I am one of those teachers who went into the profession a little later than most others.
I did not get my degree until I was 30. I spent two years teaching in the suburbs before coming to Chicago.
I was lured into teaching, and to Chicago, for a number of reasons, one of which was the much publicized need for inner-city teachers and the chance to make a difference in the lives of students without proper role models.
I have attacked my job with a commitment and enthusiasm I have not given to anything else I have done before. In short, I absolutely love my job, the teaching part that is, when I actually get to teach.
The problem I am having now is I can see myself burning out.
This is not because of unruly students or lack of parental involvement. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with what I see as bureaucrats who have no clue as to what is going on in the classroom.
A sample of the challenges I face in my classroom alone include students who were born addicted to crack cocaine or with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and one student who has lead poisoning. Other students’ parents work two jobs and still can’t afford school uniforms for their children.
My students do not have anyone at home to monitor their homework.
If and when I burn out as a teacher, I will also place blame on the Chicago Board of Education. Recently the teachers were given another task. We are now responsible for making sure every parent with a child in the system is aware of his or her rights if he or she becomes homeless. Don’t get me wrong, I think parents should have this knowledge. I just don’t understand why I am responsible for chasing down parents to get them to sign a paper stating that I have explained their rights to them.
This is just another example of what my colleagues and I are becoming frustrated with–another good idea by someone within the Board of Education that results in an extra burden being placed on the teachers.
If Paul Vallas institutes report cards for parents, who do you think is going to be responsible for writing them? Doesn’t our CEO see how the Board of Education is taking valuable teacher planning time away from planning toward effective teaching?
When do we, the teachers, get time to actually teach?
When do we get recognition and respect as Chicago’s dedicated public school teachers?
