DeKalb teacher: If you want good teachers to stay in your school, please let them know

Our children are our future.

And yet, school districts like DeKalb seem bent on creating the worst possible environment for teachers.

I wonder why that is?

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“Trust me – teachers don’t get “attaboys” in the year end review when everyone gets the same “satisfactory” or “adequate” review.”

I am sure there will be several commenters who work in the private sector who will say that doesn’t happen for them either (read: quit your whining public school teacher), or will turn it on the writer and say perhaps they don’t deserve the praise, or some variation thereof. While it’s true that many in several different professions don’t receive the praise deserved, these days no one is quite as vilified as the teacher. I still do not understand all the hate and general disrespect, and I don’t expect to. What I hope is that those comments are in the minority and readers of this column recognize there is a real and relevant problem with teacher morale – and the causes of this problem are at the root of our current educational mess. I agree that some teachers come across as whiny – I even roll my eyes at some of the comments – but that does not change the fact that MOST teachers I know and have worked with do exemplary jobs and truly care that all of their students are learning and are cared for. I have seen exceptions to this and if your child has had the unfortunate consquence of being the student of such a teacher, I am sorry, but it does not negate the fact that teachers are impossibly overworked, undervalued, and often treated like children. We are expected to be educated professionals but are rarely treated that way. The mixed message will have devestating consequences on education – heck, it already is.

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This post is quite true. It may sound somewhat self-serving – after all, most people go to work each day and do their job without expecting praise – but I think for teachers, such a small thing can make a big impact. The denigration of our profession over the past few years had made it even more important that we occasionally hear a “job well done” from those we serve. These days, I often have a few parents start the school year already armed with preconceived negative notions about teachers and my job performance. Usually, they are new to the school and have nothing to judge me upon but the fact I am a teacher. For some parents, the first parent-teacher meet and greet has taken on a “gotcha” atmosphere, where I seem placed on the defensive almost immediately. It used to be, parents were very willing to work WITH me as a team to assure the best for their child. Now, too often, the parents seem to see me as an enemy to be conquered and subdued, as though I need to be FORCED to do the best for their child. Thankfully, the numbers are very small, but it is very disheartening to have someone assume the worst about me based solely upon the fact that I am a teacher. Now, not only do I need to do my job well, I need to win them over. Generally, I manage this fairly quickly, but it is still an additional stress I do not need. Nor am I the only teacher who has experienced this shift recently.

So, those small notes of appreciation can make a huge difference – especially on those days where you just feel overwhelmed. I know that parents have been pleased with my abilities. I have heard second hand that I have been spoken well of in the community, and have been mentioned among parents as an excellent teacher. “Singing your praises” has been bantered around a few times. It is always nice to hear such compliments, but it would be really elevating to receive such commendations directly from the parent, perhaps in the form of a letter I could pull out every year as a little pick me up when I am feeling a bit ragged around the edges.

Regardless, I will continue to do my best for my students every day. That is MY personal sacred trust – but I second the letter writer’s request. It YOU as a parent have thought about thanking a teacher for a job well done, go ahead and do so, TODAY – you just might make the difference between their staying in the profession or leaving. Believe me, we certainly hear from parents who are dissatisfied… maybe if we heard more from the ones that were happy, we wouldn’t feel so downtrodden.

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I am fortunate to have worked for three principals in a row (over 15 years) who go out of their way to thank all the teachers on staff early and often, and in many different ways. Performance reviews always end with a litany of things they have observed us doing that made a difference somewhere. All three principals, and their assistants for that matter, are glass half full people, and it shows. I am also in a community where the parents, and even the students, are not reluctant to speak or write words of thanks on a regular basis. It can be done, and, by the way, I am a high school teacher.

I also take this idea even a step further. Many parents and students are also denigrated by the general public, and even other educators. I try to write notes of appreciation to parents and students who are truly doing a good job. If a student is impecably polite above and beyond the rest of his/her peer group, I will let the parent know that I notice it. I had that happen just yesterday, when I ran into a parent of a former student. Tears formed in her eyes, and she told me about being a single mother who felt like she was swimming up stream all the time, and she was so happy that her son had left an impression on me. I have sent letters of commendation at the end of the school year for those students who worked their butts off all year and may have made a 78, which to them is clearly an “A”, though the 78 goes on the report card. Almost everyone who has received one of these letters is still in touch with me, and they never cease to glowingly tell me about their latest accomplishments. None of this costs anything, yet the effect lasts a lifetime in many cases.

