I'll never go back

In my life before children, I was a middle school science teacher. I've taught 7th grade life science, 8th grade general science, and 9th grade physical science.

I was good at it too. When I taught in a state with "end of grade" tests that counted on the students report cards and class averages were discussed in teacher meetings...my students outscored every other class in the school. even my hoodlum students.

I can teach any child. I know this. It might be a challenge, but I know I can teach science to any child.

But I will never, ever return to a classroom as a full time teacher.

Yes, students are unruly and there is a lot of violence in the classroom. But there was back then too. I broke up a fight once when I was hugely pregnant and a student reared back to punch me until I said, "You do that and my husband will hunt you down and hurt you." It disarmed him long enough for him to realize what he almost did. He was immediately ashamed.
I had two 8th graders that gave birth before I did and one other whose "Momma did the right thing for her" according to another teacher.
I lost one of my favorite students to gang violence. He was 13.
Another of my favorites was kicked out of school for smoking marijuana in the bathroom of a fast food place while on a school fiend trip.
I begged the county not to expel him. I knew that he would never return. He didn't and he had great potential.

Teaching was hard work. Well, the actual teaching wasn't hard. That part was fun. But the other stuff was exhausting. The paperwork. Coaching cheer leading. Detention hall. Bus duty. Teacher meetings. Maintaining accreditation. Chaperoning dances. Doing fundraisers. Being surrogate parents for kids who were apparently being raised by wolves.
All without any real support from the office.

I never sent kids to the office. Because I knew nothing would ever happen to them. Or....too much would happen to them. Which was worse actually and totally undermined the authority of the "office."

But why I'll never go back has nothing to do with kids. I loved the kids.

I won't go back due to the behavior of the grown-ups. The parents, the other teachers, and the administration.
No support. Too many regulations. Curriculum with no proven track record. Watered down information. Politically correct tip-toeing. Fundraisers and gimmicks. Parents who won't back up an educator. Parents who feel their children can do no wrong. Teachers who don't want to be there. Teachers who don't know their material or really care about imparting it. Administrations that are more concerned with the test scores than the students knowledge. And a union that doesn't really care about the kids at all.
I had an 8th grade boy who fasted for days before wrestling meets so he would stay in the best weight class. One day he fainted in my class. I told the coach, his parents, the Principal, and the school nurse about his fasting.
No one thought it was an issue. He was a good wrestler.
The other teachers thought I was "blowing this all out of proportion."

In the years that I taught, I met 3 teachers that I would want teaching my children. Just 3 people in 2 different school buildings. 3 people that I would trust with the education and care of my children during the 8 hour school day.
That's why I homeschool.

Have I ever told you the story of the straw that broke this camel's back?

Jacob was only 10 weeks old and was in a day care about 3 miles from my school. We had teacher die at school. He had a heart attack in the teachers' lounge. It was terrible for everybody. The next day, we had a lot of teachers out for some reason and my day care called to say that Jacob had a 103 degree fever and had to be picked up. ZooDad was in the field and could not be reached so I was the only option.

My principal would not let me leave work. He would not. He made me wait until my planning period to get my baby and then the secretary watched Jacob until the end of the school day. He wouldn't even let me keep my son with me for those last two hours of school.

After school I took him to the doctor and then to the hospital. Tiny little Jacob had pneumonia. When I called in the next morning, my principal did not want to let me have the day off because other teachers were out for the funeral. I told him I would resign immediately and he changed his mind.

When my contract renewal was offered a few weeks later, I did not sign it.
I often wonder if I should tell that administrator why he lost his "Teacher of the Year."