Education’s Yossarian
Note: I wrote this piece shortly before formally resigning my teaching job in suburban Washington D.C .
I keep thinking about Captain Yossarian in Catch 22, and I guess I’m lucky. I had an anxiety attack in early February after a typical day teaching classes at Marshall High School in Fairfax County.A few days later I ended up with Yossarian’s elusive prize: a doctor’s note ordering me to stay away from my classroom indefinitely.
This debatably happy ending to my once promising teaching career makes my case less dramatic than Yossarian’s, of course, but a similar theme is at work. My doctors are just more cooperative.
Officially speaking, I am too crazy to teach, I suppose. But, for your kids’ sake, I hope you will indulge this nut for a few more paragraphs. I want to explain the real problem. It’s what led to my demise and, unfortunately, it hardly ever gets a mention in public discussions about education.
Ask any teacher. She’ll tell you. What’s wrong with education in America is that school systems across the country (please do not misinterpret me as singling out Fairfax County Public Schools) have dramatically unrealistic expectations about how much time teachers need to do things other than teach.
Teachers have to, let’s see, plan for classes, consult with colleagues and parents, grade papers, prepare class materials, respond to e-mails, complete paper work, stay current on education issues, learn new technology, tutor troubled students, organize extra curricular
Don Cudd
March 20, 2014 @ 12:18 pm
Thank you Mr. Rosenblatt. I hope that one day my “resignation” will prove helpful to the cause of getting teachers (particularly beginning teachers) more time to do their jobs well. I have not totally given up on ever teaching again and, in fact, have been putting a few feelers out to see if I might end up as a full-time teacher again in Brazoria County, the locale where I currently reside. Who knows?
I appreciate your suggestion about the Print/PDF button. I know there is a way to do as you suggest, and I have put that on my to-do list for the site. :)
Norman Rosenblatt
March 19, 2014 @ 11:57 am
Dear Mr. Cudd: Thank you for your letter to the Houston Chronicle. Although I have never been a teacher, I respect your efforts to educate the future leaders of the US. It is indeed a daunting task and we lost a valiant soldier when you resigned. I hope things have improved dramatically for you.
I wish your Print or PDF buttons would produce a good presentation of your essay. Instead it includes everything on the web page.