If there are cynics reading this post, let me assure you that I am not into empty praise, either given or received. I wish we could somehow get the cynicism out of any discussions involving education!

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Welcome to the real world teachers. Out here in world, workers have to be on the clock eight hours, five days per week. Our salaries have been flat or reducing for over a decade.

We have no pensions.

We have no union to turn to.

We do not get paid if we take off two whole months in the summer and spring and fall breaks to be with our kids. We get two lousy weeks vacation.

There are times when hundreds of us at one location are all downsized and our jobs are moved overseas.

Our jobs give even less satisfaction than yours.

We are out here suffering because we applied but were not selected to be a teacher as you did. We are out here standing by to replace you if we get the chance.

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The point the author was trying to make is that if you’ve had a good Dekalb teacher, write about it here on this blog.
When any employee/manager does a great job, I tell them but I also do something meaningful — I write a letter to their boss, a hard copy letter, something tangible. It’s difficult to ignore a hard copy letter sent by the US post office. Often those hard copy letters go into the employee’s personnel file and show up at evaluation time.
The author of this post makes a very good point — write a letter to the teacher and ALSO, make a copy for their principal.

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As a retired teacher, my heart breaks when I read this heartfelt letter. I have been in her place although it was a more positive arena. Sadly, the students and their parents from other cultures were far more likely to send positive thoughts and respect than families from local areas. As a society we continue to underappreciate the efforts of our teachers. That and the overload led to my earlier retirement.

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Well, Maureen, journalists are famously out to “change the world.” And my contention is rather that our better teachers—as with productive employees in other industries— don’t gripe to the extent which so many of your regular column contributors do. Or so conveniently follow labor union talking points.

But then, your choice of topics is heavily skewed toward the teachers’ union viewpoint.

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“I’ve always assumed that the whining on Get Schooled is the output of a very small group, working off of some teachers’ union Talking Points memo.

Tinfoil hat much?

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I’ve been a “former teacher” for about five years now. I initially planned on getting back into it after a hiatus, but in light of the state of education (and my personal cynicism about it), I have no desire to return.

And I might not get the kudos I’d like to get in the “real world”, but at least I don’t get blamed for things beyond my control. I’ll take the real world over public education any day.

Maria says:
“We are out here suffering because we applied but were not selected to be a teacher as you did. We are out here standing by to replace you if we get the chance.”

So Maria, you’re a wannabe teacher who’s suffering because you were not “selected” to be a teacher? Hang in there girl…you’ve definitely got the whining part down. All you need is a few more competent teachers to leave, and you might get the chance to be part of the solution. Right? Good luck, and be careful what you ask for.

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@Marla: Several teachers (good ones to boot!) are not renewing their contracts at the end of this year. Use an alternative certification program and get on it – if you start now, you can probably start at the beginning of next school year. You must know, however, that most teachers work much longer than an 8 hour day and teachers in GA and most Southern states are not unionized.

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Thank you Kittredge Magnet School fourth grade Latitudes teachers. When our boys were accepted into the program last spring, I wasn’t sure it would be worth the pre-dawn journey up 285 every morning, but now I know it was the right thing to do. Our boys don’t have a favorite teacher or subject anymore because each of you are so good at what you do. They truly look forward to school everyday and are aware themselves of how much they are learning. Thank you for all you do despite the difficult environment of our school system.

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My wife is head of Language Arts at Alcovy HIgh School. She has been a teacher in the Newton County School System for 17 years. I can not say or express how proud I am of her and the job that she does, the pride she takes in bettering herself, the department she heads but most of all, the difference she makes with her students. When we first began dating, we both stated that what gives us joy and makes us successful in our chosen careers is establishing relationships…..showing you care and being transparent. We’ve had many a conversation about the difficulties that a teacher must go through now. The grind of “benchmarks”, the ever changing landscape of teaching, parents who no longer “parent”, and a boat load of other obstacles that attack what a teacher really should or would like to be doing on a daily basis.
Jen is the varsity cheerleader coach for basketball at AHS. She not only wants her girls to cheer for their team, but she teaches them accountability, discipline, and to be young ladies.
She also works an after school program, writes grants for her school and is respected amount her peers.

