I posted on Facebook about hurricane Helene hitting Asheville North Carolina and how climate change resulted in one of the most severe storms and disasters we have ever seen in American history. This public school teacher in Florida proceeded to message me privately to tell me that climate change is fake, and how I need to get real because climate change supposedly had nothing to do with Western North Carolina looking like the setting for the next season of Fallout TV series. There’s no other way to put it, honestly. I have seen so many pictures and videos of the damage, it is simply astonishing. I have never seen something so gruesome and horrific in my whole life…
It’s honestly crazy that there are teachers, who are responsible for educating other people, and this is the kind of stuff that they are telling people.
I really think we desperately need to overhaul the teaching profession in a massive way. Triple their salary so that the job is more sought after by better people. The only people who stay in teaching are 1) truly dedicated people who have other financial support and 2) deadwood like this FL dipshit to whom it is just a job.
An average young person of any talent will exit teaching for greener pastures as soon as they can, leading to accumulation of this deadwood, which makes the profession even less appealing to talented folks.
I would love to teach kids. I take any opportunity I can to mentor people at work, but in a school setting would be super cool. The pay cut relative to what I make now just isn’t worth it. Maybe in another decade when we have enough set aside…
There’s another category:
People who are passionate about teaching but just aren’t that terribly bright. I had a few elementary education major friends in college and they were super fun, definitely motivated, sharp enough to teach elementary schoolers, but… bless their hearts…