And I am not a callous person because I do know that many teachers
work very hard in a demanding field without much support from
parents or even from society. And I do understand that
teaching in our current education environment is a tough job.
However, the cynical side of me also wanted to explain to her the
bane of almost every employee in private industry as shown below:
THE SIX PHASES OF THE PROJECT LIFECYCLE:
1. Unbounded Enthusiasm
2. Total Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Frantic Search for the Guilty
5. Punishment for the Innocent
6. Promotion of the Uninvolved
Just about everybody in the private sector has worked really hard
at his or her job without recognition and appreciation only to be
harshly reprimanded at the end. Many have even been punished for
something in their job that they are not even responsible for or for
circumstances that are beyond their control.
I have even seen co-workers who have done an outstanding job in a
difficult work environment get fired.
And yes, my friend's situation in
teaching situation was terrible but does that mean that we should be pulling
out Italians with violins and then start singing some sad songs?
In my work history, I experienced the Six
Phases in the private, not-for-profit, and governmental sector. Most
of my former co-workers and colleagues have gone through the same
thing with their own jobs. And I do agree that it is tragic that a
teacher has to experience this especially when he or she is trying
to shape the future of our society in the classroom.
And perhaps it is unfortunate but the Six Phases is just part of
life regardless of the profession you are in. Bad leaders, terrible
work environments, and crummy disincentives are prevalent in just
about every type of employment.
So, is teaching exempt from the cruelties of everyday life that
everyone else experiences?
No. However, I think that incidents like this should be
highlighted and brought out into public discussion because
ultimately, the efforts and outcomes of all things educational
affect us all. Instead of a parent being solely concerned with the
progress of his or her child, that concern ought to be for the
entire school. And the same goes for the rest of us taxpayers even
if we do not have school age children because our society needs a
high quality education system with good teachers.
The lack of concern and involvement is what allows bad teaching
environments to exist. The more involved we are as a society, the
more accountable we can be for our educational leadership.
And for the record, I did not explain to my
friend the Six Phases or my own past work history. I am not an ogre!
But I would like to hear from other teachers
who have experienced similar incidents so that we can bring more
attention to these kinds of situations. And I promise I won’t
respond with talk about violins and sad songs, but rather, I would
like to publish more anecdotes like this to help raise awareness of
bad teaching environments.
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