And THEN there’s the shooter drills, and the politicians, and popular opinion ALL THE TIME, year after year. And how are those learning gains coming (did I mention Covid)? There used to be mild problems like kids just WOULDN’T shut up for lessons (no learning gains), but more and more over the last several years children care less, their overall behavior is worse, EBD classes have been discontinued, so they’re in your class, now, their parents are scarier, admins are nastier, and society blames you for everything, then degrades and demoralizes you.

Why did I continue to do it, you ask? For the children. I truly enjoy them. We (particularly women-the majority of the education workforce) are expected to do more for others and ignore what troubles us. We’re weak if we can’t handle it or even worse, we’re selfish. I finally retired from teacher after 30 years. Teaching provided me with the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I miss it dearly, but in the last 2 years, I did develop PTSD. Now, I needed MORE anxiety meds just to get to school. I finally had to call it, because I knew I truly wasn’t being as effective as I once was, and my mental health was genuinely in danger of shattering me.

I retired in June, and I’m still not recovered, but I’m trying, and I’m working– Not a career, but a job. Not changing lives, but not killing myself, either. My father always told me that everything is relative. Of course, it is. What that means is that my experiences are my own, and I can only relate them to what I know. When a baby cries because it’s hungry, that is THE WORST thing that baby has EVER known. It’s SURVIVAL for them. I understand that I never saw anyone blow up. I’ve never killed anyone. But my constant, and some years, relentless expectations from EVERYONE, threats, and stress have taken their toll. And to me, THAT is very real. For me, it WAS survival.

Well said! ((clap clap)) Thank you.