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There's a difference, though, between picking up your toys and leaving and burning out. Burnt out individuals, by and large, don't leave.
And one year of teaching isn't long enough to work up to burn-out. A lot of people can't hack the job after their first year (according to one article, half leave within five years Half of Teachers Quit in 5 Years - washingtonpost.com), but it's not burn out which is the problem.
Depends on what burns you out. Isn't the definition of burned out tired of someting to the point you can't deal with it? I'm there wage wise. I can't keep doing this to my family. I can't keep walking into class without basic supplies. I can't stand in the grocery store anymore and decide where to cut corners for my family so I can afford something else in the classroom. I'm there. Didn't take long. Sometimes it doesn't when what burns you out is just impossible.
I wish I could say my heart's in it this year but it's not. My heart is hoping I find a better job and I will leave as soon as I do. The recent benefit cuts they made (equivalent to 15% of my pay) cut to the bone. I can't do anything for my class now. I'm already taking out of my children's mounths just having this job. Sadly, in one short year this has become a J.O.B. that I will keep until someone else offers me a better one.
Most teachers I know don't burn out from working hard. They burn out from hitting their head on the ceiling and knocking themselves silly. I'm tired of telling my administration I can't teach this way only to be treated like I'm not a team player because I won't just figure out a work around. The previous teacher was, obviously more affluent than I am as he purchased a lot of things himself, which went with him. I'm not in that position so we just don't have. It's amazing how this can just sap the life out of you.
I haven't read the posts up until mine b/c there were just so many to read through... However, I think that part of the problem with "burnout" is that it is labeled "burnout" when, in fact, it is something entirely different.
"Burnout" is used by other teachers and administrators to negatively label people who refuse to be part of a seriously flawed system. And rather than taking responsibility or having the blame fall on their shoulders, administrators and other faculty place the responsibility for a teacher's exit on the teacher. That way, nothing changes (we all know how much people hate change, especially those who are benefiting from having things a certain way.)
A lot of people use the term to discredit teachers who recognize that the system is not working in the best interest of education. Most teachers have tons of energy. But would you go to a job every day where every one in the building--including the students--has more rights than you do? Where you are expected to essentially be a doormat who just sits there and takes whatever administrators, parents or students dish out? And where you are expected to do all of this while making a sub-standard wage?
IMHO, teachers who decide not to stay in those kinds of environments are not doing so b/c of "burnout"; they're leaving b/c of self-respect.
Reps to you for this one. You hit the nail on the head. I think too much of myself, my family and my students to continue as things are. If the administration and the parents don't care, I'm not spinning my wheels just to spin them and that's all I'm doing to stay.
It sounds as if you are arguing against what I posted, when I actually was supporting the point of all the hours teachers spend working....I'm confused.
Don't be. There are multiple perspectives on the topic and they can be viewed as positive or negative. A simplification on teacher work time is to consider teacher work time as a form of flex time. The number of actual hours devoted to work for some teachers over the course of a year can equal the private sector. However they may do it over 42 weeks and not 48 ( 52 minus 4 weeks vacation) or 50 weeks. That is one of the luxuries of the profession. A teacher might work a 9 1/2 hour day but 1 1/2-2 of those hours are at home or away from the building and they get to pick when they do it. They can get home take care of their own kids, get them to practice and later in the evening when all is settled do their school work. That is priceless and not the same as someone staying in their work site for 8 1/2 hours etc. Teachers have a priceless ability to self regulate many of their hours beyond the normal work day and they can say no to additional paid duties. Many in the private sector can't. The biggest time disadvantage is that you probably can't take a week vacation in February to go to a ski resort. Also you probably can't go on your honeymoon for a week after your September wedding. Having Xmas off with your kids and Easter is priceless. Now I know you are going to say that schools don't have Easter break anymore but have Spring break. My response is how many public school districts can you name that don't just happen to schedule their Spring Break so Easter and Good Friday falls in it?
I have to respectfully disagree about the accuracy of that test (at least in my case anyway). In my area, I live a stone's throw from the school. I walk the parking lot as my daily exercise. On school days, the parking lot isn't clear until at least an hour after school (with the exception of the ed techs who are allowed to leave when the children do). School has been out since June 17th. The parking lot still has cars in it near-daily. The teachers are working on organizing their rooms in addition to preparing for fall classes. This is a typical year. Toward August, the parking lot will be clearer. Maybe it's just because we are fairly small and rural, I don't know.
