[Whitley]

Originally Posted by chicksinger

When you understand that teachers, once highly respected and paid well, no longer have either. In Denver, we called working in an urban school combat pay. Teachers are on the bottom of the totem pole in the public sector and treated as such by admin, students and parents alike. In those schools, the kids run the asylum.

When I subbed in those schools, I often needed security in the classroom just to maintain peace and my safety. There is no respect whatsoever. I was threatened, bullied, hit on the head with a basketball, tacks on my chairs, cursed at and followed by students and chased to my car sometimes after classes. Teachers were often in fear of having their houses set on fire in one neighborhood and I was warned by one of the male teachers not to be left alone with the "teens" because rape and assault was a real possibility with all those older boys in high school.....and they did come right up to my face towering over me and ask me what I would do about it if they didn't want to go back inside when the bell rang.... I put on the bravado and said I didn't give a crap whether they came in or not, I wasn't going to be here tomorrow, but, they would be...so, I'm going inside now and you can do whatever you want! That was the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life in the schools.

Principals always sided with the students despite the obvious whenever I went for help or tried to use any kind of discipline. Teaching under those circumstances is anything but instructive...you are expected to actually teach and be a psychologist, nurse, quasi-parental figure and do it in such a way that will capture the students attention. All this is demanded and expected for less pay than a McDonald's employee.

The only place teaching can really take place is in an atmosphere of support and respect for the job from the parents, admin and students at the very least. There needs to be consequences when they don't. That's why IF anyone I know thinks of going into teaching today in the public school system, I recommend the private sector. My husband finally told me that if anyone touched me or hurt me he'd wind up in jail and I felt the same way...if anyone touched me, don't care if they're "kids"...I will defend myself and no doubt, wind up in jail as well. It was a battlefield and we decided it was time to quit the classroom, so I did.

What happened over the years that pushed our schools to this dangerous state we see today as described by you? Why are classes so much more dangerous today? What has changed?