After that, it was because spouses landed jobs in other towns and the little women had to go with them.
Then the teachers couldn't live up to the lofty standards set for them by Joplin R-8 administration.
And all along, with each story Superintendent C. J. Huff has created to explain the mass departure of teachers from the school district, he has insisted that not too many teachers are leaving, no more than any other school district.
As of the noon hour today, C. J. Huff has another reason for teachers leaving Joplin.
Burnout.
From noon to 1 p.m. today Huff answered questions from patrons on his Facebook page.
Two patrons asked about the high number of teachers leaving (approximately 300 over a three-year period). Huff's answer?
Teacher burnout is a struggle that districts across the country our facing. In Joplin we peaked a year or two ago at about 14.5% which was still below the state and national average. We were at around 10% this past year. It's going to vary from year to year, but something we watch closely.
A few things we have been doing to address those concerns include ongoing discussions with our teacher organizations, exit surveys of staff leaving the district, and multiple activities throughout the year to show our appreciation and support for our teachers. We are also working hard to insure that we are hiring high quality staff and providing professional support to teachers that they need to be successful.
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Of course teachers are burning out. They have to deal with extreme behaviors in the classroom with no support from the principals. They also are working insane hours. Every night my spouse who is a teacher is spending as many as four hours enter this important data that the district claims it needs. Drive by any of the schools on the weekend and you'll see multiple cars. Those are teachers putting in as many as five or six hours on a day off just trying to get caught up because their planning times are taken every day for meetings where they are dressed down by the district because the district isn't happy with their scores. Of course it's hard to raise scores when the school is constantly pulling teachers out of the classroom, allowing disruptive students to stay in the classroom, and constantly changing which direction they want to go with the latest and greatest methods they hear about from these high paid consultants.
ReplyDeleteCJ Huff and his cronies have destroyed this school district. Many great teachers have left or are going to leave. The citizens in Joplin need to stand up and say enough is enough and run CJ and his crew out as soon as possible.
Exactly right, 11:04. Teaching is hard enough when you have an administration that supports you. Having to deal with the gross incompetence of R8 is enough to burn anyone out.
ReplyDelete