Good teachers will do damn near anything for their students

by David Safier

Here's another comment from the teacher in Tempe whose comment I moved to the front a few days ago. He spotlights one of the ironies good teachers understand. They complain, rightly, about budget cuts and unnecessary restrictions. But when the students walk in the classroom, all that goes out the window and they bust their asses to give their students the best education they're capable of.

If your answer is, "Good, we can make cuts with little harm," you're not considering the burn out rate that causes good teachers to leave the profession or the loss of those little individual attentions that don't show up on test scores but can make a huge difference in a young person's life.

Dave, you mentioned the retirement of the baby boomers. Over HALF of all teachers working right now are between the ages of 55 and 60. That means that over HALF of ALL teachers will be retiring in the next 5-10 years. So, yes, it will absolutely be a seller's market soon. And as an experienced teacher with great references, I expect to have my pick. 🙂 And why would I pick Arizona…even as the thought of leaving my current school breaks my heart?

See, this is what administrators and legislators so often take advantage of in dealing with teachers. We are so damned dedicated to what we do that we'll take any abuse, work under any conditions. Oh sure, we'll bitch. But then we'll adapt. We'll get it done for the kids. Look at this school year. Massive cuts. No supplies. No new books. My department lost four teachers, which of course meant larger class sizes. But you know what? We've adapted. We're doing more with less, as they used to say on The Wire. So of course they're cutting more for 2010. Now, I'm sure there's a breaking point, but because of the nature of teachers, it'll still be awhile before we reach it. We're our own worst enemy, in a way. 🙂

My other comment relates to your post about Arizona versus Michigan. I am from Michigan, born and raised. I moved to Arizona because I could not get a teaching job in Michigan. I got one extremely easily here. And at a GREAT school too! But now, with what's happening in Arizona, I actually have better chances back in Michigan. Last summer I applied for a few jobs in Michigan. I had calls for three interviews. There probably weren't even three jobs to apply for in Arizona, with 4000 teachers having just been riffed. I was just window shopping, but if I'd been serious, I could've left Arizona last summer. So I plan to spend the coming summer vacation in Michigan, actually going on interviews. It's weird to imagine moving TO Michigan these days, but when you're moving FROM Arizona I guess it makes more sense.