Last night Paula posted the above on Facebook. I chose not to comment on her post although there were a lot of others who did. Most were surprised with the students apathy, disappointed in them and/or angry with their choices not to complete their assignments. In all honesty, I felt much different than those writing on her wall. I actually felt relieved. This post was of no surprise to me. This was what we on the sixth grade team had dealt with these past two years - working very hard as a teacher for little or no return was frustrating. I know that I put all of my efforts into coming up with ways to help students change this behavior. It worked for some, but not all. Even though there were some small gains, overall it felt as though I was banging my head against a wall. The apathy demonstrated by the students was hard enough to deal with, but the lack of support from other adults was even more frustrating. Those who could help, didn't even try or else chastised me for not working hard enough.
I didn't comment on Paula's post last night, because all I would have been able to say is "leave." Being an educator is draining and takes away from family time. The relief that I felt when I realized that I did not have to return to teaching was enormous. I know that not all families can make that decision, but I now feel better, spend less money than I did before, and have become a bigger support to the Heinisch family. Overall, I can honestly say that quitting teaching was the best decision of my life. Last night's Facebook reminded me of that.
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