Principals who don't do anything.

I recently left a school that had an ineffective moron for a principal. He couldn't handle anything! He fawned over some teachers (mostly the ones with time to schmooze with him) and hated others who hardly knew him. He wasn't hired until October which told us then that he was only available because no one else would hire him. I almost never saw the guy, yet when I did he would yell at me or be very rude. I knew I couldn't work with this guy, so I quit. I disagree with your dissenting first responder here. Teachers, for the most part, and not lazy and selfish. I went in to work at 5:30 a.m. every morning last year. I had to in order to get my work done. For lack of materials I wrote my own curriculums and bought the supplies I needed with my own money. I spent evenings, weekends, and summers planning units and lessons. I did everything in my power to provide a quality education for my class, and I'm happy to say that I was quite successful. Most of the other teachers in the school worked just as hard. It was a small, rural school with little funding. I had classes with up to 6 special needs students in them and no help to work with them. And as far as all teachers know, "No Child Left Behind" is just another of George W.'s stupid ideas. Maybe it could happen if the schools were adequately funded so that every child was exposed to all the materials and had the help he/she needed. But, funding to schools keeps going down. Teachers are grossly underpaid and overworked. I would challenge any of the dissenters to try teaching for just one day. I've had numerous parents who volunteered once then said they wouldn't be back because they didn't understand how I could put up with it every day. I, and most other excellent teachers, do it for the kids. There are no percs. There is no paid vacation or holidays. I had to pay over $500 for my insurance. There were no other benefits except sick leave which I never took. It's not a career path I'd recommend any young person to take. Other jobs are far more lucrative and less demanding.

Why don't you change schools? There are teachers,prinicipals, and many other jobs that have lazy people doing the jobs and as long as the companies allow it to happen it will. I currently home school my children as I feel that the schools have become too politically ran. Teachers have no control over what happens in the class and kids are being left behind whether the government wants to admit it or not. We pay for all of these fancy schools to be built and money on football field and locker rooms but we have kids who graduate who can't read. There is a problem there. As a teacher, if I had a prinicipal who I was not able to have a discussion with, I would find a new school to go teach in.

I'm sorry I don't mean to pick on you alone but.. Now you know how the public feels about teachers in general. The union makes sure the worst amongst you are protected and does not look at merit what-so-ever. If a teacher is enthusuistic and and can get students engaged they are hated by their peers for showing them up. You hold communities hostage with salary negotiations. Even if the public votes the budget down they have nothing to say about salaries. Teachers are selfish and lazy and like a gang. They can do wahtever they want especially if they are tenured. They practically run the students over while running out the door in the afternoon. They hate no child left behind because it is attempting to hold teachers responsible for student performance. Teachers live well especially in suburban communities well above the average and think they are entitled. When you take on your own from the inside and reform your union to look at performance and not politics you would do us all a favor. My job is based on performance and dedication and so should all of yours. Just think you only have to put up with that idiot 180 days a year. We have to pay school taxes 365 for an educational system that is putting the US behind other nations in quality of education.