We’ve often been told that we should never meet our heroes because there’s a good chance that that meeting will just end up disappointing us and make us see them in a harsh, new light.
Unfortunately, some people have reported similar experiences when they enter a career that they’ve always dreamed of. Although many of us may expect that what we really want to do won’t always fit the way we idealize it, some industries are sadly very good at turning those dreams into nightmares.
And as one Texas teacher expressed, that nightmare can only get worse for everyone if some important jobs aren’t treated with appropriate respect.
Once upon a time, Julie Marburger dreamed of teaching a classroom of her own.
However, as she posted on Facebook , the reality of what it means to be a teacher in America today pushed her out of the job only two years after she achieved her dream.
Julie opened her remarks with a heavy statement that speaks to the greater issue she’s dealing with.
“I left work early today after an incident with a parent left me unable emotionally to continue for the day,” she said, “I have already made the decision to leave teaching at the end of this year, and today, I don’t know if I will make it even that long.”
She detailed her breaking point — citing disrespect from not only the children in her class, but the parents who champion those children regardless of their behavior.
“I have finally had enough of the disregard for personal and school property and am drawing a line in the sand on a myriad of behaviors that I am through tolerating.”
She also warned that fellow teachers have expressed similar sentiments to her and are already leaving the profession in droves.
As she put it, “There is going to be a teacher crisis in this country before too many more years has passed unless the abuse of teachers stops.”
But to understand her feelings, we first need to understand what she experienced.
Unfortunately, the issues seem to come from all sides, but she chose to illustrate some of it with photos of her classroom.
She said these photos were taken over the course of two days, but they’re not unusual scenes from her day-to-day life.
Although the issue is hardly limited to students trashing her classrooms, this serves as a useful example of the chain of misery that leads to disillusioned teachers.
Since her post spoke to such a common and relatable frustration for anyone trapped in a “broken” system, it spread throughout the internet, gaining positive responses and supportive messages as it went.
As Marburger put it, “I’m feeling a little shell-shocked over the attention I have gotten, to say the least.”
For one thing, she said that many of the items destroyed came out of her own pocket because she essentially wasn’t provided with a classroom budget.
Add that to what she describes as an “insultingly measly” salary and the effect is similar to watching the kids throw her money into a paper shredder.
She also discovered that expecting support from most parents and the school administration only amounted to setting herself up for disappointment.
On the day she posted her message, one parent in particular was not shy about expressing how wrong they felt she was for holding their child accountable for their behavior while that child was present.
As for the administration, she said, “Administration always seems to err on the side of keeping the parent happy, which leaves me with no way to do the job I was hired to do…teach kids.”
This lack of support doesn’t get any better when it comes to the kids’ academic performance. Marburger said that about half of her students were in danger of failing.
This wasn’t because they performed poorly on assignments, but because they hadn’t bothered to do them. It’s hard to get a passing grade when the teacher never sees eight to 10 of your assignments, after all.
Although these kids and their parents ignored her attempts to warn them about the issue over three months, they still demand to know why she ends up giving them F’s.
Although this system becomes alienating for teachers, she said it also does nothing to ensure that children will have a successful and happy life when the world expects more of them.
“Parents have become far too disrespectful, and their children are even worse,” she wrote.
The problems she faces, although extreme and surprising, have almost become expected.
“Behavior in my class will deteriorate even more,” she wrote, “I am expecting this, because it is what has happened at the end of every other term thus far.”
“Teachers are some of the most kind and giving people I have ever met, yet they get treated so disrespectfully from all sides.”
She also took aim at the parents of unruly children who “can’t stand to spend more than a couple hours a day with their kid,” yet don’t have the common courtesy and etiquette to respect the teachers that spend 8 hours a day with them, and dozens of others like them.
“People absolutely HAVE to stop coddling and enabling their children. It’s a problem that’s going to spread through our society like wildfire.”
“It’s not fair to society, and more importantly, is not fair to the children to teach them this is okay. It will not serve them towards a successful and happy life.” she continued.
Marburger explains that administrators often demand an explanation as to why so many kids fail and imply that it’s because they weren’t given proper support.
To this, Marburger said, “I’ve done practically everything short of doing the work for them.”
She also said that while her post speaks to fundamental issues with America’s education system and how certain behaviors are enabled, she also wishes she had mentioned the positive experiences she had.
As she said, “I would have pointed out that I have many amazing, hard-working, respectful students who show up every day and give their best and also many supportive, loving parents.”
“For them I am thankful and hope I haven’t offended. But my frustration was also in their behalf. Because the actions of some are hindering their educational experience.”
She summarized her argument with three points, “First, the education system as we know it needs reform. It is broken and inadequate for our children.”
“Second, we absolutely have to hold our children to a higher standard of accountability in all areas. Inflating their success doesn’t raise self-esteem.” she continued.
Julie concluded with a final point, “we as a society have to get back to treating one another with manners and respect. We are only going downhill with hatred and name-calling. No one wins when kindness dies.”
h/t: Facebook | Julie Davis Marburger
