I just got a letter from NYC's public school system asking me to fill out an exit survey, following my resignation. This is what I told them at the end, you know, when they ask you if there's anything else you'd like to say:
"My overwhelming reason for leaving is the amount of paperwork and assessment required of teachers, particularly special educators. There is very little time to teach and there is always some deadline for some kind of work that takes a lot of time away from teaching. It is rarely clear how this makes us better teachers or affects student achievement. On top of the pressure to start teaching to the state tests, which starts from the beginning of the school year if your school had a bad report card grade the previous year (or even if it didn't), it all makes for unhappy teachers who are at risk of burnout within a couple of years of starting their careers. And I experienced this even though I was always supported at my schools, had adequate resources and parent involvement and was very prepared for, and capable of handling, the challenges of being a NYC public school teacher. I know I was very good at my job. But I rarely had the chance to do it."
Even with all of the challenges I'm having here, I'm very confident in my decision, and I'd make it again if I had to.
No comments:
Post a Comment