Along with hundreds and thousands of retired teachers in the United States, Rick Young similarly reflects on his 25 years of public school teaching concluding amidst his seemingly indirect forced retirement during a recent NPR interview where "he says the profession of teaching has changed too dramatically."
More regulations and narrowed limitations within the classroom context, from liability issues to financial agenda driven measures, teachers are practically required not to teach as Mr. Young confirms about the teaching process and the paper piling:
"Everything's very time-consuming. In in my mind, it's not productive time," he says. "It's not helping my students. It limits the freedom of teachers to really freely teach and of principals to freely lead and evaluate."
When we set the end goals of unhealthy gains and measures for education, parents, teachers, and then students, we begin to hear less impact of mentors in young people's lives and their desires dwindle though they may have all the "skills" or "talents." Relationships are critical to humanity. Humans are not robotic or artificial, and more so, we are all in need of relationship dependency and help regardless of age. Hear one of countless results when an inspirational teacher affects receptive and teachable students:
"We students from Oakes were not the average students that ever had an easy life. We didn't quite fit the mold. But you as well as all of the teachers at Oakes, took us in and treated us as if we were your most prized possessions. It helped us want to become more."
