Lately I’ve been struggling with this question of over-the-hill educators. Most probably because I’m now approaching that moment in my over two decades of teaching when I’ll be dishonest if I say I don’t feel, well, over-the-hill.
[Incidentally, in this day and age when a mere five years of service gets you a long service award, the fact that I’ve taught for over 20 already makes me a multiple long-service awardee! Unfortunately, it’s cold comfort. These awards are just the world’s code for it’s time, old man, to retire and pass the classroom pointer to new blood!]
You see, since my last post, I’ve been thinking hard about my next decade. And I really don’t think it should revolve around teaching anymore. Especially in a moment of history where teachers are having such hard times.
No one really talks about how hard it is, the nitty gritty details all educators quietly live through daily in their classrooms and workstations. But we do. And they should. Talk about it, that is.
Because teaching today has never been harder!
Teaching Has Become Increasingly Untenable For Educators
Fair warning: This is going to be a new mini-series where I will gripe about the struggles of educators today in my neck of the woods.
Sorry.
But you see, I’ve become increasingly certain I have to work my way out of teaching within the next five to seven years, before it works me out, or worse, wears me out!
Another way of saying this is I should go out on a high (or at least a moderate high). A prospect way better than to be seen as some old decrepit grandpa who shouldn’t be leading any more classes, in real or virtual classrooms. And so be asked, unceremoniously, to go.
Which would be really sad.
How did it come to this? Or rather, how did I come to this conclusion of wanting to work myself out of teaching now?
Is it the hours? The low wages? The students? Grading? The administration? Management? The expectations? Technologies? Age?
In a nutshell, it’s ALL of these. (And possibly more!)
For me, the climate of education in the past decade has deteriorated so much I no longer feel I can be a part of it for long.
I just don’t think it’s tenable for me to remain as an educator for more than another five or seven years.
Conversations That Confirm I’m Over-the-Hill
The other day, I was talking to an ex-colleague from an academic institution. It was a place I once believed would be where I would teach til I retired.
I shared candidly with her that I’ve increasingly found myself to be a square peg in a round hole when it comes to my classroom engagements.
I’ve not been able to understand the changing dynamics and profile of my students in the last five to ten years. The indolence. Entitled mentality. Lack of common courtesy. Inability to retain information. Lack of boundaries. Absence of filters.
These are increasingly characteristics I see in my students in almost every class I’ve taught, especially in the last five years.
To be fair, these (once considered) insufferable behaviours and attitudes seen in students are still in the minority. For now. But it’s becoming a significant minority.
Others may say I’m exaggerating or over-thinking things, but the single clearest sign the irreversible shift to these characteristics has taken place, is when students started bringing devices into the classroom.
I’ve lost count the number of times I’m teaching and student eyes are permanently on their screens instead.
Yet it seems no educators or leaders in academic institutions here seem to think it’s a problem. Or at least enough of a problem that we should protest vehemently and do something about it. Or get management and education policymakers to back-peddle on this oh-so-poor decision to put screens, instead of us flesh-and-blood educators, permanently in front of the eyes of our wards.
It’s not that I don’t see the benefits of digital access. My beef is that folks tout it as a great panacea for our modern age. Yet, someone remind me again please, what exactly are we fixing with these techno marvels? Lack of time? Inconvenience? Dearth of genuine great Ideas? Sorry, but the last I checked, we’re still always short on time, constantly inconvenienced, and full of unoriginal ideas.
And across my classrooms, all I see is diffused, distracted and disengaged attention.
I’m left feeling increasingly powerless to do something, anything, about it.
Other than quit!
What’s At Stake?
When it comes to teaching evaluation these days, here is what’s at stake — teaching as a profession worthy of trust, honour and respect.
These days, students are trusted. Educators aren’t.
Students can nitpick. Educators have to stay mum (if they want to keep their jobs).
It’s not that keeping your head low, bowing to whoever has the upper hand is anything new in the world of work. We all know people who capitulated in the workplace for fear of losing a promotion (or worse the job itself!), rather than air unpopular opinions. Many a-times, we are those very people ourselves if we would but admit it.
But the power balance is now tipped excessively overboard in favour of what students (and in some case, their parents) say in teaching effectiveness surveys. Surveys that are, themselves, more algorithmic than revelatory. But which has led to the eroding of management and leaders’ trust in their teachers.
Something is seriously wrong here.
In the past few years, I’ve played down what’s often said to be my ‘sarcasm’. Simply because students can no longer take witty repartees (unless they’re the ones delivering them), or an indirect reminder couched in rhetoric. Like when a student would ask me if tomorrow’s the assignment deadline (it is) and I respond with a Hmmm, good question. Now, what do you think? And the student sulks right in front of my face!
If anyone should be sulking, it should be me. The ‘cher who’s ignored again and again despite repeatedly reminding students about deadlines.
But I can’t sulk. Cos I’m supposed to be the adult in the room. The over-the-hill adult that is.
Which brings me to what increasingly for me is what’s at stake.
My sanity! So, I need to bow out before I’m carted out.
Will share more in future posts about my teaching challenges.
