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Here's why today's teachers are so stressed
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According to a new survey from the American Federation of Teachers, todays instructors across the nation are becoming increasingly stressed, and theyre quick to complain about unfunded mandates like the Common Core curriculum standards. - photo by Tyler Stahle
The life of a schoolteacher isnt easy. In fact, being a teacher might be the most stressful job in the world.

According to a new survey from the American Federation of Teachers, todays instructors across the nation are increasingly stressed out. Most of their concerns surround topics like unfunded mandates, like the Common Core curriculum standards, high-stakes achievement tests and the difficulty of pleasing both school administrators and parents.

We ask teachers to be a combination of Albert Einstein, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr., said Randi Weingarten, president of AFT, in an interview with Yahoo! news. We ask them to be mom and dad and impart tough love but also be a shoulder to lean on. And when they dont do these things, we blame them for not being saviors of the world.

The survey, which asked 30,000 teachers across the United States how they felt about their jobs, found that 87 percent of teachers said the demands of teaching sometimes interfere with their family life. Similarly, 78 percent of teachers admitted they are physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of each school day.

Interestingly, 89 percent of teachers said they were very enthusiastic about teaching when they started their careers, but only 15 percent said they felt the same enthusiasm today.

Teachers have lost their enthusiasm partly because of district and Department of Education officials making education policy reform laws, according to a Yahoo! article written by Marla Kilfoyle, a Long Island, New York, teacher.

They dont have a clue how classrooms are really run, she said. Education policy is not being written for kids. Its being written for education product vendors, products and services. That has to stop.

But some enthusiasm still lingers. Despite the difficulties of trying to please everyone, and dealing with new policies, the majority of schoolteachers say theyre not ready to get out of the classroom just yet.

In fact, the AFT survey found that 60 percent of teachers say they dont want to leave the profession within the coming year, and more than half said they enjoy positive relationships with other teachers and school managers.

Even with all of this, teachers were saying, I dont want to give up on my kids, I want to stay in this profession, said Weingarten. And theyre telling us they want the tools, time and trust they need to do their jobs.

Although AFT recognizes that their survey isnt scientific research, they say they plan to call on the Department of Education to conduct a scientific study in light of their findings.

My hope is that at the federal level, the Education Department and the Legislature take this very, very seriously, Kilfoyle said.
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BI hosts LCSS Gala
LibertyCountySchools

Bradwell Institute’s Friends Helping Friends will host the 3rdAnnual Liberty County School System Special Needs Gala Saturday at 7p.m.

The dance portion of the gala is free and open to the public.

FHF was started three years ago by BI special needs teacher Charlie Moon. FHF is comprised of a large group of general education students that connect special needs students with their general education peers. They have raised $20,000 in the last 30 months, for events like this, a new sensory room, music therapy equipment, and many other fun events. 

“FHF does so much for the special needs students. It really brings them out in their social skills. They become so much more comfortable around us all,” FHF Junior Danielle Hennessee said. 

FHF Junior Jada Naftzinger said it’s a two-way street. “It not only helps them, but us as well. It brings us out of our own shells and comfort zones.” 

Moon added, “For us, the Gala is not our calling card. I’ve told the students from day one, unless they truly know these special needs students, we won’t do the Gala at all. We’ll throw a big pizza party instead. The point is, we want the kids to really focus on the one-on-one, in-class work, hanging out in the halls, really talking to them. That’s the only way this program truly reaches its potential. Our motto is, “Changing lives, one friend at a time.”

During a private dinner which precedes the public dance, district office personnel, representatives from Congressman Buddy Carter’s office, district SPED staff, BI Football players and FHF members, parents and the honored guests – 50 special needs students from around the district will be in attendance.

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