One of the biggest arguments in the town council is the size of the parking lot and the amount of cars in it. Can they cut back? I'm sure they could somewhere, but what they also fail to take into account is the fact that there is a high volume of parent volunteers. Many of those cars belong to them. Not once have I seen any of the biggest gripers step foot into that school. As far as the ed techs are concerned, there are many - mainly because they are needed as one-on-one educators with streamlined students. We can't have our cake and eat it too with regard to that. If the prevailing feeling is that children who are considered "Special Ed" are to be streamlined into the regular classrooms, then they must have someone to work with them to either control behavior, or help them learn. I have volunteered and substituted to be an ed tech. The primary teacher in the classroom cannot be taken from the loop of teaching to constantly redirect one child to the exclusion of the others in the class IMO. That may also play a factor in burnout for teachers, I'll leave that for actual teachers to discuss.
IMHO, the only way to accurately assess what goes on in a school is to volunteer in one - preferably in the lower grades where the children require more direction and redirection. Then, following a fairly lenthy stint of that, if one still feels that their school isn't doing what's required and/or if they still feel that their teachers aren't investing the time needed, then absolutely can they feel free to express their disdain. That's only simple fairness.
Why are you disagreeing? You performed the tests and your teachers were there? I said it is a easy way to see if your teachers are actually staying and yours are as many are. No where did I assume what your answer would be. The reality is that across the nation people everyday are walking and driving past school parking lots and forming an opinion based on what they see. Many successful schools will have a lot of cars there after the working day is over. Once again if the cars are there is it reasonable that the teachers are? If the cars are gone is it reasonable that they are? If so then what problem do you have with the test? Did you read my actual post or some mistaken visceral reactions to it?
The parking lot test I suggested is not original nor is it that out of the norm. Here are some examples of when the parking lot test gets used in the course of normal school operations.
Saavy parents relocating to a new town especially in the suburbs will drive by possible schools 15-30 minutes after the work day to try to see how many teachers are there helping students etc etc etc. They are actually encouraged to do that as part of the selection process. They will actually come in at that time to talk to the principal and ask for a tour.
School systems usually dismiss high schools first followed by middle and elementary schools.
Teachers are notorious for thinking they work harder than other teachers. Thus the high school teacher will drive by the local middle school if it is on their route and form an opinion.
When schools are closed for inclement weather for students but not teachers. You know the deal everyone wants to know if the teachers are really there. That includes central office, board members and anyone else who had to go to work or find day care for their kids. Same thing happens on school based staff development days in the afternoon. Did they come back from lunch?
When the school message board show there is an activity that night everyone wants to see a full parking lot. Community members are happy to see a full lot as an indicator of good participation.
The reality is that we quite often form opinions about schools based on our drive by experience. We all love to see cars and feel better when we do.
Oh yeah and if you see an ambulance or police car, you know that reaction.
Not to go too far off tangent, but I can't let a conversation about cars as indicators of workers go past without pointing out that this sort of test is so completely oriented towards certain types of communiites (i.e. places where teachers almost all drive to work); it would be next to useless in many urban (or some suburban and smaller town) communities where people walk or take public transportation to work, or in other locations. I personally prefer to see a school with fewer teacher cars - it suggests that more of the staff live and work in the immediate community, which I think is a good thing.
I know that's not the point of the argument, but if there's going to be extensive discussion of the "parking lot test" then I'm going to throw that opinion in the ring as well, just to add a different viewpoint to the discussion. It would personally never in a million years ever cross my mind to take a look at the parking lot of a school, but that's because I don't drive, my educator-mother doesn't drive, and I've always lived in communities where people either park on the street or in some of the limited spaces carved out of some of the space surrounding the building. (sorry - I guess you touched a nerve there. The car-oriented aspect of some of the newer schools is a major pet peeve of mine. I think they're often a result of zoning, but the result is that that it's harder and harder in some communties to walk or bike to school, and I know in some places kids are actively discouraged from doing so due to safety concerns.)
I readily acknowledge that teachers work long hours, bring home lots of work, and, I would hope, so would the majority of other Americans, whether or not I see a car in a parking lot. And if more teachers are able to take the bus, walk, or bike to work, or to bring home their work so that they can do it in the comfort of their own living room, more power to them!
