I found this letter to the editor which captures the sentiment of many against teachers. At the moment there is a clear backlash against teachers which is both irrational and highly unfair. Whilst certainly not perfect, most of us do our very best to help our students to thrive emotionally as well as academically, with little financial reward. This letter is a good example of how a profession that was once respected and appreciated, is by many, no longer admired or highly thought of.
Now, teachers can empathize with bullied kids
The Bakersfield Californian | Saturday, Mar 26 2011 11:04 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Mar 26 2011 11:04 PM
Wow, how funny that the tables have turned and some Bakersfield City School District teachers are now afraid to go to work. Just think how some students were also afraid to go to school.
In the March 23 article “BCSD vows action on student discipline issues,” teachers said that students have “shoved, slapped and cursed” at them.
Isn’t it ironic that students have been feeling this for quite some time and nothing has been done about it? Teachers have left it up to school administrators to handle any unruly students, and all that the administrators have done, in some cases, is suspend both students, which results in the situation never being fixed and the punishment of the victim along with the bully.
So, to those teachers that have found themselves in this situation, I say welcome to the life of those students who are bullied every day while administrators do nothing or very little to correct the situation and also put blame on the victims for defending themselves. Teachers, welcome to the club!
DAVID A. FLORES
Bakersfield
To Mr. Flores, all I can say that he obviously knows nothing about our profession. Teachers are the most bullied of all professionals. They are subjected to bullying from a variety of sources; their superiors, parents, colleagues, students and as we see from New York, the Government regulators.
Whilst that does not excuse a lack of awareness of schoolyard bullying on the part of the teacher, it is offensive to get satisfaction when a person or group of people are victim to bullying.
This letter emphasises how important it is for us to restore our great profession to what it once was. Many of us love our job. We love contributing to the lives of our students. We love helping them develop a sense of sense of self and watching them grow both literally and metaphorically.
Mr. Flores, I may be on the other side of the world, but you are welcome in my classroom any time. You might gain an appreciation for how hard the job is and how important the welfare of our students is to us.
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