"Teach Me Tonight" - Dinah Washington

Good morning peeps!! I recently retired from teaching and I have been reflecting on my decision. I decided that the stress and day to day shenanigans of an overbearing, anal retentive (her own assessment of herself) supervisor; extremely disruptive and emotionally disturbed youngsters, and an inordinate amount of testing and paper work, was more than I could endure at this point in my life. So, even though I was receiving a six figure salary and was at the top of the salary scale, I left the profession.

For twenty seven years, I tried to do my best to teach, nurture, inspire, encourage, motivate and prepare young children for a lifetime of learning. I loved it at times and at other times, I felt overwhelmed; overwhelmed because I had to do more than just teach. Often, the children needed plain old mothering and understanding; someone to hear them. I was all that and more! I can say this because many students and their families told me this...and I appreciate it. Although I am a Special Education Teacher, I had parents of General Education students, asking to get their children in my class! They were often disappointed when I had to explain that their child didn't qualify because they hadn't been diagnosed with any disability. I've had former students return and tell me that their time in my class was some of their fondest childhood memories. I've had students slip and call me "mommy" very often.

I have letters: "crush letters", "I wish you were my mommy" letters, "thank you from parent letters", typical boy/girl letters, etc.; possibly enough for a book! I've experienced violent students who were intent on hurting (killing) other students and in some cases, teachers; I've had to talk a ten-year-old into giving me the butcher knife he had in his backpack, which he intended to kill another student with. I have had to console a student who was being sexually abused by her own brother; I had a student whose mother and teen-aged brother were murdered in front of his eyes when he was ten! I have never been assaulted by a student but I have been cursed at by a six or seven year old! Oh yeah, and bitten on my arm! I've had to diffuse many a volatile situation; confiscate weapons, pills, etc etc etc. I have had to deal with difficult parents, flirtatious fathers, and in the beginning of my career, a male principal who tried to hit on me and other teachers. He was eventually fired on allegations of sexually abusing an eleven year old female student, and was never heard from again!

I have few regrets though, because it must be what God intended for me. Even though I went to a school for fashion designing (I liked to draw and design clothing), as a child, I was always reading and teaching younger children trivia; my siblings can attest to this. So I guess I was destined to teach! I will never stop being a teacher.

However, my reason for writing this has less to do with my experiences, but more to do with what's been in the news about teachers lately. Shameful situations that, if  true, make teachers look bad and is not good for the teaching profession. I understand the stress of the job; believe me I do, but these recent incidents, if true, are beyond explanation! Two female high school teachers in Brooklyn, New York caught naked in an empty classroom by the school's janitor? Another female teacher from that same school accused of having sex with a male student! A Milwaukee teacher accused of cutting off a little girl's braid, with the explanation that she was stressed out?...what??? If that had happened in NYC...that teacher would have been sent to the infamous "rubber room;" a holding center for teachers who've been accused of wrong doing, but whose cases haven't been proven yet. I have a colleague who has spent the latter part of his career in the "rubber room" (sent there on two separate occasions) on full salary! And he has a PhD! Teachers...hang in there! What you are doing is so important!

Please, I know you are dealing with a lot of stress; but please, please, please...think about what you do and what you can stand to lose. A school is not the place to act out your sexual fantasies and you know good and well you should not touch any child in an aggressive manner! Cutting off a child's braid? Are you kidding me? If this is true, you need to be removed from the classroom, because this indicates some emotional instability on your part and you need to get counseling...quickly! Weigh in here my daughter, the psychologist. I'm putting on my Dee-jay  hat again, to dedicate these songs to my fellow teachers.

My play list for teachers

1. Teach Me Tonight - Dinah Washington's version

2. Wonderful World - Sam Cooke ( I taught this song to my class and the bilingual kindergarten class for their moving up ceremony, two years ago and they loved it!)

3. ABC - The Jackson Five ( I had my Kindergartners march in on this on their "moving up" day )

4. 1-2-3 - Len Barry

5. School Is Out -Gary "U.S." Bonds
6. School Days - Chuck Berry
7. Back To School - Bo Diddley
8. Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd
9. Be True To Your School - Beach Boys
10. Charlie Brown - The Coasters
11. Don't Be A Dropout - James Brown
12. Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
13. To Sir With Love - Lulu (gave me goosebumps when I first heard it!)
14. Teacher's Pet - Doris Day
15. Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly And The Family Stone
16. Swingin' School - Bobby Rydell
17. Rock 'n' Roll High School - The Ramones
18. I Love College - Asher Roth
19. College Drop Out - Kanye West
20. My Old School - Steely Dan