Don't be. There are multiple perspectives on the topic and they can be viewed as positive or negative. A simplification on teacher work time is to consider teacher work time as a form of flex time. The number of actual hours devoted to work for some teachers over the course of a year can equal the private sector. However they may do it over 42 weeks and not 48 ( 52 minus 4 weeks vacation) or 50 weeks. That is one of the luxuries of the profession. A teacher might work a 9 1/2 hour day but 1 1/2-2 of those hours are at home or away from the building and they get to pick when they do it. They can get home take care of their own kids, get them to practice and later in the evening when all is settled do their school work. That is priceless and not the same as someone staying in their work site for 8 1/2 hours etc. Teachers have a priceless ability to self regulate many of their hours beyond the normal work day and they can say no to additional paid duties. Many in the private sector can't. The biggest time disadvantage is that you probably can't take a week vacation in February to go to a ski resort. Also you probably can't go on your honeymoon for a week after your September wedding. Having Xmas off with your kids and Easter is priceless. Now I know you are going to say that schools don't have Easter break anymore but have Spring break. My response is how many public school districts can you name that don't just happen to schedule their Spring Break so Easter and Good Friday falls in it?
That's basically what I said in my previous post. I wasn't confused on that, but on why you seemed to be arguing against it. Ah well.
In Texas, our school year starts the third week of August and ends around Memorial Day. That puts our Spring Breaks in March, typically around St Patrick's day. That's different than many of the northern states that don't start until after Labor day and go well into June who then have their Spring breaks in April. So, we have our whole huge state that doesn't have SB at Easter.
That's basically what I said in my previous post. I wasn't confused on that, but on why you seemed to be arguing against it. Ah well.
In Texas, our school year starts the third week of August and ends around Memorial Day. That puts our Spring Breaks in March, typically around St Patrick's day. That's different than many of the northern states that don't start until after Labor day and go well into June who then have their Spring breaks in April. So, we have our whole huge state that doesn't have SB at Easter.
Not arguing but commenting. Because there are two side to the issue one can comment on each side if they are seeing both sides.
I know that's not the point of the argument, but if there's going to be extensive discussion of the "parking lot test" then I'm going to throw that opinion in the ring as well, just to add a different viewpoint to the discussion. It would personally never in a million years ever cross my mind to take a look at the parking lot of a school, but that's because I don't drive, my educator-mother doesn't drive, and I've always lived in communities where people either park on the street or in some of the limited spaces carved out of some of the space surrounding the building. (sorry - I guess you touched a nerve there. The car-oriented aspect of some of the newer schools is a major pet peeve of mine. I think they're often a result of zoning, but the result is that that it's harder and harder in some communties to walk or bike to school, and I know in some places kids are actively discouraged from doing so due to safety concerns.)
I agree here. There are far more factors to consider when it comes to this kind of 'car test.'
For instance, most of our high schools do not let out earlier than the middle/elementary schools, so that particular thought would be completely off base. Instead they let out about the same time or a bit later.
Additionally, being in a large metroplex means that many schools also have somewhat attached stadiums or complexes that host various events at all times of the day, adding substantial cars to the lots.
For example, one local high school has a parking lot directly across the street from a sports facility for an ice hockey team. On the nights they play the school's lot is full of over flow-which happens to be the actual teacher's parking lot. One might believe the entire teaching staff was at the school when looking at that lot on those nights and one would be completely wrong.
The opposite side of this same high school has a lot attached to the district's football stadium that also holds various conference rooms. The stadium, in addition to the three high schools using it for football, is used for professional women's football, track competitions, band competitions and various other outdoor functions. And the conference rooms are used for all kinds of district and non district business. This lot is shared with the student parking, however people unfamiliar with the school wouldn't know which lot was for teachers and which lot for students.
We also have many elementary schools that offer after school care until 6:00 PM. While you will find several cars in their lots until that time, they won't be of teaching staff.
In my younger kid's elementary school, we have a very large group of parent volunteers and PTA members who are in the building after school making it seem as if a large amount of teachers are still there. However, our teachers are gone, on most days, an hour after school is out. Most of our teachers are long term teachers who have their jobs well organized and under control and no longer have the need to be in the building endless hours. So if one drove by our school at 4:30, one might think the teachers didn't care or that school had ended far earlier than just an hour or so earlier.
Like I said.....far too many factors that would need to be known before using a 'car test' with any real use.
Not arguing but commenting. Because there are two side to the issue one can comment on each side if they are seeing both sides.
Odd, since we are seeing the same side.....but ok then.
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Reps to you for this one. You hit the nail on the head. I think too much of myself, my family and my students to continue as things are. If the administration and the parents don't care, I'm not spinning my wheels just to spin them and that's all I'm doing to stay.
In my area, I live a stone's throw from the school. I walk the parking lot as my daily exercise. On school days, the parking lot isn't clear until at least an hour after school (with the exception of the ed techs who are allowed to leave when the children do). School has been out since June 17th. The parking lot still has cars in it near-daily. The teachers are working on organizing their rooms in addition to preparing for fall classes. This is a typical year. Toward August, the parking lot will be clearer. Maybe it's just because we are fairly small and rural, I don't know. 