To those of you who took the time to read this….I thank you. Support your teachers, invest in your school and by all means, tell your kids teachers GREAT JOB AND THANK YOU when it’s deserved. It’s easy to bash but the true depth of a person shows when they express their gratitude for those who serve.
My wife is Jennifer Mason and I am one PROUD and lucky man!! Thank you hon for being the kind, gracious difference maker that you are at your school!!!

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If you make a job miserable for teachers, you make it miserable for students because teachers and students are inextricably linked in the same environment. What responsible parent would want to degrade the environment their child spends most of their time in?

As a business analogy, if you lower morale for your key personnel and your customers, you will see your business suffer sooner or later. The same is true of education. If you lower morale for your key personnel (that would be teachers), then you will see a decline in your return on investment which is student progress. What parent wants this?

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As a former teacher, I really am hearing teachers complain. Most professionals work more than 8 hours a day and work weekends to boot. Teachers are not alone in this regard. Most other professions have also had stagnate pay and EVERYONE is seeing less money in their paychecks. Teachers are not alone. Several professionals that I know were to get bonuses only to have the way the bonuses were structured changed right before the bonuses were to be given, ripping this bonus from their grasp. Many professionals do not have the number of days off a year that teachers have.

I am not saying that teachers aren’t hard working, or that good teachers aren’t deserving of a nice salary, but hearing teachers whine about not being thanked is life!!!! This happens to many in their professional life and they don’t whine nearly as much as teachers do.

As an ex-teacher if you don’t like teaching or what it is becoming stop whining and do something about it. Stop being fearful of what someone is going to do and speak up. Then parents will support you a hundred percent, especially if what you say shows that you care about the children, something that too many running our schools are forgetting. I cannot support whiny teachers, one reason I never ate in the faculty room and only went in to use the bathroom and left as quickly as I could. If teachers don’t like what they see or experience, than they need to be the change that they wish to see.

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Dunmoody, thanks for naming names!

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10:10 had the absolute best comment on this blog so far:

“Legislators could help ensure that turnover of ineffective/chronically dissatisfied K-12 teachers becomes more rapid … and that applicants for those open teaching position then have the opportunity to show what they can do.

And then be recognized by grateful parents.”

I agree with 10:10. I personally don’t aspire for a teaching job, but I know many people who have all the qualifications necessary and are working or have worked as substitute teachers in the hopes to break in that way. Some gave up after a few years. I took the opportunity to speak for them here.

Where is the daily TV news segment or blog segment to honor specific workers in all the other low pay and thankless service jobs that make a community function. Firemen, police, mail delivery, military, red cross and many, many others.

Right now teachers suck up all the available appreciation from the village and still that is not enough for them.

Each whining teacher on this blog, let me ask you, how many hand written letters have you sent to be placed into the personnel files of all the service and low pay people that cross your path every day?

You have a job to do just like the rest of us. If you can’t do it without being stroked like a kitten, move on and allow the job opportunity to open for someone else.

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“Each whining teacher on this blog, let me ask you, how many hand written letters have you sent to be placed into the personnel files of all the service and low pay people that cross your path every day?

You have a job to do just like the rest of us. If you can’t do it without being stroked like a kitten, move on and allow the job opportunity to open for someone else.”

Eloquent. Accurate.

+1

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First I say, Thank you to the inspired instructors, and Thanks to the teachers who spend their work time as caretakers. I do think that this is a small number of the profession. BTW there are people in every profession that have similar feelings as mentioned in that letter. Professions from physicians to sewer workers. Some are excellent and socially concious and some are boarderline in proficiency and live within the cheaters culture. Under-appreciated teachers are not alone, they just get lonely.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to visit a classrom in a Ga. school. The teacher asked for a word from the class and a studen offered a word that fit the category of discussion. The teacher wrote the word on the erasable board and MISPELLED it. I mentioned in a eventoned and quiet voice what letter to change and she ask, ‘are you SURE?’.

Some people who work as teachers should, in fact,not be allowed near a classrom or near young impressionable children.

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@gdfo – you should’t misspell misspelled if you are going to complain about people misspelling words

Here’s where I have an issue. DeKalb County is constantly adding stuff to my workload that other districts aren’t and they aren’t actually paying me to teach this year. My entire salary is paid by the state this year. They furlough us, but don’t save a dime for DeKalb by furloughing me (and many other teachers in the middle of their careers) – they simply save the state of Georgia money. Yes, I should have bailed out years ago, and have no one but myself to blame for not. What is so bad about wanting some recognition for what I do – at no charge to the DeKalb County School District?

