I Am Not A Babysitter

Yoda Of Math, you're the exact reason why teachers receive the unfair stereotypes that we do. Do us all a favor and retire.

After ten years of teaching, I firmly believe that Ms/Mrs Robinson has truly gave an insiders guide to education and the public perspective on our job. I would challenge any "professional occupation" to deal with 125 teenage students, 5 classes each day, and deal with irrational parents. The newly elected president must face the challege to raise the value of teachers and, as the article pointed out, not by increasing pay.
Stay the course Ms/Mrs Robinson you are truly doing God's work.
Dan Porter
Raleigh, NC

THE FLAVOR OF THE WEEK IS NOT WHAT IS IMPORTANT
I was happy to read Heather Robinson???s article, ???I am Not a Babysitter.???
Thank you for addressing our education system and our cultural biases.
In a nutshell, EDUCATION has become marginalized as well as the educators. Although we are in the midst of an election, American education is in a crisis. After the presidential campaign and other distractions have settled, it???s important to realize what is truly important in our future as a nation: the education of our future citizens.
As Heather Robinson mentioned in her article, we are always faced with having to justify our position as educators as though there is ???something beyond??? an instructor???s profession. And so I ask you, ???Do you care who is teaching your children when you aren???t???? I would. Ironically, most officials that establish these laws wouldn???t dream of placing their own kids in a public school.
Educators are learners as heart. I can almost guarantee you that those who pursue education as a profession are not in it for the money or the vacations. (The average current salary for a public school teacher is around $40,000)
That is for more that 40 hours a week. Ask any instructor and you will get a mouthful. They love what they do and they love their students. Not only do teachers have to go through an accreditation program (although antiquated) to teach in public schools (which is another year after undergrad) but also there is NO guarantee that a young teacher will be placed and after the cutbacks, who is the first to be cut? The first to enter the system. Placing your children in the hands of these professionals is worth more???much more. Teachers and our children???s education should be at the very front of our concerns, not the media???s flavor of the week.

Ianna Frisby
Sacramento, CA

Maureen, 'defence' equates to the same meaning as 'defense', 'defence' is simply a British-leaning spelling.

maybe Newsweek should spell defense correctly.

Thank you, Heather, for a beautiful description of what a teacher is. Having gone through a credentialing program, and shadowed several teachers, I can appreciate what hard work teachers have to do every day. Though I didn't actually go into the teaching field once I completed the program, my respect for teachers has still grown immensely. The world can't thank you enough for the job you do. It really is too bad that Americans (like Floridave) tend to show their teachers less respect than they deserve, a quality that many countries embrace, and I'm sure in part leads to a better education system overall.

( this is the full version of my post)
I loved teaching. Something happened around my 25th year of teaching. I realized I was not teaching any more. It didn't take long to figure out that you cannot teach students who do not pay attention, do not do their homework and do not care if they learn, only that they get a good enough grade to not fail.
I could no longer pass on such students to the next teacher without shame at the prospect that I would be ruining the next teacher's class. You see, my school lowered their standards so they would not have to fail as many students. Math students were allowed to pass on with a grade of D minus.
You can imaging what that does to the chances of a teacher having success teaching her curriculum.
After hanging on for another 5 years, I decided to take early retirement and am now working in the education field, but not the classroom. That decision has probably added years to my life.

I loved teaching. Something happened around my 25th year of teaching. I realized I was not teaching any more. It didn't take long to figure out that you cannot teach students who do not pay attention, do not do their homework and do not care if they learn, only that they get a good enough grade to not fail..
I could no longer pass on such students to the next teacher without shame at the

I'm a 16 and a half year veteran in Missouri with a Masters + 30 who makes just a tad over half of what my NYC colleague makes. We are educators, parent substitutes, social worker, administrators of justice. We are expected to understand and be able to deal with any and all medical situations faced by our students, as well as helping them to deal with their crumbling home lives, adapt to any and all special education needs, as well as adapt our curriculum to challenge our best and brightest. Respect? I crave it. As a middle school teacher, I often hear, "Were there no jobs in high school/elementary?" I'm a middle school teacher by choice! Most days I'm on the go from 7 a.m. to about 8 p.m. I'm never bored and no day ever goes as predicted. I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. As an 8th grade teacher, I make something a lot of people don't. I make a difference!

