to do without being tremendously stressed. More pay will not fix the problem, nor would a 4-day work week.

[@obijuan3004]

@@jillsalkin7389 I'm not saying that teachers go into teaching for money, who would say that? HOWEVER, if you increase the money to a professional wage, you will get more people interested in teaching, and there will be more competition for teachers. Red States, especially those in the old confederate south hate school and teachers. This has been the same attitude since 1850's. 80%% of jobs in the old south were slave jobs, there was no need to educate poor white people and they still don't like education. Which is why those states are poor and depend on federal funding to survive. For states that understand the need for education and are not busy calling teachers racist and groomers, if they pay a professional wage it will be a great thing for teaching and for the education of people who want an education.

[@texasabbott]

@@jillsalkin7389The pay is crap. Be prepared to work a second job to support your teaching career and to properly supply your classroom (and in many cases, feed students who haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch).

[@TheBnzr]

​@@jillsalkin7389 More pay would definitely fix most of the problems

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

@@jillsalkin7389 People who say that teachers don't become teachers for the money are the same people who do not support teachers morally or professionally. All those administrators and parents who think that teachers should be ready to meet their and the students' needs 24/7 like ambulance workers and firefighters are abusive to teachers and continually use the tagline(s), "Oh, but you're doing something good for others." "You're doing this out of the goodness of your heart." "You have to have real passion in order to do this job." It's all phony baloney! Teaching is the only job out there in which additional required duties are shoveled onto the employees' already-overflowing plates, and teachers are subsequently expected to perform those added duties without any additional compensation. No other jobs makes demands of this nature without any overtime pay to back them up. Every time a new duty is added to teachers' plates, it should come with extra compensation. Otherwise, one is working entirely for free and the "pay" they receive is nothing more than mercy pay. Disgraceful!

[@allisonsola2772]

Thank you so very much for writing this book. I am a middle school and high school (depending on the year) Social Studies teacher. Everything you explained is 100% accurate. This is my 17th year teaching. Emotionally and financially, I cannot return to the classroom next year. I completed a Master's degree and now it is basically expected. I have been prescribed antidepressants to cope with daily overwork and pressure. That was my tipping point. It's not fair or healthy for me and my family to continue. Another issue, however, is student behavior. I have been called horrible names, including swear words and had the middle finger toward me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A fight broke out, and I was slammed into a concrete wall and suffered a concussion. These are just a few examples. We are expected to "talk the students down" using "humor" and "compassion". There are rarely consequences, and they come back from the office with a piece of candy from admin. I have students with a 3rd grade reading level, but am expected to have them achieve high levels on standardized tests.

[@prof.jezebel]

Alexandra Robbins is so articulate and informed and she nails every issue!

[@tensaijuusan4653]

You are joking, right! I never heard so much drivel in my life. No one more intolerant , divisive and racist than a "woke" activist.

[@anthonyos1438]

Couldn’t agree more for what’s being said on this video and all the comments below. The planning times are a joke. Behaviors getting worse and worse. Administration tells us to change our schedules without our feedback. Paperwork that can’t be done at school, only at home. Four more years and good bye. Unfair evaluation process as well.

[@ak5659]

I left teaching for interpreting. I do 1/4 of the work, have 1/10 the paper work, and 1/20 stress. My gross pay is just 5K less per year what I'd be making now had I stayed in teaching. And I work from home so that savings makes up for most of the 5K gap. Back to teaching? Not a chance.