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@Marla “Each whining teacher on this blog, let me ask you, how many hand written letters have you sent to be placed into the personnel files of all the service and low pay people that cross your path every day? “

Well, personally if they were teaching my child for everyday for nine months, you bet I would send a note. As it is, I try to personally thank such people all the time. And if they do a repeated service for me, such as my mail carrier and my hairdresser, yes, they get a note or a wee bonus at the holidays. One time service providers, such as my plumber, if they do an excellent job, get an online recommendation on Angie’s List – which I suspect is something they appreciate since it brings more business. Others get a “tip” which is a financial “thank you”.

Besides, last time I checked, there wasn’t an ongoing campaign to undermine other service workers. Don’t recall reformers coming in to tell Red Cross workers and firefighters how to “do their jobs” and asking for ever more intense “evaluations” all the time. Don’t recall public forums in which firefighters are constantly called “whiners” and denigrated by those who have no idea what they do. Do you not think the “whining” might be a reaction to being constantly attacked?

I wondered how long the “good will” would last after teachers gave their lives trying to protect the students at Sandy Hook…. seems the limit is a little over a month. Now we are back to being “whining” teachers because we DARE make the suggestion that if a parent is really pleased with how we worked with their child, seven hours a day, for 180 days a year, it would be really nice to know. How ungrateful and self-centered of us.

Can’t help but wonder, what do all you negative non-teacher posters get out of coming here? You obviously do not like or appreciate teachers (unless they are the meek and silent types). You rarely have anything non-critical to add. You do not know enough about our job to offer professional advice. To me, you are just part of the ongoing problem – a public that has been so conditioned to despise teachers, that a simple request to let a teacher know if you think they are doing a good job turns into an opportunity to bash us once again.

And you don’t think that has an effect on teacher morale?

Or maybe that is the whole point, drive enough of us out of the profession and there will be more spaces for those “who were not chosen” for the classroom and have some idea that things will be so much better for them. Or maybe there will be more opportunity for those who want to push for online schools, and charter schools.

Who stands to benefit from the whole “public schools are all failing and the teachers are lazy, whining government moochers” rhetoric? Do you?

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Chocolates might not work because of diets, handwritten notes are great – but a gift card to Starbucks or Publix even for a token amount – is the best! And no, I am not a teacher. I just believe in treating them like gods and goddesses because they spend more waking hours a day with my child than I do and their work is so crucial to her success.

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To I Love Teaching –
I work in the corporate world. I never, ever get a thank you or a note or a special “business woman appreciation day.”
And to say that “You do not know enough about our job to offer professional advice.” is completely untrue.
All of us went to school. Someone who is a high school graduate had at least ten different teachers in grammar school, twenty differnt teachers in middle school and 24 teachers in high school.
AT LEAST 54 teachers. Teaching is a profession we know THE MOST about because we’ve had at least 13 years of it.
We are qualified to give you profession advice and my advice to you is to quit complaining on a public blog. It hurts all the members of your profession. It makes all of you appear child-like and whiney. It does you no good and it frustrates parents and alienates parents.
You say you want the cooperation of parents. You’ll certainly get less of it by complaining about parents on a public blog. Save your complaints for discussion within a teacher-only environment. Look for solutions. When you have an issue with a parent, address it PRIVATELY with that individual parent and your supervisor if necessary.
WHEN you have sage advice for parents, please share it …politely and calmly. (Please read Mary Elizabeth’s posts — she’s unfailining polite and calm and gets many kudos fromo all of us. I don’t always agree with what she says but I ALWAYS agree with how she says it. )
When you have genuine valid concerns about your work enviornment, bring it up with the NEA or create your own group. You have the right to protest, picket, walk-out and other rights.
Please understand, I love Teaching, complaining here on Get Schooled absolutely alienates and frustrates the very people you want or should want to partner with.
I send my children to school everyday on time, with a good healthy breakfast in their tummies, appropriately and respectfully dressed, homework complete and signed, a lecture in manners before I drop them off. I come to parent teacher conferences on time and prepared. BOTH of us are at each teacher conference, not just one. I volunteer at the PTA, I give and give and give money, time, supplies and so on…and…my child’s teacher treated me like the enemy. She was just as angry as you sound in your posts.
I can’t turn aruond without seeing another parent just like me.
During teacher appreciation WEEK (why did appreciation “day” morph into appreciation “week”?)the room mother gathered a great deal of money for the teacher and her assistant — $400 total.
other parents and I constantly gave paper towels, Lysol wipes, markers, copy paper, and on and on and on…
And then when I hear a teacher like you complain and whine and make bitter, angry comments about parents…how do you think YOU make US feel?
It alienates us. It makes us think you are unappreciative of the teacher WEEK and we resent you.
This is the consequence of you complaining about parents on a public blog.
Is this what you really want?
You have to realize you are hurting yourself and you are hurting your colleagues too.

