Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Teacher Frustrations Mount

Originally printed at http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/86674522.html

FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana’s NewsCenter) — Cuts in education funding, diminished job security and mounting pressures to boost student achievement are boosting frustrations for those in the teaching profession.

That’s the opinion of retired Fort Wayne Community Schools teacher Susan Brace.

The fact Brace spent 39 years in public school classrooms; it gives her some level of credibility on the subject of teacher anxiety.

Brace gave 27 years of her career, mentoring young teens at Jefferson Middle School in northeast Fort Wayne.

Statistics would indicate Brace is a dieing breed.

The National Education Association, a teacher’s union, says half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries.

Brace argues we’re not creating the best of environments for teachers to be effective.

Susan Brace/Retired FWCS Teacher: ” They have increasing demands, at less money, increased class size, and additional expectations of them all the time, and all of this leads to low morale and it makes it very difficult for teachers to reach out to children, and to help them when they have these increased pressures.”

Teacher evaluations are being tied more closely to how students perform on standardized tests.

Brace thinks that’s another flaw in the system.

Though many critics clamor for increased accountability for public school teachers, Brace says job performance should be judged on more than how students perform on ISTEP exams.

She says that’s especially true, when you take into account that the tough economy leaves parents pre-occupied with a host of other problems, cutting the time they can devote to helping their kids with Algebra, English and Science homework.