Any Teachers (any level & especially online) in the House?

Retired from academia. Formerly taught undergraduate economics, finance, and political science. Taught online and classroom, but I found cheating was rampant in the online classes.

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In 2011 I went to school to be a school counselor and last year was my first year as a school counselor. I work in a middle school:

Car;
Middle School Counselor - THAT'S what I call "job security"!!! <g>

My bride retired recently after 40 yrs in the classroom - primary 1-5 did them all and a couple 1+2, 2+3, and 3+4 combo's along the way, 5x Who's Who in Ed, 1043 little minds turned in "smart cookies", untold numbers of parent notes ending with "...YOU are the reason for my child's success and the one teacher s/he still talks about to this day", and her proudest accomplishment of all - 6X voted (by HS seniors) to be a "marshall" at their graduation ceremonies (and coming from the smallest El. school in the district).

I might not be the most unbiased evaluator on the block but she earned the accolades, I'm just the reporter.

I spent the last 15 years driving the big yellow buses, driver trainer and 19A examiner. As much respect as I have for ALL teachers I do have to note how easy y'all have it......facing the kids (no mirrors over the black/white board), 24 or 25 kids (not 60-70), and your rooms stay still all day and no irate cars EVER cut in front of you (VBG).

Kidding aside, it breaks my heart to see the teacher bashing and mad rush to slash budgets. And, while I "git" the intent of the "it's all about the kids..." mantra - the next hypocrite that mouths those words to me is guaranteed to get an earful (now that my freedom of speech "right" has been restored by no longer being a District employee.

40 years ago I listened to the whackadoodles crowing about teachers only working 9 to 3, vacations every other week, getting paid for working 12 months when they have 3 month summer vacations, and (my personal favorite), being "overpaid".

Witnessing, up close and personal, my sweetie's "normal" 12 hour day, the hours at night, on the weekends, before and after school parent conferences, the incessant obsession with "meetings", and our never being able to schedule more than a week or two week "vacation" because "I have to get back and get my room set up" - left me wondering exactly who the hell they were talking about.

40 years later with what must be clones of the ignoranti - the drumbeat remains the unchanged.

One of my wife's favorite activities throughout her career was the time she spent mentoring student teachers. Judging simply by the notes of appreciation received from a number of them for "the time I was privileged to spend with you....." and the never ending flow of aspiring teachers their college placement counselors purposely directed to her, the joy and appreciation was a two way street.

One of the saddest comments I've heard pass her lips during our recollections was, "you know how much I loved working with the ST's, and how much I encouraged them to enter the profession, dare to be different, and set the world aflame in the minds of sponges that would always be "your kids"?"
"How there is no more rewarding profession, no better calling, no more respected position most of us could ever attain?"

I knew exactly what she was asking and where this was headed.

What choked me up was when she continued...
"I just can't tell those kids all those things anymore, in total honesty, and it breaks my heart to not be able to do so."

As a nation, we ought be ashamed of allowing ourselves to get to the point where the very most dedicated and devoted reach the point of questioning....it's up to you "young-in's" to fix what's broke and I don't envy you with the task you face.

Each of us carries with us countless memories and little "slices of life" from our years of interaction with "our kids" (hers mostly of diminutive stature but limitless potential, mine covering the gambit from preschool to retired execs).

Now in retirement, and basking in the glow of actually having "time" to reflect (prior to the onset of oldheimers), the "stories" we are able to recall seem all that much funnier, more emotion evoking, and at times humbling, in the encore version.

Many moons ago I implored my first wife (first and only) to keep a "diary", Art Linkletter style (race to the googlemachine newbies), of all those little vignettes that happen "because we'll never be able to remember them all and it will make a GREAT book when you retire".

But, of course, either the up is down, black is white, dominant Y chromosome (must be because our son inherited it too), kicked in, or, the "there are only so many hours in a day" mantra that all new, young, teachers must learn in Teaching 101 (or from their mentors??), prevailed - but it was always "tomorrow" and just never got done.

It's 40 years later, and FINALLY I get to mouth those famous words "....told you so" (if I could make the type whisper font 0.5 pt. I would, to more accurately reflect the event as it actually occurred....see, one's never too old to learn).

But, in all seriousness, if there were one piece of advice I could offer to the new teachers it would be this - start and keep that diary!

You, too, are likely to dismiss it (the advice) and that's perfectly ok - call me in 40 years (loudly), and I get to say it again.

Hi, I'm an adjunct of College Writing and ESL at a New England university. I also teach a non-traditional program in New Hampshire for human services professionals that consists of 1 week-end of 9-5 classes a month, with everything else online. Currently, I'm teaching 3 courses at the university for the summer semester and 2 courses in the hybrid program. Typically, I teach 4 courses at the university in the fall. Still, I'm not considered a "full professor" because I have only a master's, and am paid a base rate paid on each course taught, no benefits, what a colleague of mine calls "the Wal-Mart employee of academia."
Fortunately, the university has a recreational center with a full gym that I can use.

What an amazing diversity of teachers here! I especially love seeing others who are doing it online. Teachers in the classroom have such busy schedules, so I'm very lucky that I can get away from my computer and to the health club for lunch time classes. It's taken away my "but I have no time to exercise" excuse.