Current Scenario for Teachers

I'd have to say that after teaching for nearly a decade, I'm glad that I got a job when I did. Having seen what's been going on in my state, and then hearing about similar things happening nationwide, I'm sure glad that I have my tenure, and I have a secure job.

So many schools today are having budget difficulties. Why did this happen all of a sudden? Well, I don't want to start pointing fingers, but when so many schools are having trouble with finances, maybe there's a problem regarding the funding?

Because of financial woes, many schools are searching for ways to cut costs. One of the first ideas for many school districts is of course to eliminate the largest portion of the budget, a position, or maybe even more than one. Heck, cut 3 positions and you're looking at $100,000.

What I'm getting at is that when I went to college, there were a lot of teachers that were near the end of their careers. They were about to retire, and there was supposed to be a big influx of new teachers. I wonder if the schools are still talking about this same topic now? When whole schools are being closed, when 8-10 positions are being eliminated. Instead of hiring someone new when a teacher retires, they often just don't hire anyone.

Not only are there less teaching jobs posted every year, but there also are more stipulations in becoming a teacher. Not that there weren't enough guidelines and regulations before. I had to take about 10 tests to get my teaching certificate, before I even started teaching, and it appears they're looking for more documentation and proof that I'm qualified.

Now with all this extra work the teachers are being asked to go through, you'd think that there would be some benefit to it, but I haven't seen anything good to come out of it for the teachers. NO extra pay, no extra certification... just more time put in for basically the same job.

I'm not trying to persuade anyone not to go into education, because there are benefits, and it is a very rewarding profession. I'm just trying to clarify, and make anyone reading this aware, that government is making it so that it is really nothing but one hurdle after another to become a teacher. And then you get paid less than the work you put in, and you're still constantly criticized.

I hope things change for the better sometime soon. I really think the latest efforts toward bolstering the Education system have had good intentions, but they just weren't thought out fully, and really have some loopholes. I'll save my thoughts on NCLB and some of these other ideas for a later date.