We know that too many teachers quit.
We know that between 40 and 50 percent of teachers in the US quit inside their first 5 years.
In Alberta, we estimate that 1 in 4 teachers quit in their first 4 years.
So when I saw an article titled "Despite Reports to the Contrary, New Teachers Are Staying in Their Jobs Longer", I was more than a little suspicious.
The article featured the picture to the right of Gabrielle Wooden. She taught in Mississippi for a whopping two years before quitting to become an account manager for Insight Global in St. Louis.
Wooden belonged to Teach for America which is an organization that undermines children's basic needs and is an accomplice to the corporate take over and privatization of public education.
This article from the Center for American Progress is yet another example of the shameful spin that corporate spin doctors spew on the public.
We treat teachers so badly they leave. This is true for many reasons. In the US, teachers are paid poorly and treated even worse by having their priceless work reduced to meaningless scores on bad tests. In Alberta, teachers are paid well, but workload is a problem.
That Gabrielle Wooden was used to show how teachers don't quit in an article that readily admits its own narrow focus when she taught for only two years highlights another glaring problem. Education is desperate for professional, honest and genuine journalism.
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| Gabrielle Wooden taught for 2 years and quit and is featured in an article about how teachers don't quit. |
We know that between 40 and 50 percent of teachers in the US quit inside their first 5 years.
In Alberta, we estimate that 1 in 4 teachers quit in their first 4 years.
So when I saw an article titled "Despite Reports to the Contrary, New Teachers Are Staying in Their Jobs Longer", I was more than a little suspicious.
The article featured the picture to the right of Gabrielle Wooden. She taught in Mississippi for a whopping two years before quitting to become an account manager for Insight Global in St. Louis.
Wooden belonged to Teach for America which is an organization that undermines children's basic needs and is an accomplice to the corporate take over and privatization of public education.
This article from the Center for American Progress is yet another example of the shameful spin that corporate spin doctors spew on the public.
We treat teachers so badly they leave. This is true for many reasons. In the US, teachers are paid poorly and treated even worse by having their priceless work reduced to meaningless scores on bad tests. In Alberta, teachers are paid well, but workload is a problem.
That Gabrielle Wooden was used to show how teachers don't quit in an article that readily admits its own narrow focus when she taught for only two years highlights another glaring problem. Education is desperate for professional, honest and genuine journalism.
I am not upset by the workload or the pay (sure I wish I earned more), but what I find frustrating is the behavior of my students. How some people can be so disruptive and rude is beyond me! I treat everyone with respect. It's not asking much to be treated kindly in return. Bad attitudes are what has been turning me off lately. This is my eighth year of teaching.
ReplyDeleteI am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I am an elementary education major. Reading this article is very shocking. I did not know that 1 in 4 teachers quit in their first four years of teaching. I am aware that teachers are not paid as much as other occupations. However it makes me wonder why is it that between 40-50 percent of teachers quit; is it because teaching was not their true calling or is it another reason?
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