Saying good bye to 2012

It is amazing to notice how years, months, weeks and days pass you by with such speed, while not really noticing that is happening. For the past two years, since my last post I have being counting the days left for my 58th birthday, in 2013, when I will change careers. 2013 will bring many changes and happy tidings. I'll be looking at my present career with different eyes and looking forward to a change. As a someone that likes to teach I know that I will never stop giving information out, talking about possibilities and sharing my knowledge with others, especially young adults, the challenge feeds my soul and it's in my blood, but during my years as a teacher I have changed my perceptions on this particular profession. Unfortunately, profession is not what it's called among many. I don't really blame those that feel that education today is not what it use to be, because I know that it isn't. Today, teachers are expected to teach, do child care, be a supporting adult, have some psychological connection with the population of students being taught, and last but not least, be a condescending parent without even a cost of living increase in your salary. All the reasons why I am looking forward to my 25th year mark so I can retire. Children are great, parents not so much. I have enjoyed my years as a professional that teaches rather than a teacher that went to school for four years taking educational classes that have very little to do with the reality of a classroom. "Be tough but understanding, strong but indulgent, follow the curriculum and do not deviate, but assess with consideration." OK, lets have parents come to the classrooms with their children every day for a whole school quarter and then they can decide if their children are being properly educated or not. Even better, lets have those administrators that left the classroom because they couldn't hack the pressure to spend the quarter year with the students they ran away from. Lets have all those that presume teaching is an easy job to spend two months with us in the classroom. Bring the newspaper journalists, the politicians and the lobbing personnel that call for changes when they have no idea what goes on in the classroom. Take the phones away, substitute the MP players for books and raise the bar for both assessments and maybe, just maybe somethings might get accomplished. Failing students isn't allowed any longer, however, schools have no control of what parents think or feel. The communication between parents and the school is so low that teachers only depend on what is expected rather than what is right. Letting students advance from grade to grade without concrete knowledge and low level of reading and comprehension is not accomplishing the dream. If the assessment bar is risen enough for students to go to college, then college professors might not need to lower their grade scale in order to pass them. My standards are not nearly as high as they use to be because we as teachers are expected to pass the students even though we have no control of their education and they can't pass the assessment suggested by the curriculum. One thing for sure, the lies told are getting bigger and bigger and I have no idea how the schools are going to get out of this hole, and public education is not alone, the lies are in all the schools without exception because everyone wants to look good, therefore the lies keep coming. I am sorry for the young teachers that are graduating. Good luck to them and to all of you a Happy New Year!