Teaching is More Stressful Than Serving in a War Zone?

I am currently in my tenth year teaching Latin at a public high school.

Prior to that, for four years after 9/11, I served as an Arabic linguist at the Top Secret National Security Agency. 

In 2004, I went on a deployment to Iraq, for which service I received the Global War on Terrorism Civilian Service Medal. During that time, on two occasions, I raced in terror for my life to reach cover as mortars exploded around our targeted base.

Yes, that's a Glock 9mm at my side.

And so, when I have nightmares, what do you imagine I might be dreaming about? You might reasonably assume I dream from time to time about being on that base in Iraq and experiencing a life threatening danger.  

But I don't. Strangely even to me, I never dreamt about being in Iraq while I was there, but I dreamt about it the first night I was safely out of that country. And I've never dreamt about it since.

No, when I have a nightmare, I'm in a classroom full of unresponsive or uncooperative students, and suddenly I see an administrator walk through the door (all you teachers reading this understand). And I also have dreams in which I simply teach whole periods of my subject. Yet I never dreamt about translating Arabic while I was at the NSA!

I'm sharing all this after reading an article which described teaching as among the top three most stressful occupations, along with "healthcare and the uniformed services, such as police, ambulance and the fire services."

Now, I'm certain teaching has always been inherently more stressful than other occupations. What is alarming to me is just how much more stressful it is now than when I first started.

I want to be clear that I am not at all complaining about the school district where I work. The trends that have resulted in plummeting morale in the teaching profession and deepening stress are nation-wide. Nor am I writing on this topic from the claim that I am America's greatest teacher. There are things I know I do very well. I believe that my enthusiasm and passion for my subject inspires my students toward a love of learning languages. There are other areas in which I strive to perform ever more effectively. 

I'm just one public school teacher like thousands of others, continually trying to do the best job I can in the interests of the students I teach.

Now, you may wonder, why would someone leave Top Secret Government work to become a public school teacher?  I married my wife, a public school teacher herself, shortly after I got back from Iraq. And for two more years I stayed at the NSA, working in the Counter-Terrorism Mission.

But I came to a point where I felt I had fulfilled my duty to my country following 9/11. And I was ready for another important mission--educating young people with my love of the Latin language. It did involve a pay cut, by the way.

When I first began teaching back in the fall of 2006, I was surprised at the esteem expressed when I told people I taught in a public school. Common would have been words to the effect of "God bless you for doing such a difficult job! I could never do what you teachers do!"

Nowadays, there are settings in which I avoid admitting to being a teacher, because I'm exhausted from then hearing words to the effect of "You teachers do nothing, you're overpaid, and you work just nine months out of the year!"

Alongside other public workers, the vilification of teachers gained traction within the economic collapse of the Great Recession, starting in December of 2007. We were convenient scapegoats and our hard-earned tenure and job benefits went under attack.

Again, I do not fault the administration of my district. They are just doing the job they are mandated to do by those above them. But that job went from primarily focusing on the discipline of the students within the building to an increased focus on observing the teachers. 

Tenured teachers in New Jersey used to receive one formal observation a year. That changed to three formal observations and multiple "walk-throughs," in which the administrator enters with a tablet computer to grade a number of points. And it was immediately apparent to the students that the administrator was not there to monitor their behavior; the administrator was there to monitor the teacher.

At the NSA, I did my job the best I could. I assume my boss was monitoring my output. But there was never a time when I worried that today might be the day when my boss would come and sit next to me for an hour and take notes on what I was doing. And yet that's what every public school teacher is daily dealing with.

Tenure "reform" has now made it mean much less than it was before. Because of effective pay freezes and now paying significantly more for our health care, my wife and I made three thousand dollars less last year than the previous year.

When I was a Top Secret Agent, my accomplishments got me promoted to Grade 13. But even those who don't earn a promotion always make more money the next year than they did the year before.

And so, that's why this former Intelligence Officer turned public school teacher can honestly say that our daily stresses and concerns in the teaching profession are beyond anything I ever experienced in the world of espionage. And isn't that simply sad?

Grin and Bear Eat

There is a Bear Hunt Season in New Jersey. They are not at all endangered. Indeed, I once famously saw a family of four of them walk across my lawn.

Someone from our Crossfit Gym (notice that anyone who does Crossfit doesn't just say "Gym"?) bagged a bear in the latest season and recently generously offered a sample of the meat to any of us interested in trying it out.

