Submitted by Tiffany Kress
I will never forget the traditional assignment we completed in third grade: an illustration of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I worked hard to make sure I got my stick figure just right, standing in front of a white board proudly writing 2+2=4. Even before that assignment, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
I had a love of learning that I wanted to share with the world and, more importantly, I wanted to spend my life helping others achieve their life goals. I found purpose in living a life of service to others and joy in assisting in others’ achievements.
Immediately after high school I went on to get my bachelors degree in secondary education with a minor in mathematics from the University of Nevada. I was 21 on my first day of teaching.
After teaching at a charter school for two years I transferred to the Washoe County School District where I found my home for the next 10 years, completed my master’s program, and taught algebra while running our student leadership program.
I worked with some of the most amazing and supportive administrators a teacher could ask for. I was nominated for teacher of the year, advisor of the year, and was given the “Greater Heart of Washoe County” award. I experienced the joys that most teachers will tell you are what keep them coming back every day; the lightbulb moments where you can visibly see a student grasp a concept, students telling me that I’ve finally made math make sense, winning over that particularly challenging student, and helping them gain the courage to give a tougher concept a try because they know that mistakes are a part of the learning process.
I had the honor of my students affording me the trust to coach them through their first heartbreak, help them resolve a family or friend conflict, to be there for them through the loss of a friend or family member. I shared in moments where I was able to laugh with my students, cry with them, and learn new slang terms that made me chuckle.
I was surprised with little gifts to lift me up, show appreciation, or wish me a happy birthday, “school mother’s” day, or holiday. Through unique experiences I was afforded as a leadership advisor I was able to orchestrate opportunities for students to let down their guard and become kids again while they play assembly games, dance to their favorite song at events, play “recess” in the front of the school. I was able to challenge our students to find ways to make everyone on campus feel included through kindness activities, self-care corners, and school-wide student and staff recognition challenges.
I have had some of the most incredible experiences as a teacher, but I’ve also come home crying “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.” I’ve come home exhausted and bruised from fighting daily battles that no other profession would ever ask me to fight.
I signed up to be a teacher, not a punching bag.
So, despite the amazing humans I’ve had the pleasure of teaching, the laughs, relationships built, minds molded, and memories made, I have to leave.
Amongst these amazing experiences, I have also recognized the shift in education over the last few years. Apathy is quickly on the rise amongst students.
There is an increasing number of students who no longer have a love for learning and instead have a want for earning credits. A student who only wants to obtain a credit isn’t an active participant in their education. They will do the bare minimum to get by because, “D is for degree,” and while I understand that is the structure of education we have created in America, it does not allow for the rigorous education we are expected to design and execute in our classrooms.
How are we to extend instruction beyond the basics if a majority of our students are only willing to do the basics?
Furthermore, this decreased desire to perform in class has resulted in an increase in disruptive behavior and a decrease in regular class attendance. Until the last few years, I would regularly have between one and three out of 120 students attend class less than 10 days out of the semester. Now, that number is per class rendering about 10 – 15% of my students chronically absent. Many of these chronically absent students are on campus for much of the day but simply refuse to come to class.
Walk into any school in our district right now while class is in session, and I guarantee you will find students roaming the halls, and hiding in stairwells, bathrooms, and other creative spaces on campus. The issue has become so widespread that schools have had to hire hall monitors who spend their day chasing students down and convincing them to go to class. While this position has been criticized by some, chronic absenteeism is one of the top reasons some of our most intelligent students are struggling to succeed. It is therefore important to fund this position so our discipline administrators can focus on addressing disruptive behaviors and keeping our campuses safe.
The disrespectful behaviors we are seeing in our halls and our classrooms are unfathomable. Imagine teaching a class and a student chucks an orange juice into your classroom, hitting a student on the head. Or asking a high school student to stop screaming in the hallways, jumping on vending machines, and blasting their Bluetooth speaker at 7:15 a.m. just to be called a “bitch” and told to “go fuck yourself.” Or being harassed and stalked online by a student who wants to get revenge from behind a computer screen.
The only support you can receive is a hug and an “I wish we could do more” from the administrators who want so badly to support you but can’t because the district behavior matrix removed the verbiage that addressed student on staff bullying because “staff have a higher authoritative power so there’s no way students could bully staff.” The only support to give is consoling one of your coworkers who was physically assaulted by a student and is trying to find the strength to return to work.
I could go on and on about the abuse I have personally received from students in the past few years that an educated professional would never be asked to deal with in another profession. Protections for teachers continue to be pulled back while students who cause disruptions are protected citizens. This not only sacrifices staff safety but also the safety of the 90% of our students who just want to learn. When a student can assault a teacher and be back on campus and in that teacher’s classroom 48 hours later, you know the behavior matrix isn’t made to protect the people in the building who need it.
I am not leaving because I don’t love my students. I absolutely do.
The aforementioned systematic issues could be fixed with increased parent/guardian participation in their student’s education, a rebuilding of the behavior matrix, increased support from the community, and increased funding to adequately fund our schools and our educated professionals.
There are amazing people out there who are warriors and are fighting the battle, but this warrior needs to put her weapon down. I have been living in fight or flight for too long now and I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting for respect from our community, for respect from students whom I bend over backward for. For protections from the people who are supposed to protect their employees from a hostile work environment, for students to care about their education and see a purpose in earning their degree. For students to simply come to class, and for so much more.
Life should not be a constant battle. Work should not be a constant battle. School should not be a constant battle. My father was taken from us due to a cancer, which I wholeheartedly believe was fueled by stresses he took on from trying to fix problems that he couldn’t fix alone, and I will not continue forward without learning from his mistakes.
To my students who created my most cherished memories as a teacher, thank you for making my dreams come true. I dreamed of making an impact, of helping you reach your goals, and of seeing you grow. Having the privilege of watching your growth over the years has been an honor for which I will forever be grateful.
To the students who have lost their love of learning or their respect for school staff, I hope you have a caring adult who comes into your life and reminds you of your potential. I hope you find a passion that you can put all your energy into and succeed in life. I hope you choose a path that makes you look back on your former self and laugh at your choices while you grow into a caring adult who will support a future student in not making those same choices.
To the warrior who will fill my shoes, thank you for fighting the battle, and I’m sorry that you have to. I know you are going to want to fix everything that needs to be fixed in order to create a better environment for all our staff and students, but make sure you also make space for yourself. Don’t burn out in trying to fix the world.
Now what do I want to be when I grow up? I still want to live a life of service but in an environment where I can be happy, respected, and safe.
Tiffany is a math and leadership teacher in the Washoe County School District who is leaving the profession at the end of the 2023 school year.
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