I have taught in public schools for over thirty years. Poor teachers are hired because poor administrators hire them. Administrators who have the point of view of the writer of this article are poor administrators. Schools are an institution of society which have the purpose of educating children. Administrators are the highest paid people in education and the sole interest of most of them is keeping their huge salary. Too keep their salary they must keep the peace with the powers that be in the community. If the children of the powers that be are spoiled rotten and misbehave their is very little a teacher can do about it. The administration will act keep the peace with these children and the administrator will wave his magic wand and say, "Teacher's classroom management. Bad. Bad." and the teacher is gone or they will be black balled from teaching."

Many teachers spend their lives grading papers, dealing with all the paper work demands of the principals, math coaches, reading coaches, special education system, 504, as well as learning new education math, reading, discipline programs that promise magic success which have been purchased by the school district, besides trying to relate these programs to their students in a caring environment. They take money out of their own pocket when the school doesn't buy pencil sharpeners and other school supplies any more.

Only to be told that they are poor teachers, and have wasted their lives because they don't fit their principals purposes any more. Teacher's go back to school to get masters degrees which leave them unemployed because state laws require them to take classes every five years to be recertified. They have to trust the colleges to provide relevant classes. If more education classes and work shops don't make better teachers why are we asked to waste our money taking them.

People need to stop putting down all teachers because every one of them take their life in their hands just to walk into the classroom where at any minute they may be physically or verbally attached and are left defenseless to defend themselves. Self righteous administrators need to leave teachers alone and organize the school system and administer their staff so that it really does the job of educating the teachers. They need to do something besides hold meetings and talk.

A retired teacher