I'm a veteran NYC teacher with two masters degrees. I make a little over $100,00 per year, and I have an excellent pension and retirement package. While I do spend many hours grading papers, creating lesson plans, and devising appropriate assessments, I do not feel that I am underpaid. I used to work for a Fortune 500 company. I would never ever return to the corporate world. Teaching brings amazing rewards for those of us who love the profession. Sadly, there are far too many teachers who don't like their jobs, administrators, students, and/or parents. These people should find a new profession quickly. They are shortchanging themselves and their students.

I forwarded this article to all of the teachers and administrators at my school. If anyone was curious about the true life of a teacher, this young lady from Dallas sums it up. I, too, would not trade this profession for any other in the world. A small aside - if you are a parent and you have children, remember this article the next time you meet your children's teachers at the next open house or parent/teacher conference.

Teaching is sorely underappreciated. The greatest reason I could never go into teaching is that I could not and would not subject myself to the type of abuse and disrespect that teachers face.

Conservatives have a disdain if not downright hatred for education and liberals want you to be a social worker if not part-time parent.

I have no college degree and a non professional but I make more than most teachers do with a better
schedule. Getting to work at 7:00 and leaving at 4:00 is NOT designed for the golf course.

It is a shame that out of this wonderful and inspiring article all that Floridave (see comment below) could muster was a negative attitude. This attitude toward educators and their proefession is exactly what Ms. Robinson was illustrating - see what they are up against. Not only do teachers deal with students who don't all want to be there, but they deal with parents and other professionals who look down upon them for their calling.

Ms. Robinson's only statement regarding pay was that there are other professions also in need of better compensation. It sounds as though Floridave has a chip on his shoulder. This example of other's perceptions of teaching as being nothing more than PTA meetings and school carnivals is exactly what Ms Robsinson was illustrating. Our classroom teachers are layng the foundation for our children's success, and therefore the success of our nation and of our world. Why then are they continually put down for just desiring the respect that one would think would accompany such a position and profession?

Floridave - you missed the entire point if you are focusing on teachers who complain about pay. That's not what Ms. Robinson wrote about. She wrote about respect. Which is free.

Wow. Please read the article abefore posting. She's asking not for more money but for respect, clearly something you are unable to offer.

It is a shame that Floridave's comment just below mine interpreted Ms. Robinson's letter as an opportunity to whine. It just goes to show that each person's perception is their reality. Ms. Robinson only had once sentence regarding pay, and it was to say that other occupations, as does hers, deserve a second look at compensation.

I come from a family of many educators and have seen and heard first hand the many difficulties and triumphs that they face each day. Ms Robinson's whole point was that attitudes, like Floridave's, that regard teaching as nothing more than PTA meetings and carnivals are the real problem. No one can argue that teaching/education is the foundation of every person's success - why then denegrate those who are called to do exactly that?

Thank you teachers for all you do for the success of your students and for the future success our our world.

Bravo. The only people we truly remember (and value) into our dotage are those teachers who made a difference in our early lives. I remember mine, I have been one, and would be prouder than you can know if one of my children was to choose the teaching path.

If people ever dispute the value of teaching, tell them this: when I was a senior in high school, my American history teacher invited a Holocaust survivor to speak to us about her ordeal in a concentration camp. When I asked after class how people could stand by and do nothing while such atrocities occured, my teacher told me words that I still remember to this day. He said: "Neutrality in the face of evil is acceptance." These words have influenced some of the most important moral decisions that I have made in my personal life. Without those who make the sacrifice to teach children what they should know, our great society would be worthless and bankrupt. The youth would grow up with no appreciation of history, values, or culture. As bad off as some kids are now, imagine how bad it would be with no teachers to show them the way.

Thank you for the contribution of the article, and for what you do. I realized in college that I should teach, but went to law school instead. When I attempted to teach at the high school level in the local school district a few years ago, I was told I would have to return to school (two years at night to obtain certification). Not a real option, and I imagine that there are other professionals who would make very good teachers who are stymied as a result of hoop jumping. I turned my attention to teaching at the local community college at night and love it. What fun, and what a sense of accomplishment. I hope to teach full time at some point. Again, thank you for contributions to society.