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@Marla
“We do not get paid if we take off two whole months in the summer and spring and fall breaks to be with our kids. We get two lousy weeks vacation.”
Just thought that you should know that teachers are only paid for the months they work for that school year. Our checks are divided into 12 months so we can have a check each month for budgeting purposes. During those summer months, most teachers attend one or more classes to keep their certificates current, and some attend meetings in order to plan for the upcoming school year (and they aren’t paid to attend those meetings since they are during summer months).
Perhaps you should do your homework before you spout off about how teachers are paid.

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Here is my two cents:

Last year, 2012, I was chosen as STAR teacher of the STAR Student. This is still one of the best moments of my teaching career, but I have also saved every personal note, letter, email and such that teachers and students have sent me over the last 13 years of my career.

I told my STAR student during the luncheon I know his goal in life is to be rich, but he would never achieve monetarily the wealth that I felt that day and still do.

Little things like a note from a student or email from a parent make my year worth it. I try to let my kids’ teachers know the same thing. A little praise goes miles with teachers and parapros.

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Ooops, I meant “you’re” right.

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Just askin’………..Do you really want your kids to be taught by a teacher who considers teaching “a job?”

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@ Marla

form what you’ve posted, you appear to have made some difficult choices which backed you into a low paying, unrewarding, dead end existence

perhaps if you chose to return to school you might learn some new skills which could make you competitive for the many private sector jobs which offer much better benefits than we get.

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BTW Marla

what world do you live in?

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Kind words are always appreciated, but if you really want to help then work with me. I don’t need praise and recognition. What I need is for you to make sure your student is doing their work when they are out of my class; that they are editing their paper one more time before turning it in; that they are reading the articles and taking notes; that they are getting enough sleep; that they are e-mailing me with those questions over the weekend and the night before the test; that they communicate their frustrations to me so that we can work it out; and don’t denigrate me or the assignment, if you don’t understand my way or purpose let’s talk about it, and just because you may not agree, doesn’t mean it’s “bad”. Some of you are fantastic. Some of you drop the ball. I need you to be my ally in helping your child come to understand what they want out of this life. I only see them for 4.5 hrs per week. This is a team effort. Yes, kind words are appreciated. But let’s work together for the children’s future.

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“Counting down the days until escape.”

Same goes here for this teacher stuck in ClayCo. Been trying for 3-4 years to get out to a better district. I’ve learned to suck it up, do the very best I can for the students who work hard, and “do the most good possible,” but I will be hitting warp speed at the first chance I get to get the H out.

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@ 10:10

something I remain curious about: you are either unwilling or unable to offer people you attack even the most basic civility.

why is this?

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@ 10:10

tight little intellectual corner you’ve backed yourself into, isn’t it?

you made a claim you can’t verify, and now you must resort to namecalling and trying to get someone to bail you out with facts you are unable or unwilling to provide yourself.

so you either have to admin you were speaking your factless opinion, or that you were just base trolling. either way would require you to have a moment of intellectual honesty and/or integrity.

again, nice box you’re put yourself in

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@ 10:10

just for giggles—

when is the last time your were in front of a class? made your last lesson plan? hosted your last parent teacher conference?

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I must “quit” at least once a week. Some days it feels like I can’t go one more class period, let alone one more day. But then I look at the graduation/class/personal pictures from my students and the letters and emails I receive from them and their parents and, inevitably, I find the strength to push on one more day. Those letters and notes really do make a difference. Knowing that what I do is appreciated makes my job worth while even if my school district doesn’t seem to think so.

