Posted By:
John SWow...this thread has ADHD.
Teaching is not the same as it was in the 50's. We tend to romanticize the past. Education has changed. Teachers are expected to not only instruct students but are accountable for their students' performances on standardized tests, accomodating muliple levels of instruction within the same classroom (IEP's); not to mention the multiple personal issues (products of the 21st century) that many students bring into the classroom. There probably were not too many teachers in the 50's that had to attend innervetion meetings for a students before school, work with a counselor to infiltrate a drug ring within their classroom, attend multiple IEP meetings in a week, and continue to be expected to perform at the same level as the smiling faced instructor of Wally and Beaver.
In my building we have 50 teachers. There are a handful of rotten ones (and most systems including mine do purge these individuals), a handful of awesome ones, and the rest of us who truly make a concerted effort to inspire our students on a daily basis.
As others have stated, teachers haven't changed, it is the society and educational system that has changed. The average career of a high school teacher is around six years. Burnout is incredible as the responsibilities far exceed the compensation. I have been teaching high school juniors and seniors for the last twelve years. I love my job as do most of my colleagues. I have tenure but am evaluated every three years. Tenure within most high school systems does not carry the same weight as in colleges/universities. The tenure system is used within my school mostly to establish seniorty amongst the staff in case reductions occur.