"We heard a lot last month about the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.
It showed that teachers across the nation are demoralized and that
their job satisfaction has dropped precipitously since 2009. The
proportion thinking of leaving teaching has gone from 17 percent to 29
percent, a 70 percent increase in only two years. If this is accurate,
it would mean the exit of one million teachers. I hope it is not true.
What has happened in the past two years? Let’s see: Race to the Top promoted the idea that teachers should be evaluated by the test scores of their students; “
Waiting for Superman
” portrayed teachers as the singular cause of low student test
scores; many states, including Wisconsin, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan,
Indiana, and Ohio have passed anti-teacher legislation, reducing or
eliminating teachers’ rights to due process and their right to bargain
collectively; the Obama administration insists that schools can be
“turned around” by firing some or all of the staff.
These events have combined to produce a rising tide of public
hostility to educators, as well as the unfounded beliefs that schools
alone can end poverty and can produce 100 percent proficiency and 100
percent graduation rates if only “failing schools” are closed, “bad”
educators are dismissed, and “effective” teachers get bonuses.
Is it any wonder that teachers and principals are demoralized?"