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@ Pride and Joy:

Just happened to scroll up to your comments. Well written, sage advice indeed. If our blog moderator were even-handed in her approach to issues yours might be featured as the next Get Schooled discussion topic.

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Two comments.
First my kids had some outstanding teachers. They were kind, capable professionals both cared and who were intelligent and creative about teaching. I really appreciate each one of them. We remember them in person and we recall them with fondness in our family.
Second, the system does not seem to produce such people. They are outliers. Our public school system is broken, perhaps beyond repair. It’s simply not up to delivering excellence to the population it serves. Rather than reform to meet needs, much of education has hunkered down to preserve the status quo by demanding every increasing amounts of money to keep doing what we are doing.
Both points are true. I appreciate the good teachers perhaps even more so as I see how special and unusual they really are. I also see that public education is on the wrong road and seemingly incapable of the kind of change needed.

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Thanks 10:10. for the kind words.

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“Everyone is finding it tough these days and few have the job security of teachers.”
Please let my friends that lost their jobs that they have job security. Right now, they’re piecing jobs together to make it. There is no job security. I’m reminded of that in just about every meeting I go to.

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@teresa

-GPC booted nearly 700 employees (this includes PTers)
-every primary system in the state has a long list of people who were not offered contracts for the next year with no warning or explanation.
-every college in the state except maybe UGA has quietly been folding jobs and not re-upping staff.
-the BOR legal staff is drowning in harassment suits for abuse and inappropriate dismissal.

now what was it you were saying…?

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@Pride and Joy

I read these blogs everyday and you are a frequent, almost daily poster.

I do not have the time to post here daily. I have posted on few of the stories lately, but before that I had not posted in quite some time.

You always complain about how horrible your job is. You complain about parents and your bosses and you have no kind words for them.

I have indeed discussed the downside of my job, when it was relevant to the topic. I have also discussed many OTHER issues, including suggestions about how to improve educational training, my feelings on the Common Core, the pros and cons of MAP testing, the dangers of over dependence upon standardized testing, etc. And, yes, I have complained about parents who do not support their children’s education, and about my past administrator who used to throw things at her employees – as well I should! I have also frequently complimented my current administration as they are wonderful and supportive. I have also complimented my supportive parents numerous times. YOU have even complimented ME on my kind words to parents.

Apparently, you have forgotten about that.

What the author of this piece asked us to do, is to write about a good teacher and say thank you, yet yo do not.

Actually, the author asked parents to send notes to good teachers and say thank you, not necessarily to post compliments here on this blog – though it is nice some have done so. I do not really need to praise my good teachers on this blog, as I have already sent them thank you notes years ago, when I entered the teaching field. They know how I feel.

I DO thank the teacher that made apositive difference in my life; yet you go on and on about how horrible your job is.

What does one have to do with the other? And when did I “go on and on about how horrible my job is”?

You give teaching a bad name when you consistently whine on these blogs about how much you hate your job.

Again… post specifics about when I have consistently whined about how much I hate my job.

You should really reread Mary elizabeth’s posts. She is a thirty-year veteran teacher. To my knowledge, she has never complained about teaching or her bosses or the parents. She consistently discusses education policy and curriculum in a polite, professional manner, even when others are unkind to her.

I have read Mary Elizabeth’s comments and find her a delight. She is well informed and well spoken. I have told her so. I am glad you appreciate her commentary, as you have not always done so in the past. Perhaps you forgot about that as well. See, I have a very good memory.

Please re-read her posts. If you really want to be respected as a professional teacher, speak and post as she does.

As much as I admire her, I am not Mary Elizabeth. I am not going to speak and post as she does. I will speak and post as myself, thank you. I am sure Mary Elizabeth does not want me to mimic her voice and style. She speaks well enough for herself.

I asked you to explain exactly when I posted “bitter and angry comments” about parents, and I note, you did not provide one example. Not one. What you did was throw a bunch of generalized accusations at me. It seems only fair that if you are going to criticize me for my posts, you provide SPECIFIC examples of how I have “complained about my bosses and parents and have no kind words for them,” or how I have ‘gone on and on about horrible my job is,” or examples how I “consistently whine about how I hate my job.”

When I make negative comments about ANY parent, I am always very careful to note I am speaking of specific cases, and that there are many wonderful parents who support teachers and do their best for their children. I am fully aware that there are poor educators in the field, people poorly equipped to be teaching children or running schools. I am sure you would agree. You seem to have encountered a few yourself. However, there are also parents who do a poor job of supporting their children’s education. That too is a fact, and I won’t pretend otherwise.

