10 Ten Reasons I Burnt Out of Education

Why I won’t be In the classroom next year

1.    30 students in one classroom isn’t safe or functional.

2.    I shouldn't be told to find my lessons on Pinterest.

3.    All schools, even suburban schools are crippled by these cuts.

4.    Oklahoma education compares most closely with Kazakhstan.

5.    I know felons and college drop outs who make significantly more every year in salary, bonuses, and raises.

6.    After 7 years without any increase in wages it is no longer financially responsible for me to stay in education.

7.    I’m certified to teach the blind/visually impaired. I have 3 VI students, yet still I don’t get paid as a teacher of the visually impaired.

8.    I want my children to have the quality of education I benefited from. It is no longer enough that I am an educator. I must lend my voice to bring about change in education if we hope to have a bright future.

9.    Poor education and ignorance are some of the most easily avoided challenges. We are a rich, growing and vibrant state. We can provide quality education!

10.   We all rise together.

OKIE Proud

Why I Rally!

I am here today, not for me but for my 59 students back in Yukon. Working incredibly hard to achieve higher standards without complete curriculum or adequate supplies.

Not for me but for the teachers all over the state willing to face shooters, tornados and test pushers to protect this state's children.

 A loud RED Reminder,  if congressmen in their fancy suits had been doing their jobs none of us would have to be here!

I won’t beg for the budget we had in 2008, I’m demanding better.

Readers:

Do you rally? 

Would you rally? 

Angry Admin Rant

Do Principals lose their souls once they ascend to administration?

Is there some kind of magical brain worm that makes them INSTANTLY forget WHAT it is like to be in a room with 28 hormonal 10 year olds??????

I’m pulling all kinds of shit out of my ass to teach these NEW FABULOUS STANDARDS with NO CURRICULUM!!! Or Supplies?!?!?!?  How do you even expect that to work? Then you come in my room with your nice little ipad and critique ME?? ME???

I try to pull out the dog and pony show for you. Watch me refer back to my objective?!?! Oh now I call on three students using 3 different vocabulary words!!

Yet here I look at my evaluation and it says level 1…. Where is your science objective?? Level 1 It took  8 minutes to change classes (let all of them go to their lockers and go to the bathroom!!!!)  you took too long to transition?? HMMMM K? How’s about some FANTASTIC suggestions on how to speed that up??? NOPE! NO TRICKS OF THE FRICKIN TRADE?!?!?

No Teacher got time for that!

The Right to Be Me

I'm a 

Nerd,

     SouthPaw,

         Okie,

            Educator,

              Beggar,

                Advocate,

                  Activist,

                    Trekkie,

                       Charity Case,

                         Believer, 

                           Ginger, 

                             Southern Lady,

                              Flower loving Hippie,

Rabble Rouser, and Peace Loving Woman and I won't back… down…. 

Oklahoma, the south, and the plains are as much mine as the ancient, wealthy, white, money-grubbing politicians under that overpriced dome in The City!

Our political system is going to have to move away from the two party system. There aren't a mere two types of people anywhere. 

People are standing up all over the world to fight for equality. We all deserve to be treated as equals.

Two pictures that tell you a little something about my life

Gee, I wonder why it is has been so difficult for me as a teacher? Oh, because working in Education in Oklahoma is the equivalent of working in Kazakhstan. 

I'm going to march on to my next career. True to thyself until the last breath. 

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Eeegads! I can’t believe it is April. 2013 was thorny to say the least. I'm so glad 2014 is here and the school year is winding down. My new little family has gone through many growing pains.  I came to Yukon to teach 5th grade Math, Science and Writing. It was one of the best and worst decisions I’ve ever made.  Best; the amazing women and men I’ve met this year, the dazzling and darling students, and the challenging subject matter.  Worst; the pay cut (2 months without pay and less each month), increase in stress and the unrealistic expectations. I had to learn how to share my space with 3 awesome, spectatcular and messy people. Then to close out the year, we lost Shae and Lyric's beloved mother. 

_{Since I have decided to leave teaching I haven’t wanted to share with many the reasons why. The stress is a big factor. Elementary teachers have the highest stress of any of their colleagues and worse than many other professions as well. The issues in my work have never been the individual children. The large number of them yes, but never an individual child.  As inclusion has become the norm for classrooms across the country, I’ve realized how truly unique I am as a teacher.}

 _{I have extensive experience with people of many disability categories. My brother is severely disabled and I loved participating in Special Olympic events with him. I also initially majored in Special education.}

 _{I speak Spanish (not fluently but enough). I spent years working in Oklahoma City’s Southside with more than 95% Spanish speaking students and briefly lived in Guadalajara.}

_{Some of my favorite students are the troublesome little boys. Perhaps, it’s because I myself was a troublesome student. I understand what it’s like to not respond well to the stress of being stuck with nearly 30 other children in a small room and told not to move.}

_{I’m certified to teach the blind and visually impaired, and I can type in braille. You see, teachers do this crazy thing in summers called continuing education. One particularly ambitious summer, I learned; to type in braille, how to orient and move without sight, and utilize amazing tools available to the visually impaired. So all my little specialties added up to a class with 22% special needs ranging from hearing, vision, autism, gifted, learning disabilities and ADHD. I also have 16% English Language Learners.}

_{Hooray specialties?! I love being able to teach such an expansive ocean of children. Give me the little fish with the most problems and I’ll have him swimming in no time.}

_{Honestly, it isn’t the percentages that bother me. I go gaga for my special students. They make me truly remember why I am still coming to work everyday. It is the fact that they are jammed into rooms with almost 30 of their peers. This creates an illegal, unsafe, and overwhelming situation for even an average group of learners.  These students who need more, also more suffer more.  It is a challenge for even the best of students. The more capable of my students complain of headaches from the noise inherent in an overcrowded classroom.}

_{It is the new standards without new and complete curriculums. I went to school when we were taught how to properly use the tools provided by a district to educate children. This new plan of}

_{What is this washed out teacher going to do next year? Honestly I’d love to author materials for our new Common Core standards.  Realistically I have no idea, I’ve looked at non-profits, unions, and other types of educational institutions for employment but I can’t say I’ve found many promising leads.} 

_{So my dear blog readers, do you have an idea for me? Where could I use my years of experience (lifeguard, swim lesson instructor, sales, security guard, computer lab tech, 2nd grade teacher, Computer lab teacher, 1st grade teacher, 5th grade Math, Science and writing teacher) and find a decent paying job to continuing supporting our beautiful growing family?}