Educator: The Many Reasons ‘I Am Ashamed To Be Part Of The System’

Back in May I published a post by a veteran elementary school teacher named Ralph Ratto with this headline: ‘Today was the first day I was ever ashamed to be a teacher.’ What prompted him to write it was his experience administering controversial new Common Core-aligned standardized tests to his students in New York. I just received an e-mail that takes off from where Ratto’s piece ends, written by from someone who has worked in two public school systems in Maryland and in private schools for some 25 years as a teacher, counselor, administrator at the school and district levels and in other positions. This person, who is still working, wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal.

Here is what the educator wrote (with minor spelling and syntax changes):

I have worked in education all my professional life — 25 years and counting. I have been a teacher, a counselor, a school-level administrator, a district-level administrator, a coach and a program manager. I have worked in two public school systems in Maryland, and I have worked in independent schools. Ralph Ratto was ashamed to be part of Common Core testing? Heck, I have been ashamed to work in education lots of times!

Yes, I am ashamed to be part of the system when I see burnt-out teachers who have no business being around kids and who should have retired long ago get removed from their classrooms to receive promotions with higher salaries and transferred to the central office because the Board does not want to spend money to get them fired.

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