Why our education system is failing . . .

BTSA -- Beginner Teacher Support and Assessment -- the program meant to create highly qualified teachers for the state of California. Starts your third year of teaching and lasts for two years. Consists of scavenger hunts and other things to inspire teachers to quit and warn them of the selling-your-soul requirement to move into administrative positions in public education.

Today's goal: finish some of my BTSA homework and start planning for classes starting in two weeks.

Start time: 11am
Current time: 1:34pm

Accomplished: Sorted through and filed papers (which I will never read) in order to 'prove' that I received training to make me highly qualified.

The result: Papers are filed, I am braindead and resentful of my employer, I need more coffee before I can think about actually planning for my actual students whom I will see in my actual classroom in two weeks. As I type that I begin to seethe with resentment of the hour and a half I could have been reading and researching to create lessons that might actually get my students to do something. Or at least make me a more informed and better teacher.




The school districts other priority: Another box full of another set of scavenger hunts that will only take away from my valuable time planning my classes (or just being a happy human being which makes a happy teacher which makes a more effective teacher).

I dream of the day when I will burn all of this. Though I am told I can never do that without burning the proof of my qualification to teach. Maybe when I retire. It will be sweet and beautiful. Or maybe I'll just recycle it all. That would be better, right? But not as fun.

I thought this would make me feel better. It doesn't. More time wasted.