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I was looking at my 1972 Golden Memories from Sylvan High School in Atlanta today. I was in the 8th grade in 1972. There is a poem on page 57 that seems appropriate for this topic.

The Builder

A builder built a temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill;
Pillars and groins and arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said, as they saw its beauty,
“It shall never know decay;
Great is thy skill, O Builder!
Thy fame shall endure for aye.”

A Teacher built a temple
With loving and infinite card,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer.
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the Teacher built
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builder’s temple,
Crumpled into the dust;
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust.
But the temple the Teacher built
Will last while the ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple
Was a child’s immortal soul.

From the Treasure Chest

While I am at it, thank you Lucy Stephens of Sylvan High School. You taught me so well that knowing facts was not enough. You taught me how to think, and because I could think how to write. Thank you Karl Kimbough of Sylvan High School. You taught me that algebra was a step-by-step process, and that all the pieces do really fit together. Thank you Charles Adair of Sylvan High School. You gave me a lifetime appreciation of the military while teaching us Electronics. You modeled how to calmly solve problems that come up every day. Thank you Rufus Burger of Sylvan High School. You taught me an appreciation of the classics, and, more importantly, how to love every student. Thank you Rose Maurie Drake Brown of Perkerson Elementary School. You prepared us so well for high school. You also knew when to back off and let us learn things the hard way. I could go on and on about what you taught us.

I have now been a teacher for almost 34 years myself. I hope that I have done each of you, and the others who I didn’t mention proud. You helped make me the teacher that I am, and I am greatful. More importantly, you each gave of yourselves and help make me the man that I am.

Many people that snipe at the teaching profession truly do not understand the call to teach. There is no more noble calling. Regardless of what anyone thinks of me, I cannot imagine doing anything else the past 33 years. All of the complaints about the teaching profession truly hurt. I am sorry that we can’t please everyone, and I am truly appreciative of those that have said thank you throughout the years. To me, and many, many others, teaching is much more than a job!

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I love this, and I certainly did it with many of my children’s teachers. Last week I got a verbal bouquet from a student. I have been out of class for two weeks administering tests, and one of my students asked when I was coming back? I told him only a few more days, but why was he asking? His regular teacher was there. And he said, “class is so much better when you are there.” It was unexpected, as were the tears that came to my eyes.

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THE STATE OF GEORGIA IS ANTI-TEACHER!!!! Clayton County is a cesspool. Incompetent principals who treat teachers like unwanted dogs. An interim superintendent who is just that… an administrative building housing people with created positions, but no job description. Some people just can’t manage. PAM ADAMSON HAS TO GO!!!

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Kudos to the author of this post. Several years ago I left Dekalb County for City of Decatur Schools.I It wasn’t easy. There were over 200 applicants for my job and I had several rounds of interviews. The difference is remarkable. Size DOES matter, folks. In CSD, I am not a number. I received a “welcome” three weeks before I began in the form of a handwritten note from the Asst. Superintendent. The Superintendent stops by for “coffee chats”. At first, I was afraid to make eye contact with her (if you work in Dekalb, you know what I mean). Coming from a system where contact with anyone above your principal can get you in deep trouble to a “call me if you need anything” system has been an adjustment and an eye-opener. Hang in there, Dekalb folks. I KNOW how good you are. I was your co-worker for 20+ years. I know the long hours you keep. I know the family time you give up. I know the money you spend out of your own pocket for the kid who doesn’t get breakfast. I KNOW. Hold your heads high. You deserve all the praise you can get.

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[...] DeKalb teacher: If you want good teachers to stay in your school, please let … Your note might make the difference between a signed contract and walking away. –From Maureen Downey, for the AJC …. more: DeKalb teacher – Blogs – Atlanta Journal-Constitution Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up share via Reddit Tumblr it Tweet about … Read more on Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]

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Teaching really is under-rated and under-paid, and it can’t be made to fit the model of other jobs because schools aren’t self-interested businesses. They can’t just bank off trends. But teachers get the kind of attention from their students, and have an impact on them (http://empiricalmag.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-excerpt-in-search-of-good.html) that no one else can. There must be some other way of giving them their due.

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