Today I feel ready to retire. Actually, I plan to retire in two years but I have to admit I'm growing weary. Weary of the awesome responsibility of teaching 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old children how to make sense of the world of print. Weary of having the added responsibilities abdicated by some parents who either don't value education or take adequate care of their own children. I'm referring to those parents who expect the public school system to take care of anything from providing breakfast and after school care to dental care. And - weary of the paperwork.
Today is our first real day of spring. Just last weekend we had a foot of snow that caused school to be closed on Monday. Yes, it's April 9 but I live in western New York State, just south of Buffalo. But today the sun was shining and people were outside washing their cars, taking spring walks, and playing. Not me. I was inside working on IEP's (Individual Education Plans). I have 2 CSE (Committee on Special Education) meetings coming up on Monday and it takes me at least 3 hours per student to complete the necessary paperwork. That is 3 hours on top of the time it takes to complete student assessments and meet with other team members. I tried to get started on the paperwork over a week ago, but writing an IEP requires the input of all members of the educational team. Unfortunately, all the preliminary work was not completed until the end of last week. People who don't teach may think we have time during the school day to complete this type of paperwork, but that is rarely true. Our days are packed full and we rarely get more than a 30-minute lunch break in addition to a short daily prep period. Typically we test students during the school day, but team meetings are generally held before or after school, and usually on our own time.
Our school district uses IEP Direct (https://www.iepdirect.com/) to create IEP documents. IEP Direct is touted as "The first and leading web based solution for managing New York State Special Education student information and programs." While this program provides a framework for creating an IEP, the educational team is responsible for the content. Even though I may grouse about the time involved in developing an IEP, the reality is I highly value the process. It provides an opportunity to assess a child's strengths and weaknesses and develop an educational plan to meet their special needs.
Occasionally, after an especially busy week at school topped off by a weekend of completing paperwork, I look at the faces of the new, young, and energetic educators on our staff and think what a difficult task they have before them. But wait a minute, it may be envy I feel. My son and daughter-in-law have posted this quote on their webpage: "In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have."
— Lee Iacocca
It seems that retirement may be a mixed blessing. I guess I feel conflicted.