Why I quit Teaching

Teaching for 22 years was fun. In my classe, we could have discussions and talk about slavery, civil rights, gay marriage or gay rights, women's rights and equlity. Talking, discussing and challenging each other was interesting and fun. Students would have points of view, were respectful and talked. We had no omplaints, no parent calls, no questioning "is this in the curriculum?" I would have students bring in and talk about current events, election news and laws or Supreme Court cases. We had school wide and class elections on current candidates and subjects. It was fun to talk and discuss politics, history and government. Sometimes a class was conservative and i wopuld bring up liberal point of view and sometimes the class was liberal and I brought up the conservative point of view. I would quote Regean, Obama, Bush, Carter, Clinton and Trump. I would say when they were right and wrong. We would discuss the Constitution court cases. Now, I have to watch what I say?!! Did I offend anyone? Did I say something wrong? Did a student say something wrong? Is the textbook biased? Can we discuss racial issues? Can we discuss equality? Equity? The textbooks are attachked and the question is, do we we discuss January 6 or September 11? Is slavery a topic to talk about? 3/5 compromise? Would I say something wrong? Was it needed? Hell, even you are welcome here is seen as political. Students can feel open to discriminate, talk poorly about someone. I never gave referrals until the end when students were mean to other students. They were offensive but nothing was done. I sent title 9 referrals and the District did nothing. White students were protected from feeling upset but minoority students were not protected. The "N word" was heard more and more. Language got wrorsee and worse. It was ugly at the end of my career I had students say rude things to other students in front of the class. We had rules to protect the safety of students, but the administration did not back up the teachers. The parents who were loudest won. Parents were banning books and asking for my curriculum, my lesson plan, they won. I had students complete market research for our Market Day project, and the groups were asking for pronouns and this was seen by the GoldWater Institute as a violation and issue for my teaching-it was done by students, for my students but the survey asking for pronouns was seens as harmful and poor teaching. Individual teachers and lessons in Arizona were attacked and contacted to back up their lessons. I limited my Socratic seminars and limited the discussions in my classroom. I had to change nmy teaching methods and curriculum so not to get in trouble or the get on the radar of groups. No teacher or school district indoctrinates students. We are not promoting a gay lifestyle or any lifestyle. We want to be nice and suppoert students. We are not liberal trolls or bots telling students what to think or believe. Critial thinking is both required and needed and then attaked by parents and students. Critical thinking means we want students to see all sides, get research, information and listen. We want students to lear but we want students protected and to feel safe. some students do not want to listen or hear from anything different. I do not nor have , nor do I seen any teacher have an agenda for students. I do not want nor have I seen anyone in my departemebnt want to embarass studebnts or make them feel bad or wrong. We want students to look at both sides, to think and decide for themselves. We want students to see our history, the good and bad and make up their own opinions. In my class and at my schools, everyone is American, everyone is human. Can we not see good in everyone? Is this so bad? I see students act as snowflakes on both sides. Students will complain and point fingers at each other. Students think that each side is wrong, each side is unAmerican or each side is "dumb, stupid or other degrotatory terms. We see the other side as corrupt, facts are wrong, can't think. This gets overwhelming, it gets emotional and it hurts. It makes the day go longer and teachers have to react or corret students and this is difficult in this environment. Teaching is no longer fun when students do not want to listen or respect other view points. Teaching is not longer exciting or helpful when everyone is looking for a mistake or did he say that?!?! I am sad. I am longful for the old days. Were they so different? What changed? what haopened? Teaching is no longer fun? I do not see teachers respected, or helped. I see teahcers and education attacked, challenged and seen as the enemy. We are not the enemy. We are neighbors, friends. experts in our curriculum. We know the subject and students. We are disregarded and thrown aside. We are attacked as bad people, liberal and out of touch. I loved my students and I loved my job. I loved coming to work and talking and creating lessons. I loved my work and loved my career. Times have changed. People have changed. I do not love teaching anymore. this is so sad.