Teaching in Dallas ISD

[still_waiting]

I just left DISD...career change. Was also an AC teacher. If you have questions, IM me. I'll be honest and candid.

[Restrain]

My DIL just accepted a job in a northern suburban ISD. 16 years in DISD. Every year was worse than the one before. She was a 2nd grade teacher, had almost 40 kids, 8 of which were severely mentally challenged, and no teaching assistants. She just could not effective teach, just became a baby-sitter. No support from the administration. It was to the point of getting in another ISD or another job.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Wrecked

No where did I say all seasoned teachers have no ambition or that they are all bad. But DISD has plenty of bad teachers, green and seasoned alike(nowhere did I say all) who do the minimum so they do not to get fired. If you read another post I clearly recognize there are people who find teaching in urban schools to be their calling. Props to them.

The reality of the situation is Mike Miles and Co. are forcing the good teachers to flee the district. There are good teachers trying to stick it out. But many continue to flee to other districts. Its asinine what teachers in DISD have to put up with under the current regime. Good teachers who stay in DISD do it out of their calling to teach in an urban district. Staying in DISD goes against their own self interest. You cannot deny there are DISD teachers who go through the motions, perform the Mike Miles required dog and pony show, and do the minimum to not get fired. The sad thing is good teachers got fired last year because they wouldn't do all the bull**** implemented by Mike Miles. At the same time its hard to blame any teacher in DISD or doing the minimum. Morale is terrible, they lack support by their administration(or worse bullied by their administration), they get sanded bagged on spot obs, and well DISD is just a ****ty place to work right now(because of the Miles regime, not because of the students/it being poor/dangerous or other bull**** socioeconomic reasons commonly posted about DISD).

Blaming Miles en toto for DISD's low teacher morale and bad outcomes is weak. DISD has been in a death spiral for decades. I read somewhere that DISD's average SAT (M+V) was less than 800. The numbers have been roughly that pathetic since long before anyone around here first heard Miles' name. He's trying to shake things up and as always teachers hate that and the notion of serious professional accountability is totally unthinkable to many teachers. Note the hysterical, even childish pre-reaction to the notion of home-rule in DISD.