EDU Trending: “I Quit!”
Teacher shortages are nothing new, but the rapid acceleration is cause for alarm. To blame COVID is to deny the truth. COVID simply illuminated problems that have been building for more than a decade. There is no need to ponder the reasons. Fueled by a combination of pent-up anger, helplessness, and despair, teachers who quit are speaking out: On Podcasts, YouTube, or TikTok.
They share their experiences without fear because they intend to never return to the classroom. Google ‘Why Teachers Quit’ and see for yourself.
In this must-see video, an 18-year veteran teacher describes the pain of not wanting to leave teaching, his procrastination, and why he finally knew he had to walk away from what he calls a “brutal situation.” He pinpoints four reasons for his decision that he believes are responsible - wholly or in part - for other teachers quitting as well. I will not cite them here. You deserve to hear his reasons from the man himself and what he believes can and should be done to address them.
Without rancor or rant, in a voice that often breaks with sadness, this former teacher delivers a compelling and thoughtful message.
His plea for change is heartbreaking, not because it is impossible to achieve, but because it has been ignored for so long.
News and Views: A Fiercely “Heumann” Activist
When Judith Heumann died in the morning of March 4, 2023, she was mourned by millions around the world. You may not recognize her name, but we all benefit from her advocacy for the disabled, including: ramps; curb cutouts; sign language interpreters; braille keyboards; dialysis machines; accessible space in schools, the workplace, and public transportation; mental health … Everyone called her Judy.
Credited “the mother” of the disability rights movement, Judy learned from the Women’s Rights and the Civil Rights movements that to effect lasting transformational change, a community must band together to wield its collective power and will. She once said: “When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.”
Decade after decade, Judy and her friends fought and tore down walls of discrimination to make the world more accessible and living more independent for people with disabilities. A few highlights:
Judy spent 73 of her 75 years in a wheelchair, her legs paralyzed by polio. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, her own fight for survival began when she was denied access to Kindergarten because she was a “fire hazard.” Her parents sued and won. Later she was denied her teacher’s license because she “failed” the medical exam. She sued and won. Judy served two presidents and never stopped fighting.
In 2020, she published: Being Heumann: The Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, plus an adaptation for adolescents titled Rolling Warrior. But it is the beginning of her hero’s journey that will make you laugh, cry, and cheer for the funny, wonderful, brave kids who went to Camp Jened for disabled children. They renamed it “Crip Camp,” reveled in the opportunity to be themselves, and started a revolution:
Some describe Judy as a rock star; others call her a ‘badass.’ She was both. She was fearless. She was also a loving wife, aunt, daughter, sister, and friend. She was Judy. She left a legacy and a roadmap for us to follow. We owe her a great deal. May her memory be a blessing.
Question of the Day: When Enough Is Enough
When teachers quit their jobs and are asked why, what reason do they mention least?
Mental health
Student behavior
Scripted teaching and curriculum
Unsupportive leadership
Inadequate salary
For more information, go to the blog below.
Down the Rabbit Hole…
When a fictional young girl named Alice followed a talking, well-dressed white rabbit down his burrow into Wonderland, she was simply being curious. She had no idea of the unusual creatures she…
You Just Can’t Make This Up: Texting Is Too Taxing
Letter writing by hand is extinct. Cell phone chats are on the endangered species list. All things digital have replaced most things personal. Today is about shortcuts: posts on Instagram, tweets, and texts that are a cryptic combination of truncated words, emojis ☺, and acronyms (lol). Even appointments that used to be confirmed with a reminder call or voicemail from a human are now silent automated instructions to reply ‘Y’ for yes and ‘N’ for no.
To be fair, digital modes of communication exchange are not the purview for sharing
big ideas and bigger feelings. They are efficient, useful, and fun. They keep us current
and connected to people we like, issues we follow, and where we should be on a given
date and time. Quick and easy.
Not so fast. It seems that even texting is too taxing (or boring) for some.
If that someone is you, help is on the way.
According to a February 28, 2023, item (https://www.morningbrew.com),
Snapchat is planning to add a ChatGPT chatbot to take those tiresome texts off your hands…
…and send messages in your name to family, friends, and anyone else you know. After all, if ChatGPT can write essays, texts should be a snap.
Note: The new feature will be a roll-out: First to +subscribers and, at some point, to all Snapchat users.
Let’s recap. If I use a chatbot to text you, and you use one to text me, they might as well eliminate the go-betweens because we will have become redundant. Is this the way the world ends: Not with a bang, but a bot?
P.S. If like me, you enjoy old-fashioned and hours long conversations with good, very human friends, join me and reminisce on Saving the World at https://www.merleschell.com/reflections
From Me to You: Women’s History Month
In honor of Women’s History Month, featured here are seven talented women who make a difference. They represent different cultures, religions, and races. All have won honors and acclaim in their fields. They are role models who break glass ceilings and inspire with their vision, ambition, accomplishments, and humanity. They show us what is possible. Look them up!
Entrepreneur,
CEO of fairygodboss:
online women’s career platform
CEO of TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America)
Women’s History Month is also an opportunity to celebrate our mothers who root us in our own histories, instill us with pride and confidence, set an example of how to be in the world, and send us out to shape the future. My mother, who died in 2015, worked for 28 years at Boston University. She loved her career and colleagues, but she was always there for me. It is a balancing act that women do as we continue to lift each other up. Joanie Leeds’ song “Glass Ceilings” captures that spirit and commitment.
Thelma Smolker and her daughter Merle Schell
In business, leaders wonder what they can do to motivate employees to work harder. According to Inc. magazine, leaders should be asking instead what they can offer employees that will inspire them to do their best work because it's in their own best interest https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/1-question-best-leaders-never-ask-but-mediocre-managers-always-do.html?utm_source=newsletters&utm_medium=emai
Education is no different. The answers are simple. Watch the above video, or ask any teacher you know.
For more on glass ceilings, please visit the blog below.
MON, MAR 27
Breaking glass ceilings often refers to the struggle of women and minorities to achieve advancements in the business world. To group people by gender, race, religion, or ethnicity is too…