I describe myself as a "Human Supremacist."  The animals had a good run. But we've taken over this planet. And there's really not a one of the animals I wouldn't like to taste at least once.

And so, this evening, I made Bear Stew. I searched online and arrived at a recipe I used which was a hybrid of several I found.

I started with the meat, cut into stew sized pieces. You'll notice, it really just looks like beef, very red. 

I coated them in coconut flour and pepper and then browned them.

I then put the meat, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and turnips into a pot. I poured in a can and half of Guinness Beer and water and cooked that down.

When it was nearing completion I added a can of cream of mushroom soup and a bag of assorted frozen mushrooms.

I took my twin's advice and removed a portion of the carrots, potatoes, and turnips and pureed that and reintroduced it to the stew, which gave it a nicer stew-like consistency.

And then, we ate.

I know what you're wondering. What does bear taste like?

In consistency, how it feels in the mouth, etc, it is identical to beef.

In taste, it's hard to describe. It tastes like meat, but I know that isn't exactly helpful. It maybe tastes in the direction of pork, but it isn't exactly like pork. 

I guess, truth be told, it tastes like bear.

And bear is delicious!

Free Speech Hurts

By Keith Massey, PhD.  Connect with me on Google+ and Twitter. Explore my novels at Lingua Sacra Publishing.
 



As a public school teacher in New Jersey, I have been following the case of a teacher, Viki Knox, who has been suspended for allegedly making anti-gay comments on her personal Facebook page. Click here for details on her alleged statement (I'm not going to restate the alleged words in this blog.)

Before I discuss my personal views on this issue, let me state that I am one of the faculty advisers for the Gay-Straight Alliance at the public high school where I teach. My concern about this case stems solely from the intersection it has with free speech issues, not an endorsement of her alleged statements.

In the wake of this story breaking I have heard many people make statements to the effect that "Teachers are held to a higher standard." And for that reason we ought not to voice our personal opinions in public fora (that's the plural of forum, by the way, I'm a Latin teacher). 

Visit my author page at Lingua Sacra Publishing. You'll find everything from espionage thrillers, young adult adventure, and ways to learn new languages. 
 
Here are some of the ways this view has been publicly stated.

From the Star-Ledger: "Hateful public comments from a teacher [emphasis my own] cannot be tolerated," wrote [John] Paragano, also a former Union Township Municipal Court judge. "She has a right to say it. But she does not have a right to keep her job after saying it."
From the same article: The case raises broader questions about rights of teachers [emphasis my own] to speak freely in the age of social media.
A letter to the editor from a retired teacher: "the right of Ms. Knox to her private beliefs does not grant her the right to go public [emphasis my own]. All of the words and actions of a teacher serve as a great example to children."

In these statements there is the assertion that teachers may not possess the same constitutionally protected right to free speech that non-teachers have.

Let me therefore state, for the record and as a matter of legal reality. Yes, I do. I have the exact same right to free speech that you do. And I'm a teacher.

I did not surrender any of my constitutional rights when I became a teacher. And I am not held to a "higher standard." I am held to the same standard of conduct as everyone else. It's called the law.

And I wasn't surprised that the ACLU has injected some legal sanity into this case by again consistently siding with free speech, even free speech they hate.
From the Star-Ledger: "Although we do not agree with the sentiments expressed on Ms. Knox’s personal Facebook page, her comments are protected by the First Amendment," stated Ed Barocas, the group’s legal director. "The ACLU believes that the response to offensive speech is not the restriction of speech, but more speech."
Free Speech Hurts. I do not dismiss the possibility that someone could read what this teacher allegedly wrote and be hurt by it. But she has the right to say that, even out loud and on Facebook, in her private life. If she had ever expressed such opinions in the classroom, that would be an entirely different matter.
I'm a teacher. And on this blog I've made direct statements that some disagree forcefully with. For instance, I recently stated that I don't believe in a literal Adam and Eve. I understand that people who ascribe to a literal view of Creationism might be offended by that statement. And if their child is in my Latin class, perhaps they would then be uncomfortable with the notion of a liberal non-literalist biblical scholar teaching their child. But they needn't worry. Because I don't discuss my personal views on such matters in my Latin class.

But unless I want to worry that my free expression will get me fired, I will need to support the right of everyone to make personal views publicly.

Even if I don't like it...and if they're a teacher.