School's Out Forever

J. Kevin Tumlinson

The job market ain't so good right now. Grammar aside, you have to admit that I'm right. And trust me, I know. I've been beating the streets and handing out résumés for the past couple of months. I've had more interviews lately than Michael Jackson with a dangling baby. You see, I was let go from my teaching position at the end of May.

I wasn't alone. The district let got of a great many teachers. It's called a "Reduction in Force," brought on by a not-so-hot economy and a huge cut in the district's budget. It's tough all over, and everyone suffers. But who suffers the most?

Well, honestly, the kids do. I mean, yeah, I'm out of a job, along with a whole lot of other teachers, and there seems to be nothing available. But while me and my down-trodden teaching compatriots are filling out job applications, who's minding the store?

There is a tremendous irony here. The nation is screaming for teachers. There's a teacher shortage in this country, and has been for years. We are all very concerned that our kids may not be getting a quality education simply because there aren't enough teachers to fill the void. Heck, Houston ISD is running a television campaign right now, featuring small, cute, pitiful looking children asking, "Will you teach me?"

Now for the irony part. Have you picked up on it yet? There's a teacher shortage, but teachers are being let go!

I will admit that I was teaching on an emergency certification. Basically, I was on a "temporary permit" to teach while I finished up my certificate. And the others who were let go in my district had pretty much the same story. As such, I suppose we were expendable from the beginning. It didn't seem to matter that we were doing a noble and necessary work. So we, as well intentioned but uncertified teachers, didn't have a leg to stand on when the budget came crashing down around us. It's a tough pill to swallow. But I could come to grips with it, if not for one thing.

After letting me and a large crowd of my fellow teachers go, the district hired a new football coach at roughly twice my salary (actually a little more.)

Look, I'm not going to pull punches here. This makes me mad. I'm angry, not just because I lost my job but because the students I had dedicated my life to are now going to get the short straw. Now my district has to shuffle people around, change the schedules, and force new responsibilities on already over-burdened shoulders. The work load for teachers that are still in the district just got a lot heavier. They deserve better, and so do the students.

I'm not a financial expert. I have more than my share of money problems. But even I, ignorant as I am, know better than to get rid of my most valuable resource just to save a buck.

At any rate, I'm out. I have officially retired from teaching - in public education if not all together. It's sad, I think, that I've become so disillusioned with the education system that I simply have to leave it to its fate. But I don't believe in it anymore. I feel that public education has lost its way, and I'm not sure it well ever stumble back onto the right path. Better to prop your kid in front of the Discovery Channel for 8 hours a day. You'll get a bigger return on your investment.

So, folks, I'm out looking for work. Anyone need a retired, disillusioned teacher with a lot of opinions? Nah, I didn't think so. But I'll be ok. I have a mission. True education! I'm going to make it my personal mission to stamp out ignorance and stupidity wherever I find it, through my writing and television work and any other means necessary. And I don't plan on doing it alone. I'll need your help.

And together, you and I can change the world, and maybe make it make some sense along the way.

J. Kevin Tumlinson is a writer and a schoolteacher living in Lake Jackson, TX. His resume is available upon request. Seriously.